LAHORE: The Foreign Ministry on Friday told the Lahore High Court that 11 more Pakistani citizens were scheduled to be released from Bagram Theatre Internment Camp, Afghanistan, next month.

This was stated in a written reply of the ministry submitted by a standing counsel to the court during hearing of a petition filed by the Justice Project Pakistan (JPP) for the release of 25 Pakistani citizens from the US captivity.

The counsel stated a batch of 11 Pakistanis detained at Bagram jail was scheduled to be released by the end of May.

JPP’s counsel Barrister Sarah Belal said ministry’s reply lacked information on the identity of the next batch of the detainees due to be released.

At this, the court directed the ministry to get the identities of to be released detainees verified by Nadra and submit a report within a fortnight.

The JPP in its petition stated that Pakistani citizens had been detained at Bagram jail without any charge or trial since 2003. It alleged they were abducted from Pakistan and removed to the infamous US prison in Afghanistan.

Verdict reserved: The Lahore High Court on Friday reserved judgment on a petition challenging meeting of Punjab University’s selection board for the posts of associate professor in the University Law College.

Justice Ayesha A. Malik had already passed a stay order against the board meeting on March 21.

Petitioners Sami Uzair and others contended that the university administration had halted the selection process since 2008 but it had hurriedly called the latest selection board’s meeting because VC’s wife Dr Shazia Qureshi was appearing for the post of associate professor.

Petitioner’s counsel Ahsan Bhoon argued that the last date for applications was in October 2013 but it was extended twice and then reverted only to accommodate Dr Shazia Qureshi. He stated that the said posts had been advertised just to promote Dr Qureshi during the tenure of her husband Dr Mujahid Kamran as vice chancellor. The counsel asked the court to declare selection board meeting illegal.

University’s counsel rejected the allegation and said Dr Qureshi was not being promoted and eligible candidates would be selected only in the board’s meeting. The judge after hearing both sides reserved the verdict.