PESHAWAR, Nov 13: A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court on Thursday adjourned hearing of a writ petition filed by the Secretary-General of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Ms Hina Jillani, challenging registration of an FIR against her in the famous honour-related murder case of Ms Samia Imran.

The bench, comprising Justice Malik Hamid Saeed and Justice Shahjehan Khan, fixed Nov 20 for next hearing with the observation that the court would positively dispose of the petition on that hearing.

The writ petition was filed in June 1999, after an FIR was registered against Hina Jillani and Ms Asma Jehangir at the Hayatabad Police Station on May 11, 1999, by Ghulam Sarwar Mohmand, father of the deceased woman Samia Imran and a former president of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

He charged both the human rights activists along with two army captains with abducting his daughter which ultimately resulted in her death in Lahore on April 6, 1999.

The petition has been lingering on in the high court for the last four years without any noteworthy progress. The petitioner has prayed to the court to quash the impugned FIR by declaring it illegal and without lawful authority.

Former attorney-general of Pakistan, Qazi Mohammad Jamil, and Ali Jamil Qazi appeared for the petitioner, and advocate Lateef Afridi appeared for Mr Mohmand, a key leader of National Awami Party Pakistan of which Mr Afridi is the general secretary.

After the occurrence at the petitioner’s law chamber in Lahore, an FIR was registered at the Gulberg police station on April 6, 1999, in which mother and uncle of the Samia Imran were charged for her murder. As under the Qisas and Diyat law a murder case could be compounded, therefore, the legal heirs of the deceased lady, including her husband from whom she was seeking a divorce, forgave the accused nominated in that FIR.

The petitioner claimed that on April 6, 1999, when Samia Imran was sitting in petitioner’s law chamber, her mother accompanied by three persons barged in and one of them fired at Samia killing her on the post.

While leaving the premises of the chambers, the accused took a staff member Shahtaj Qizilbash as hostage, the petitioner stated.

The police guard on duty fired in defence and the killer of Samia, who was latter identified as Habibur Rehman, got killed.

Ms Jillani claimed that the deceased was seeking legal opinion from her for getting divorce from her husband. Although an FIR was registered against the occurrence in Lahore, but on the complaint of Mr Mohmand another FIR was registered in Peshawar.