A Peshawar High Court bench on Thursday stayed the execution of another militant sentenced to death by a military court on different counts of terrorism and suspended his death sentences.

A divisional bench of the high court heard a judicial review of the petition filed by family members of the convicted TTP militant Syed Qasim Shah.

The accused was awarded death sentenced over charges of attack on a non-governmental organisation World Vision in Manshera, in which its six Pakistani employees were killed.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), media wing of Pakistan Army, had issued a press release on December 16, 2016, wherein it was mentioned that the Chief of Army Staff had confirmed death sentences awarded to 13 “hard core militants”, including Qasim Shah.

Earlier in December, the Peshawar High Court had halted the death sentences of five militants convicted by a military court.

The high court has normally been conducting in-camera proceedings of final arguments in cases of military courts convicts.

Several of the military court convicts approached the high court but failed to get relief against their convictions.

Appeals of several of them were also turned down by the Supreme Court. Currently, their review petitions are pending with the apex court.