LAHORE: Attorney-General for Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali on Wednesday presented ‘sensitive’ documents before a judge of the Lahore High Court in his chamber to defend detention of Jamatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed.

Earlier, the AGP told the judge that the documentary material relied upon by the federal government to detain Mr Saeed was sensitive in nature and would not be appropriate to present in open court. He sought permission from the court to produce the relevant material in chamber and also requested it not to place the same on record of the case.

After Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi allowed the request the AGP shared the documents with the judge in his chamber where Advocate Dogar was also present.

Prior to the chamber’s proceedings, an officer of ministry of interior told the court that the JuD chief had been detained in the light of reports and recommendations by intelligence agencies. The judge would resume hearing today (Thursday).

Challenging the detention of Hafiz Saeed, Advocate Dogar had contended that the government detained his client on the basis of mere apprehensions and hearsay. He argued that an order of preventive detention had to satisfy the requirements laid down by the Supreme Court in its many judgments but in the instant case sheer violation of laws had been committed by the government.

He said imprisonment without trial and conviction was prima facie unlawful and unconstitutional.

A provincial review board had approved an application of the government seeking extension in the detention of Mr Saeed for another 30 days starting from Oct 25. However, the board did not allow further detention of four other JuD leaders.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2017