LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday adjourned hearing of a petition of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed against his detention to wait for a decision on the matter by a provincial review board.

As Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmad resumed hearing, a deputy attorney general stated that a provincial review board comprising judges of the high court was scheduled to take up the detention matter of Mr Saeed on Nov 21. He said the court should adjourn hearing of the petition till a decision of the review board was out. The judge accepted the request and deferred the hearing till Nov 22.

The provincial review board had on Oct 18 approved one-month extension in detention of Hafiz Saeed while accepting an application of the government. However, the board had rejected the application regarding four other leaders of the organisation, including Qazi Kashif Niaz, Prof Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Abdullah Obaid, and released them.

The provincial government had detained the JuD leaders under Maintenance of Pubic Order as recommended by the federal government.

Against the detention, JuD’s counsel A.K. Dogar contended that government detained Saeed on apprehensions and hearsay. He said an order of preventive detention had to satisfy the requirements laid down by the Supreme Court in its many judgements, 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.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2017