KARACHI, Feb 14: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday ordered release of a detained leader of the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan on bail. SSP leader Maulana Ali Sher Haideri was detained by the provincial government following government’s crackdown on banned religious outfits in July last year.

Challenging detention, Maulana Gulsher Ali, father-in-law of detainee, said government kept confining Ali Sher under Section 11-EEE of Anti Terrorism Act without any specific charges and issuing any show cause notices.

As the matter was taken up before SHC’s division bench, comprising Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Justice Mohammad Athar Saeed, Additional Advocate General submitted record of cases against the detainee and written context of one alleged objectionable speech delivered by the detainee.

The letter of Section Officer of Home department was also produced which submitted that detention period of the detainee has been extended till Feb 22 and reference was filed before Review Board of the Supreme Court for approval of further extension of detention for period of 90 days.

The court observed that the alleged objectionable speech of detainee, produced by the AAG, was irrelevant and could not be relied upon as date, time and place of the speech have not been mentioned.

Disposing of the petition, the court ordered the release of the detainee on furnishing surety in the sum of Rs100,000 at SHC’s Sukkur registry.—APP