ISLAMABAD, Feb 18: The Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi Bench, hearing petitions challenging the detention of six employees of the Khan Research Laboratories, directed the government to produce the sensitive material on the basis of which the government had detained these officials.

Attorney-General Makhdoom Ali Khan stated before the court that the government was ready to show the sensitive material to the court but not to the relatives of the detained officials.

The division bench, comprising Justice Maulvi Anwarul Haq and Justice Mansoor Ahmad, made it clear that the court would like to see the material before deciding about the fate of writ petitions challenging the detention orders.

The court announced that it had reserved its judgment and would announce it after reviewing the material in the chambers on Thursday. The AG argued that the petitions were not maintainable because the petitioners had legal remedy available to them under the Article 10 of the Constitution.

He stated that under that article if a person was detained for acting in a manner prejudicial to integrity, security or defence of Pakistan, he could be detained for 15 days without giving reasons.

If a person had been served with detention orders, he could make a representation to the Review Board, the court informed. The AG stated that all six detained men, with the exception of Mohammad Farooq, were served with detention orders passed under the Securities of Pakistan Act 1956, well in time.

He said that late service of the detention order did not make that illegal. He stated it was the first case of its nature and in matters of national security jurisprudence standards had to be slightly modified.