PESHAWAR, Oct 16: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) here on Tuesday admitted a petition challenging the establishment of anti-terrorism courts (ATCs) in the NWFP.

A two-member bench of the High Court, comprising Justice Tariq Pervaiz and Justice Qaim Jan Khan, fixed Oct 24 for hearing all the pleas about the set-up and jurisdiction of the ATCs here.

The PHC has also reportedly postponed announcement of judgments in different appeals regarding the ATCs.

On Wednesday, the court was scheduled to pronounce the verdict in the Brinks security agency robbery case, which was reserved few days ago, but after preliminary hearing of the present petition, the court also called off the verdict pronouncement.

The Tuesday petition was filed by Ghulam Abbas, an activist of a defunct sectarian outfit, facing trial on the charges of killing a leader of the Tehrik-i-Jaffria Pakistan, Khursheed Anwer, in D.I.Khan few months ago.

Advocate Khursheed Ahmad Shahan appeared for the petitioner and argued that after an amendment in the Anti-terrorism Act of 1997 by the government early this year, the establishment of the ATCs in the Frontier province was illegal.  

He added that through the amendment, Section 14 of the act was substituted with the another section, following which the ATCs could not be established under the former provision of the law.