RAWALPINDI, July 6: A division bench of the Lahore High Court here on Wednesday refused to grant bail to two men convicted of planning suicide attacks on former President Pervez Musharaf in 2008.Justice Ijaz Ahmed and Justice Saghir Ahmed Qadri set aside the post-conviction bail application of Intikhab Ahmed Abbasi and Mohammad Kabir, who along with four other men were given life imprisonment on two counts by an anti-terrorism court. It may be noted that under the law when a court grants bail to a convict, his conviction remains suspended.

The two men through their counsel Shaukat Aziz Siddiqi prayed the high court to suspend their conviction and grant them bail, arguing there were doubts on the verdict of the trial court.

The prosecution lawyers, however, maintained that the two were key part of a group of 12 men who had planned to attack the Army House in June 2008 with three explosive-laden vehicles, and they should not be granted bail.

Intikhab, a resident of Islamabad, Kabir, of Abbottabad, Abid Khan, of Attock, Mohammad Ishaq from Peshawar, Qamar Zaman from Dera Ismail Khan and Zafar Ali, of Kohat, were sentenced to life term on August 31, 2011.

The court, however, had acquitted seven other men - Mohammad Tauqir, Mohammad Sajjad, Mohammad Zameer, Rashid Mehmood, Farhan Mehmood, Abdul Sattar and Noor Mohammad - due to lack of evidence. The accused were arrested in Dhoke Kala Khan in June 2008 and police said about 900 kg explosive material was recovered from their possession.

During investigation, the arrested men had told the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) that they had planned the attacks on the convoy of the former president and the Army House.