A paramilitary soldier and policemen guard outside the Supreme Court building in Islamabad February 10, 2012. —Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Seven men allegedly held by the intelligence services on Monday appeared in the Supreme Court.

The men appeared frail, weak, unable to talk and unable to walk properly when they appeared before Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, more than a year and a half after being allegedly arrested.

The judge ordered a full medical examination. Intelligence agencies last month handed over the men to the custody of the provincial government in the northwest, after the Supreme Court took up the case.

Four of the men were reportedly held in Peshawar and three in the tribal region of Parachinar.

“There should be proper medical treatment and they shall not be shifted to internment centre in Parachinar, so long as the matter is pending before the court,” Chaudhry said.

“A medical board shall be constituted to examine their health,” he added.

Lawyer Tariq Asad, who represented the detainees, said the court ordered the ISI and Military Intelligence (MI) to submit details at the next hearing on March 1 about their detention and under which law they were held.

“The report will contain details about what happened to them during their detention over one year and a half and whether any trial took place,” he said.

Opinion

Editorial

Lurking militancy
Updated 23 Mar, 2023

Lurking militancy

Politicking on the issue of terrorism will only bring more harm to the country.
Disaster response
23 Mar, 2023

Disaster response

THE earthquake which struck Afghanistan and the northern parts of Pakistan late Tuesday, has come as a stark warning...
No interest
23 Mar, 2023

No interest

HOW high must promised returns be to encourage foreign investors to divert their dollars to Pakistan? Apparently,...
Vox populi
22 Mar, 2023

Vox populi

History will not judge kindly those who throw the laws of this land in the bin to keep just one man away from power.
Iraq’s wounds
22 Mar, 2023

Iraq’s wounds

TWO decades after the US military machine — aided by the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ — stormed into Iraq, ...
Mental health epidemic
22 Mar, 2023

Mental health epidemic

THERE are mounting stressors in the day-to-day existence of average Pakistanis. Rising inflation and unemployment...