ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday sought a report from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on the case of production of seven of 11 suspects picked up by intelligence agencies for their alleged involvement in terror attacks.
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, resumed hearing of the case today.
The bench expressed its dissatisfaction over the written reply submitted by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Military Intelligence (MI) and said in its remarks that the reply had not said any thing about the law.
The two premier agencies had explained in a three-page statement submitted before the Supreme Court on Thursday that they treated court orders with great sanctity, but could not shut their eyes to rebellious acts of internal and external elements involved in serious cases of terrorism.
The statement had asserted that agencies had no enmity or bear no grudge against anyone or any section of people.
During the hearing, the bench told the counsel of ISI and MI, Advocate Raja Mohammad Irshad that “you don’t know what could be the consequences of this reply.”
“Under which law you had been detaining them?” Justice Iftikhar asked Irshad, referring to the seven men held by the agenices.
Irshad did not reply directly, but instead said the court's concerns are “being conveyed to the authorities concerned.”
Defending the agencies, Irshad called on parliament to pass more effective anti-terrorism laws to ensure that suspects in high-profile cases are not acquitted on the basis on insufficient evidence.
But Chaudry said evidence must be produced before the men can be found guilty of the attacks.
“They may have attacked General Headquarters or Hamza Camp, but bring the evidence,” he said.
He then pressed the lawyer over alleged abuses in Balochistan where security services are accused of killing and detaining hundreds of people in an attempt to crush a six-year separatist insurgency.
“Dead bodies are being found and Balochistan is on fire,” the judge said.
Irshad said the intelligence services accepted the constitutional authority of the court and that the seven surviving men were being given medical care at a hospital following court orders.
The case was adjourned until March 16.
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