LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday directed the counsel for Jamatud Dawa’s (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed to file a fresh application against the latest order of the Punjab home department extending detention of his client for another 30 days, starting from Sept 25.

Earlier, an official of the home department presented the latest detention order of the petitioner before the court during hearing of a plea challenging previous detention orders issued for the JuD chief and his aides.

Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi turned down a home department request for holding in-camera proceedings of the petition as the matter was sensitive. The judge adjourned hearing for a day.

JuD leaders’ counsel Advocate A K Dogar had contended the government detained the petitioners on the basis of mere apprehension. He said under the law no presumption and assumption could give rise to any apprehension unless it was supported by some piece of evidence.

The counsel argued that an order of preventive detention had to satisfy the requirements laid down by the Supreme Court in many of its judgments but in the instant case blatant violation of laws had been committed by the government.

He said imprisonment without trial and conviction was prima facie unlawful and unconstitutional. Other petitioners include Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain.

The home department previously told the court that activities of JuD leaders, if released, would pose a serious threat to the public safety and cause breach of public order.

It said a number of cases had been registered against Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a sister organisatison of JuD, while the detainees also launched a campaign of their political party, which was still not registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The department said all the law enforcement agencies strongly recommended extended detention of the JuD leader in the larger public interest.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2017