LAHORE, Feb 7: A spokesman for the Lahore High Court on Thursday regretted the totally misleading statement attributed to the Punjab law minister, Dr Khalid Ranjha, regarding disposal of cases by the special courts constituted under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997m and the appeals by the LHC.

The spokesman said the actual number of the cases decided by the Special Courts for Suppre-ssion of Terrorism in the Punjab from 1999 to 2001 was 2,757 and not 12. In addition to this number, he said, the courts had decided 91 cases of sectarian nature.

The minister was reported to have said that the high court had decided only four appeals since 1995. Actually, the spokesman said, the LHC had decided appeals in 21 cases of sectarian murder, 230 cases of murder, 46 cases of attempted murder, 13 cases involving injuries, 24 cases of kidnapping and abduction, 33 cases of robbery and dacoity and 24 Hudood matters under the 1997 ATA, 58 in cases under the Arms Ordinance, five appeals under the Explosives Act and 100 appeals in other cases. The total number of appeals during the period was 554. The appeals, he said, arose in judgments under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, and had nothing to do with the ordinary work of the high court.