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Published 04 Feb, 2011 03:46am

LHC moved for release of 11 men

RAWALPINDI, Feb 3: The relatives of 11 men allegedly detained by military authorities from Adiala Jail have moved the Lahore High Court's Rawalpindi bench for their release.The petition filed by Attiqur Rehman and others through their lawyer Mohammad Ilyas Siddiqi is likely to be taken up by the court on Monday.

Making director general Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and chief of the army staff as respondents, the petitioners sought the release of Dr Niaz, Mohammad Aamir, Mazharul Haq, Shafiqur Rehman, Syed Abdul Majid, Abdul Saboor, Abdul Basit, Shafique Ahmed, Said Arab, Gul Roz and Tehseenullah. They said these 11 men were allegedly taken away by intelligence agencies from Adiala Jail on May 29 after the high court set aside their detention orders.

The secret agencies told the Supreme Court in December that the men were arrested from operation areas in Fata and would be tried under the Army Act as they were accused of attacking military personnel and installations, the petitioners maintained.

For the last over eight months, the fate of the detained men hangs in the balance as neither the charges against them have been conveyed to their relatives nor have they formally been charged and tried in the army court, they added.

The petitioners said the detainees were tried by a court of law for their alleged involvement in cases of suicide attacks on the GHQ gate, the bus of an personnel agency, the plane of former President Pervez Musharraf and Kamra Aeronautical Complex.First the intelligence agencies denied having the custody of the 11 persons but later they admitted it before the apex court.

Meanwhile, Rawalpindi police kept on searching former superintendent Adiala Jail Saeedullah Gondal and his deputy Khalid Bashir who escaped after the high court cancelled their bails on Wednesday. They have been accused of handing over the 11 men to the intelligence agencies.

Two teams constituted by SP Saddar circle Sikander Hayat raided different places in the city, including jail officials' residential colony and the house of a friend of Mr Gondal in Islamabad.

A police officer close to the investigation said police teams would also be sent to Mandi Bahauddin and Kasur, the native districts of the two jail officials.

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