Islamabad - Islamabad High Court Monday directed the government to remove name of khadim of Lal Masjid from the fourth schedule.
A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui issued these directions besides restoring his bank account and computerized national identity card.
The government had placed name of Khadim of Lal Masjid Manzoor Hussain on the fourth schedule after Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had submitted a report to the District Police Officer (DPO) Attock.
Punjab CTD in its application had alleged that Manzoor Hussain had been meeting with the members of banned organization Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), formerly Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, at his residence in Attock. He was then placed on the list by the Punjab Home Department in February 2016.
During the hearing, Justice Siddiqui enquired from the Punjab home department and CTD to provide evidence of Manzoor Hussain’s involvement in suspicious activities.
The IHC bench directed to remove Manzoor Hussain’s name from fourth schedule after respondents failed to provide the details. Later, the court disposed of the matter. In this matter, the petitioner Manzoor Hussain moved the court through his counsel Tariq Asad Advocate and cited Interior Ministry, Home Department Punjab, Chairman NARDRA and Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) as respondents.
The petitioner stated in his petition that he joined Pakistan army 15 October 1965 and was retired on medical ground in 1978. After retirement, he started private jobs and in 1992, he started his services in Lal Masjid as driver and later due to his old age, he is performing the duty of Khadim and servicing the mosque for about 23 years. He contended that throughout his life, he has never been convicted or even been nominated in any FIR so that he has never been interrogated in connection with any criminal case.
The counsel Tariq Asad informed the court that after the incident of Lal masjid, while most of the persons connected with the affairs of the masjid had been trialed under criminal cases. Even then, his client was not alleged in any case.
He maintained that it is unbelievable that at the age of 69 years, the petitioner’s name has been placed on the fourth schedule on May 2016 without any rhyme or reason.
Tariq added that the petitioner has never been involved in any sort of terror activity nor has been ever suspected by law enforcing agencies and he is a law abiding citizen.
He said that in the month of July 2016, the CNIC of the petitioner was blocked and bank account was frozen. The counsel argued that the petitioner depends on pension released by army and after the blocking of CNIC and frozen of his bank account, he is facing a lot of trouble.
He continued that the petitioner being citizen of Pakistan has been deprived of his fundamental right of citizenship and he has also been deprived of his identity.
Therefore, he prayed to the court to direct the secretary interior to remove his name from the fourth schedule and also direct Chairman NADRA and Governor SBP to restore his CNIC and bank account respectively.