Rawalpindi - The Lahore High Court (LHC), Rawalpindi bench, yesterday sought reply from secretary defence on a writ petition filed by a former navy officer who has been awarded capital punishment by a field general court martial (FGCM) in case of attacking Naval Dockyard in Karachi on September 6, 2014.

The court gave seven days to the secretary defence for submitting his reply on the petition filed by ex-Lt Hammad Ahmed Khan. The petitioner seeks necessary trial and investigation documents to prepare his appeal against the death penalty.

Hammad along with five other serving naval officials was given death sentence by the FGCM in May 2016 for their involvement in a terrorist attack on the dockyard. The petitioner had prayed to the court to ask the military authorities to provide him relevant documents enabling him to prepare the appeal against his conviction. He had further prayed to the LHC for stopping the naval authorities from taking any adverse decision against him till final disposal of his petition before the high court.