ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan Monday suspended the Peshawar High Court (PHC) order of releasing a number of persons involved in the terrorist activities.

A two-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Mushir Alam conducted hearing of the Khyber Pakhtunkhawa government’s appeal against the grant of bail by the PHC to Lal Jehan and seven other accused, involved in terrorist activities.

During the hearing, the apex court was apprised that the accused have been in the internment centres since 2017. Justice Mushir observed that the trial court had awarded them sentence for involvement in terrorist activities. However, the Peshawar High Court in January 2020 had granted them bail. Advocate General KP Shumail Ahmed Butt contended before the court that the accused could not be released on bail as their detention in the internment centres is under ‘Action (in Aid of Civil Power) Ordinance 2019. He argued that a five-member larger bench of the apex court had suspended the PHC judgment regarding Action (in Aid of Civil Power) wherein the KP provincial government was directed to notify all the internment centres as sub-jails.

He said that as long as the internment order of the accused under Action (in Aid of Civil Power) is in the field they could not be released. He requested the bench to fix this matter with the federation’s appeal against the PHC verdict regarding Action (in Aid of Civil Power).

The bench accepting the request ordered the office to fix the case along with the federation’s appeal against the PHC judgment on Action (in Aid of Civil Power) Ordinance, 2019.

Earlier, Justice Mushir questioned that why the accused were not released after the judgment of the PHC verdict. The advocate general KP argued that the accused were arrested in heinous crimes. He added that if they are released then they would again be involved in anti-state activities. Later, the bench deferred the hearing in this case for two weeks for further proceedings.