While talking to The Express Tribune, Advocate Colonel (retd) Inam-ur-Raheem, representing Brig Ali, asserted that his client did not attend proceedings because military authorities had not allowed him to see the ‘counsel of his choice.’
“On Sunday, Brig (retd) Ali asked me have a meeting with him. However, the authorities refused this demand,” said Inam.
“I was later informed that Lieutenant Colonel Khizar Hayat, hailing from General Headquarters’ (GHQ) legal branch, had been appointed as the defending officer for the accused,” he added.
Under military laws, an accused is provided a defending officer only if he cannot afford a lawyer or he assents to have a serving officer defending him in the court.
Lamenting the indifferent attitude of the concerned military authorities, Inam pointed out that he himself had been allowed to see the accused earlier only after the Lahore High Court (LHC) had directed to do so.
Inam went on to add that Brig Ali had also urged the court to grant him permission to see the federal government‘s directives which pertained to his retirement.
The accused continues to maintain that he cannot be tried under military laws since he has already retired from the armed forces.
On May 5, the military authorities detained Brig Ali, accused to have links with the banned Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT).
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