PHC halts execution of death sentence by military court

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday suspended the execution of another death-row prisoner sentenced to death by a military court in a terrorism case. The sentence was suspended by a divisional bench comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Younis Thaeem while hearing a judicial review petition filed by Zarbakhela, mother of the accused Fateh Khan, a resident of Khyber Agency.

Fateh was arrested by security forces in November 2014 and was missing since then. The bench was informed that on March 25, Zarbakhela received a notice from superintendent of Kohat Jail in which she was asked to visit her son on March 29, as he would be hanged to death on the next day.

She adopted in her plea that her son was neither produced before any court nor there was any charge sheet against him. She prayed to declare military court decision null and void.

The bench accepting the application suspended the execution of the suspect by issuing notices to secretaries MoD and MoI to file their replies. The bench also ordered the authorities to provide file of the case and halted his execution.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th,  2016.