Convicted naval officers told to file review petition

Person awarded death penalty has right to obtain record of the court proceedings, observes Justice Farooq

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has recommended five former Pakistan Navy officers, who were awarded death sentences, to file a review petition with the naval chief.

A division bench, comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiani, directed the petitioners while conducting the hearing of the case. The petitioners’ counsel Inamur Raheem was of the view that during the previous hearing the trial was held at an undisclosed location without the counsel. Charge-sheet, copy of the board of inquiry and the court proceedings of the trial were not provided.

The assistant attorney general said the record of the case was of sensitive nature and it could not be shared in the national interest. After the conviction and appeal in the naval court, the forum of the review petition to the naval chief was available.

Col (retd) Inamur Rahim advocate argued that to file a review petition his clients needed the relevant record of the previous hearing.

Justice Amir Farooq remarked that the person awarded the death penalty had the right to obtain a record of the court proceedings, adding that the defence counsels could be directed not to share the relevant record with media or any other organisation.

The defence counsel assured the court that the record would not be shared with the media.

The court held that a written order would also be issued in this regard.
Those who were awarded death sentences included former lieutenants Arsalan Nazeer Satti, Muhammad Hammad and Hammad Ahmed, former sub-lieutenant Irfanullah and sailor Tahir Rasheed.

The naval tribunal had awarded death sentences to the accused in the PNS Zulfiqar accident case.