The Islamabad High Court's (IHC) division bench on Thursday suspended the decision of a single-member bench for the formation of a commission to probe the allegations of blasphemy.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro and Justice Azam Khan heard the case in which lawyer Kamran Murtaza and others appeared before the court on behalf of Rao Abdul Rahim.
During the hearing, Justice Soomro asked the petitioners how they are affected by this decision.
In response, the lawyer argued that they have not been given the full right to a hearing. He added that there are 400 cases involved, some of which fell outside the court's jurisdiction.
The lawyer said that the authority to form the commission lies with the federal government. This case was disposed of in the court, then a written decision came which stated that the case will remain pending. "Can a writ petition be heard by anyone else," he argued.
Justice Azam Khan asked whether the case can be kept pending after the final order, to which the lawyer said that it cannot be continued. The court reserved the decision after the initial hearing as the appeal was admissible.
Later, the court pronounced the reserved decision and suspended Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan's decision to set up a commission on blasphemy allegations and stopped implementation on the decision.
The order to form the commission came during the hearing of a case heard by Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan.
While hearing the case, he ordered that the commission should complete its work within four months.
However, he allowed the commission to seek an extension from the court, if required.
While concluding the hearing, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan said the court's primary task was to determine whether there were sufficient grounds to form a commission.
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