Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice on Monday reserved his decision on federal government’s application challenging LHC’s jurisdiction to hear the transfer application of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
Lakhvi, a member of the banned outfit Lashkar-i-Taiba, is an accused in the Mumbai terror attacks. He wants his case to be transferred from Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court to Lahore.
In his petition, he said that he did not trust the Rawalpindi court. He also cited security reasons. He is being held at Adiala Jail.
On Monday, a standing counsel on behalf of the federal government submitted an application stating that the case against Lakhvi had been registered in Islamabad. Therefore, Islamabad High Court (IHC) had the jurisdiction to hear the transfer application.
Lakhvi’s counsel Khawaja Sultan opposed the federal government’s application and said that IHC had no jurisdiction outside of Islamabad. The LHC, however, enjoys a wider territorial jurisdiction and could transfer the case to anywhere in the Punjab. After hearing arguments from both sides the chief justice reserved judgment. In 2010, the then Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif had declined Lakhvi’s transfer application. At that time Lakhvi had contended that his life was in danger.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2011.
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