Pak Govt's failure to provide evidence results in release of terror suspects

Peshawar, May 17 (ANI): The failure of the Pakistan Government to provide any evidence against terror suspects is resulting in the grant of bail by the Peshawar High Court to them.

The court has started releasing the suspects under Article 199 of the constitution. These suspected were arrested by law enforcement agencies from different conflict zones on charges of being involved in terrorist activities.

On May 7, the PHC division bench headed by Chief Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan had issued bail to four terror suspects after the prosecution had failed to produce even a single piece of evidence against them.

They have filed their bail applications under Article 199 of the constitution in the PHC, the Daily Times reports.

The Police had arrested and charged Mohammad Ilyas and three other persons on October 13, 2009, for an attack on a police post situated in Badhaber Police Station precincts. The police post was completely destroyed in the attack.

Afterwards, the law enforcement agencies arrested and charged them for plotting and carrying out the attack. The orders of the High Court clearly showed that the changes made in the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997 by the government due to the prevailing law and order situation and fear of release of terror suspects from courts, had failed to address the concerns of the court.

The government had promulgated an ordinance in October 2009, through which drastic amendments were made in the ATA 1997.

The government believed that amendments in the ATA would help in taking appropriate action against terrorists in different conflict zones of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. (ANI)