LAHORE - The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday ordered the release of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, who has been under house arrest since January this year.
The Punjab government had asked for an extension to Saeed’s detention but the request was turned down by the court, prosecutor Sattar Sahil told Reuters.
Saeed is scheduled to be released on Thursday.
An LHC court official, when contacted by The Express Tribune, refused to comment on the matter.
A provincial law officer had told the LHC during the last hearing that a provincial review board would review Saeed’s detention.
The JuD chief, through his lawyer AK Dogar Advocate, had challenged his detention orders submitting that the requirements laid by the Supreme Court for the purpose were not fulfilled. He requested the court to set aside the detention and order his release.
The provincial authorities had detained him and his four aides under Section 11-EEE (1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1977, on January 31 this year. But, in October, the government did not extend the notification for their detention under ATA sections and withdrew application pending before the federal review board for their extension.