Hassaan Niazi's petition against military court trial fixed for hearing

LAHORE (Dunya News) - The Lahore High Court (LHC) has fixed PTI leader Hassaan Niazi’s petition against military court proceedings for hearing on September 16.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Syed Shehbaz Ali Rizvi will take up the plea. The court had earlier issued notices to the federal government on objections raised by the Registrar’s Office.

The Registrar’s Office maintained that the petition lacked a certified copy of the commanding officer’s order and that the petitioner had not first approached the relevant forum.

Earlier, the court had also sought a federal response on Niazi’s challenge to his military custody, the trial before a military court, and possible court martial. The petition, filed through senior lawyer Faisal Siddiqi, argued that following his arrest in the May 9 case, Niazi was never presented before a civilian court and was instead handed over to the military by Sarwar Road Police in violation of the law.

The petition further requested the court to declare the commanding officer’s August 17, 2023 notification null and void, annul all subsequent military proceedings, and order Niazi’s release from military custody or his production before an anti-terrorism court.