No justification to extend Saad’s detention: Federal Review Board

LAHORE: The Federal Review Board, headed by a judge of the Supreme Court, on Saturday dismissed as withdrawn the Punjab government's petition for extension in custody of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan chief Hafiz Saad Rizvi.

The board comprising Justice Maqbool Baqir of the Supreme Court, Justice Ayesha A Malik of the Lahore High Court and Justice Noorul Amin of the Balochistan High Court ruled that after the provincial review board of the Lahore High Court had quashed the detention of Hafiz Saad Rizvi, how it could be extended by the federal review board.

The board further ruled that Saad Rizvi should be released if he is not wanted in any other case. The Punjab government withdrew its petition after the review board declared its request for extension unjustified.

Rizvi was detained after the TLP staged sit-ins across the country, demanding that the government expel the French ambassador in the wake of blasphemous cartoons. The protesters had turned violent and attacked the police personnel. A provincial review board had rejected a plea of the government to extend the detention of Rizvi as it found it mala fide. Later the government had detained Rizvi under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, which the court had also set aside on last Friday.