Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday maintained that no one would be allowed to grant clemency to former Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan. It said his release without a court order was out of question.

The court further ordered the authorities concerned to ensure proper investigation of all charges of terrorism against Ehsan. Earlier, Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Mussarat Ullah informed the bench that the former TTP spokesperson was still under investigation.

Ehsanullah was a top leader of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction and the former spokesperson for the TTP. He surrendered himself to security forces in April 2017. Wednesday’s decision was taken by a two-judge bench of PHC, comprising Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Ikram Ullah Khan, in a petition filed by Advocate Fazal Khan, father of an Army Public School (APS) victim, who argued that the government was planning to grant clemency to Ehsanullah Ehsan. Barrister Amirullah Chamkani, Khan’s lawyer, argued that the government had not clearly stated its intentions regarding granting leniency to Ehsan, who oversaw multiple terrorist attacks against civilians and security forces during his association with the militant outfit. Khan’s lawyer further demanded a clear response and assurance from relevant authorities stating that Ehsanullah Ehsan would not be pardoned. He added that Ehsanullah was the prime accused in the case and had announced himself that the terrorist group carried out the brutal APS attack. The DAG argued that the case was still immature since the former TTP leader was under investigation, and once investigation was completed, Ehsanullah Ehsan would be produced in a military court. He added that after the military court’s trial was completed, the petitioner could challenge the verdict in the PHC if needed.

The court remarked that Ehsanullah Ehsan was the prime accused in the heinous attack on APS and he couldn’t be granted clemency by the government. But under the law, the families of victims could grant leniency or pardon, if they wanted.

Published in Daily Times, April 26^th 2018.