PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court (PHC) stayed the execution of three militants on Tuesday by suspending the verdict of a military court for their involvement in alleged attacks on security forces and other terror related activities. A divisional bench of the PHC comprising of Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Waqar Seth also issued notice to the federal government to file a reply till next hearing. The bench stayed the execution on judicial review appeals filed by three convicts Tabib, Muhammad Ayaz and Azizur Rahman through their counsels Ghulam Mohiuddin Malik and Arif Jan. The counsels informed the court that the petitioners were awarded death penalty by military courts and their sentences were approved by the Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on July 14, 2015. They argued the petitioners had not been given the chance to defend themselves, terming the trial a violation of the right to a fair trial. Malik said that Tabib went missing from Abbottabad on October 30, 2014 and his whereabouts were unknown since then. Similarly, they said that Muhammad Ayaz, a resident of Barikot Swat, was arrested from a security checkpoint in 2009 and was transferred to several different places from time to time. Applicants’ counsels argued that even family members were not allowed to meet him. The counsels contended that Azizur Rahman who was a resident of Matta area of Swat was arrested by security forces in 2010 and was kept at different internment centres since then. They said that their family members of the convicts came to know through media that they had been awarded the death sentence and that the army chief had approved their execution. The counsel contended that none of them had been given a fair trial nor it was known under what crimes they had committed to merit the death sentence. The bench stayed their executions and sought replies from the federal government. Besides, those whose death sentences were approved by the army chief include Muhammad Qayyum Bacha who was given the death penalty for carrying out an attack on on law enforcement agencies. Muhammad Asif, who was a member of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi got the death sentence on charges of target killing. Other militants who were convicted are Barkat Ali, Hussan Dar, Ishaq, and Behram Sher who were active members of the banned TTP and were sentenced to death for carrying out attacks on security forces.