LAHORE: A Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench stayed on Friday the execution of a condemned man convicted by an anti-terrorism court for killing an army man.

The bench, headed by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, stayed the execution of Muhammad Faiz till January 5 and also summoned the Faisalabad jail superintendent.

The bench directed the superintendent to explain as to how he obtained death warrants for the prisoner when his appeal against sentence was pending with the Supreme Court.

Faiz was sentenced to death in 2006 for killing Lance Naik Tariq Mahmood in Nankana Sahib. His counsel argued that an appeal against the sentence was still pending adjudication before the Supreme Court and the trial court (anti terrorism court) issued death warrants of the convict on the request of the Faisalabad jail superintendent.

The counsel said the superintendent concealed facts from the trial court to seek death warrants.