ISLAMABAD: The father of a convict in the Bannu jailbreak case has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to challenge the sentence of a military court.

In a petition filed with the IHC, Shah Khan stated that the military court had convicted his son Tahir Khan without giving him a proper opportunity of defence.

On September 2, ISPR announced that Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif had approved death sentences to `hardcore terrorists`, including Tahir.

According to the ISPR, Tahir was an active member of the outlawed TTP and was involved in attacking the Bannu jail to help a number of terrorists escape. He was also found involved in attacks on law enforcement agencies in which a soldier was killed and another injured. ISPR said Tahir had confessed to this offence before a magistrate and the trial court. He was tried on three charges and awarded the death sentence, it added.

In April 2012, over 200 armed Taliban militants attacked the central jail in Bannu, releasing 384 prisoners. The petitioner`s counsel, Babar Awan, contended before the court that Shah Khan, a resident of Pipal Bazaar in Bannu, was working as a labourer in the local fruit and vegetable market. In February 2014, unidentified people abducted his son Tahir.

He said the matter was reported to the Bannu police but Tahir could not be recovered.

The petition stated that on September 3, 2015, the petitioner heard that his son Tahir had been awarded the death penalty for his alleged involvement in the Bannu jailbreak.

On the request of Babar Awan, the court declined to issue a stay order against the execution of the death sentence and issued notices to the respondents. Further hearing was adjourned till a date to be fixed by the registrar office.-Malik Asad