LAHOR E: A Lahore High Court division bench on Tuesday adjourned hearing of a petition challenging detention of Jamatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and his four aides.

At the outset of the hearing, Additional Attorney General Naseer Ahmad Bhutta told the bench that a federal review board had taken up the matter of the petitioners` detention and a hearing was also held on May 13 at Supreme Court`s Lahore registry.

The bench headed by Justice Sadagat Ali Khan was hearing thepetition challenging detention of Hafiz Saeed and his aides Abdullah Ubaid, Malik Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Hussain.

The law officer said since the matter was pending before the review board the court should postpone its hearing till a decision by the board.

However, JuD`s counsel A K Dogar opposed the plea and argued that the government formed the review board after the expiry of first three-month detention period of Hafiz Saeed and others.

He said the government was required to produce the detainees before a review board prior to expiry of their detention period.The counsel said the detention period of the petitioners was extended without mandatory approval of the review board.

He asked the court to set aside the detention of the petitioners for being unconstitutional.

The bench adjourned further hearing till May 23 and directed the government`s lawyer to submit a written reply on the matter.

In this case, the interior ministry had taken a stance that no violation of law was committed in issuance of the detention orders for the petitioners.

It said the orders were issued under section 11EE of the Anti Terrorism Act 1997, which dealt with the proscription of person.It said the JuD and its allied organisation (Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation) had been kept under observation on the basis of a report sent by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

In the light of that report, the federal government had reasons to believe that JuD and FIF were engaged in certain activities which could be prejudicial to peace and security and in violation of Pakistan`s obligation to the United Nations Security Council resolution.

Before the review board the ministry had pleaded that Hafiz Saeed and his aides were detained on the charges of spreading terrorism in the name of `Jihad`