LAHORE: The Supreme Court on Monday disposed of as withdrawn a petition challenging the detention of Hafiz Saad Rizvi, chief of proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

       As a two-judge bench headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah took up the petition at the Lahore registry, Rizvi’s counsel Burhan Moazzam Malik said a review board had set aside the previous detention of Rizvi. However, he said, the government on July 10 issued a fresh notification extending the detention of the TLP chief for further 90 days.

       Justice Shah observed that the review board had already set aside the detention assailed in the instant petition.

       The judge advised the counsel to withdraw the petition since it stood infructuous.

       At this, the counsel did not press the petition and the bench disposed of the same as withdrawn.

       Rizvi’s paternal uncle Ameer Hussain had filed the petition challenging the detention order of his nephew issued on April 12, 2021. He also assailed an order of the Lahore High Court that dismissed his petition against the detention.

       The detention of Rizvi was supposed to end on July 10 in light of the decision of the review board. However, the deputy commissioner of Lahore issued a fresh notification under Section 11 EEE of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and detained Rizvi for 90 days. Saad Rizvi is the son of the late Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the founder of the TLP.

       Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2021