A court today stopped the Pakistan Air Force from taking action against three personnel accused of negligence during a terror attack on Kamra airbase after a defence lawyer filed a petition saying he was not allowed to take part in their trial.
Lt Col (retired) Inamur Rahim, the counsel for Corporal Technician Mirza Waseem Iqbal who is facing court martial over the attack, had challenged a ban imposed by the PAF on his participation in proceedings.
Rahim told Justice Mazhar Sheikh of the Lahore High Court that he appeared in the PAF court on November 4 to defend his client. When he sought documents related to the court martial, PAF authorities banned his entry in the court on the ground that they had not received his security clearance.
The lawyer asserted that preventing him from pursuing his client's case was against the spirit of Article 10-A of the Constitution, which covers fair trials.
After hearing Rahim, the court asked under what law the lawyer was being stopped from defending his client. The judge stayed the court martial till November 27.
Iqbal, senior aircraftman and supply assistant Shawaiz Khan and radar fitter Zaffar Abbas are facing court martial on charges of negligence during the attack on Kamra airbase in August 2012.
At least nine heavily armed militants stormed the strategically important airbase. They destroyed a Saab 2000 surveillance aircraft and shot dead a security official before they were killed.
