Pakistan court clears path for execution of 5 ex-naval officers in 2014 terror case

Pakistan's Islamabad High Court (IHC) lifted on Monday a temporary stay on the execution of five former naval officers after resolving their petition seeking access to court documents. The court granted the officers restricted access to view the investigation reports against them – a dispute that had been holding up their execution.

The petition was filed by former Navy officers Arslan Nazir Satti, Muhammad Hammad, Muhammad Tahir Rasheed, Hammad Ahmad, and Irfanullah, seeking access to court documents related to their conviction.

The military proceedings that led to their conviction were conducted behind closed doors, as is typical with sensitive national security cases in Pakistan. The Navy has maintained that the details of the Board of Inquiry report should remain classified, citing potential risks to national security.

While today's court proceedings granted the convicted officers limited access to view their case documents, the military's position on withholding complete copies of the inquiry report remained unchanged. The officers' legal team, led by Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Inamur Rahim, was permitted to take notes during the document review but was not provided with full copies.

Justice Babar Sattar announced the decision after hearing statements from the petitioners' lawyers. Rahim, counsel for the petitioners, confirmed that access to the inquiry report and verdict was granted in the presence of government lawyers.

"The inquiry report and judgment were shown, and we have taken notes," he told the court. The Navy had previously refused to provide copies of the Board of Inquiry report to the convicts, citing national security.

The five Navy officers were sentenced to death through court martial, which had been temporarily stayed by the high court. Today's ruling removes the legal barrier to the execution of their death sentences.

2014 attack

The case stems from an attack on Pakistan's Karachi Naval Dockyard on September 6, 2014, when militants attempted to hijack the Pakistani Navy ship PNS Zulfiqar.

The assault triggered a six-hour gun battle between the intruders and commandos of the Special Services Group (SSG), Pakistan's elite special forces unit. One Navy officer and two militants were killed in the ensuing firefight, while security forces captured four others.

Following investigations, the five aforementioned Navy officers were arrested and tried by a Navy tribunal. On May 24, 2016, they were sentenced to death after being found guilty of multiple charges, including having links to the terrorist groups, mutiny, conspiracy, and bringing weapons onto the dockyard.

The lifting of the stay order means the death sentences can now be carried out, unless the officers pursue further legal challenges in Pakistan's Supreme Court.