Conviction on espionage charges challenged.

LAHORE -- A man jailed on espionage charges by a military court has approached the Lahore High Court challenging his conviction for being unconstitutional.

Kabir Ahmad moved an appeal invoking the jurisdiction of the high court under Article 199 of the Constitution. The appeal has been filed through Advocate Iftikharullah Dhillon.

The petitioner is a resident of Bhagwanpur area of Shakargarh tehsil around 12 km away from Line of Control. He states that on March 7, 2018 some personnel of intelligence agency apprehended him from his house and kept in confinement for almost nine months. The convict pleads that neither he was informed about his guilt nor allowed to engage a legal counsel.

He says the chairman Field General Court Martial, Azad Kashmir (Heavy Anti-Tank) Battalion, Gujranwala Cantonment prosecuted him from Dec 27, 2018 to Jan 15, 2019. He was convicted under Pakistan Army Act read with sections of Official Secrets Act 1923 and sentenced to ten-year rigorous imprisonment.

Later, presiding officer of court of appeals, Gujranwala commuted his sentence to seven years. However, the petitioner states that he was kept ignorant...