PHC releases TNSM’s Sufi Muhammad on bail

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday ordered the release of Maulana Sufi Muhammad, chief of the banned Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM), after accepting his bail application.

A single bench of the PHC comprising Justice Seth Waqar Ahmad heard the plea of Maulana Sufi and the release while directing him to submit sureties of Rs 700,000.

The chief of the banned TNSM was first arrested upon his return from Afghanistan after the collapse of Taliban’s regime in November 2001. He had lead around 10,000 armed troops to resist the US attacks against the Taliban regime in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy. However, he was made free by an Awami National Party (ANP)-led coalition government in April 2008 to pave ways for a peace agreement with banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Swat chapter.

Nevertheless, Maulana Sufi had failed to convince his son-in-law Mullah Fazal Ullah for extending a ceasefire in April 2009 after which he was again arrested and sent to Peshawar Central Jail. He was facing trails according to FIR’s registered in Saidu Sharif and Kabal Police stations of Swat districts on July 30th, 2009 last.

For the last several months, he was facing health problems and had submitted an application before the Peshawar HC to order his release on the grounds of poor health.

He is likely to be made free from the city’s Central Jail in the coming days after depositing a surety of Rs 700,000.

Belonging to the lower Dir district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Maulana Sufi is the father-in-law of banned TTP chief Mullah Fazal Ullah, is accompanied by his close relatives in jail and had lost one of his sons during the military operation Raah-e-Rast in Swat and other districts of Malakand Division.