The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday fixed the hearing of a writ petition regarding alleged detention of nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan for June 24. Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Aslam took up the petition filed by advocate M Javed Iqbal Jafferi.
The writ has been filed under Article 199 (21) read with Section 4 (91). The petitioner has contended that Dr Khan had been under detention for the last seven years and that he was not allowed to meet his relatives. The petitioner has also filed an application requesting contempt of court proceedings against the respondents for not submitting any reply.
Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Raja Abdur Rehman argued that the petitioner had no blood relation with Dr A. Q. Khan, therefore, the petition should be dismissed. In order to substantiate his argument, he said that a similar petition filed by Advocate Masood Akhter in the apex court, was dismissed on November 22, 2006, on the ground that the petitioner had no blood relation with the scientist.
The DAG said that the Supreme Court in that judgement had observed that only kith and kin of AQ Khan could approach the court if they had any grievances. Jafferi stressed that he was a close friend of A.Q. Khan and was in the process of writing a book about his life, achievements and services for the country.
He said that Dr Khan's telephone line has been disconnected and is not being allowed to use any mobile phone. He should be given a chance in order to clarify charges against him.
He said IHC can also summon Dr Khan for recording his statement or obtaining his affidavit. He said that if it is supposed that the IHC cannot hear the case, it was obligatory for the respondents to submit their replies within the stipulated time. And non-compliance with the court order warrants contempt of court proceedings against them, the advocate contended.
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