ISLAMABAD: The Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP), Friday, shared with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) the government’s efforts for release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui currently confined in an American prison.
The AGP apprised that to a single bench of Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan during the hearing of the constitutional petition of Dr Fowzia Siddiqui who moved the court through her lawyer Imran Shafiq advocate.
During the hearing, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan appeared before the court and presented updates on the government’s efforts, details of plan to send a four-member delegation to the United States after the upcoming elections to pursue her release.
According to the Attorney General, the delegation will include former federal minister Talha Mehmood, Dr Fowzia Siddiqui, former Minister Anusha Rehman, and a doctor. He added that the group is expected to engage with the US officials within the next two weeks to discuss potential repatriation avenues.
Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq verified the visa status of the doctor accompanying the delegation. At this, Dr Fowzia confirmed that the visa was secured.
Attorney General Awan expressed optimism about a constructive dialogue during the delegation’s trip. Later, Justice Khan deferred hearing of the case till the end of November to review further developments on the diplomatic effort.
Previously, the additional attorney general informed the court that the government has agreed in principle to send a delegation comprising current or former parliamentarians, and possibly serving or retired high-level military officers.
The court agreed with the petitioner’s suggestion for inclusion in the delegation of a doctor familiar with the trauma history of Dr Aafia Siddiqui (now that the petitioners have access to Dr Aafia’s medical records) for the conversations over Dr Aafia’s health at the White House.
The judge said in his written order that the government is to give serious consideration to the petitioner’s proposal to include the doctor, for this court cannot see any good reason why he ought to be excluded, given his calling and the fact that he does not represent any particular interest.
He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has heard the proposed composition of the delegation, and will accordingly start taking the next steps for the delegation’s visit to the US, with the Cabinet Division following up with an official communication to MoFA, but that office work should not hold up MoFA from taking preparatory steps for the delegation’s visit.
The judge further said that Smith intends to visit the US towards the end of the first week of November, and the delegation’s visit naturally has to be timed accordingly for Smith to be there when the delegation interacts with the White House. It goes without saying that Dr Fowzia Siddiqui would also need to be a member of the delegation, as she is the one who has spearheaded the effort for Dr Aafia’s release.
The court was also informed that MoFA has forwarded the draft of the Prisoners Transfer Agreement to the US Department of State and expected to hear their response in due course.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
Comments