Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Aslam on Tuesday proposed to the government to hold talks with Dr A Q Khan for an amicable solution to end his confinement. The CJ gave these remarks while hearing a habeas corpus case filed by Advocate M Javed Iqbal Jafferi, counsel for Dr Khan, under Article 199 of the constitution.
The court adjourned the hearing till July 16. The court previously had directed the federal government to submit concise statement clarifying its stance over the detention of Dr A Q Khan. Abdur Rehman, Deputy Attorney General (DAG) had said that Dr Khan was not detained; rather he was being protected due to security reasons.
Mrs Hendrina Khan wrote a letter to the CJ, in which she said that her husband was under illegal detention for last five years. In addition, she said, the DAG had made a false statement about the detention of her husband which had hurt the sentiments of the family.
On Tuesday, the DAG submitted his statement and said that the demands made by Dr Khan, including meeting his relatives and friends, facilities of telephone and internet with permission of research work, should not be approved saying that it was in national interest.
Ahmer Bilal Sufi appeared as counsel for the Federation and said that recent interviews of Dr Khan with the media were against national security. He said that Dr Khan network was involved in transferring nuclear technology to North Korea. Therefore, he should be kept under more checks and security arrangements.
Jafferi said that the statement submitted by the government was only a pack of lies. Dr Khan was ready to submit his statement before the CJ in his chamber, he added. He said that Dr Khan had never issued any statement which could harm national security. It was President Pervez Musharraf who humiliated the Official Secrets Act, he added.