The Sindh High Court on Monday issued notice to the Secretary of Interior Ministry, the deputy director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Home Secretary, asking them to submit their respective replies on a petition of a non-profit organisation calling for repatriation of Pakistani female prisoners languishing in the United Arab Emirates penitentiaries.
A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Munib Akhtar also put the federal law officer on notice on a petition filed by the Sarim Burney Trust International through its administrator Rashida Shakir, who cited the Secretary of Interior Ministry, the deputy director of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Home Secretary and the government of United Arab Emirates (UAE) through its consul general as respondents.
The petitioner's counsel submitted that former interior minister Rehman Malik had struck an agreement with his UAE counterpart in February 2012 for the repatriation of Pakistani prisoners languishing in the UAE jails for different crimes. However, since the inking of agreement no practical steps have been taken by the government for the repatriation of prisoners, particularly female prisoners, to Pakistan.
The counsel said that his trust had received emails from nine Pakistani female prisoners asking it to pursue their cases of repatriation. Those who mailed included Shamim Akhtar, Fashola Rohi, Sehrish Kazmi, Nazia Jahangir, Taiba Rani, Asma Ghulam, Sajida Farzand, Barkat Bibi and Salma. The petitioner requested the court to direct official respondents to take steps for transfer of Pakistani inmates to Pakistan. After initial hearing, the bench issued notice to the Secretary of Interior Ministry, the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Home Secretary to respond on the petition. The court adjourned the hearing of the case till August 31.