National News
Aafia case: LHC orders ministry to submit evidence in US court
Posted on: Sat January 30, 2010
National Highlights
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday ordered the Foreign Ministry to collect evidence from Dr Aafia Siddiqui"s counsel on her alleged abduction by CIA agents from Karachi in 2003 and send it to her lawyers in USA for using as her defence in trial by a New York court.
In his short order, while disposing various petitions by Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafree seeking her release and repatriation from the US, and seeking a directive to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for her release, Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry expressed concern over the failure of the government to move the ICJ for her release.
The court ruled that Dr Aafia was undergoing a trial in the USA and the government should make diplomatic efforts to secure her release and return to the country as directed by the Islamabad High Court last year.
The order said: "The petitioner-lawyer may provide documents to foreign secretary, showing that Dr Aafia was kidnapped on her way to Karachi from Islamabad in 2003. The foreign ministry would transmit these documents to Aafia"s lawyers in America who would put them before the trial court in her defence." The judge observed that these documents would help the US court in arriving at just and fair decision.
Barrister Javed had argued that CIA arrested Dr Aafia from Karachi in 2003 and her youngest son was killed during her arrest. He said she was later shifted to Afghanistan from where she was taken to the USA.
Barrister Jafree also presented the copy of a judgment of the South African constitutional court that had ordered an American court to stop the trial of an African national Khames Muhammad, who was abducted and illegally shifted to America as required by the FBI in some case there.
Courtesy : The News