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Plea for Dr Aafia s repatriation

Posted on: Tue February 09, 2010

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday disposed of a petition seeking directions to the federal government to take steps for the repatriation of Dr Aafia Siddqiui after being convicted by an American court.

Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry directed the Foreign Ministry to have consultation with the Law Ministry on suggestions made by petitioner-lawyer Barrister Iqbal Jafree and take steps, if viable, to bring her back to Pakistan.

The court had already disposed of Jafree s different petitions seeking Dr Aafia s repatriation by knowing the door of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Previously, the court had ordered the foreign ministry to collect evidence from Dr Aafia counsel about her arrest from Karachi and send them to her lawyers in the USA where she was facing a trial at that time.

Barrister Jaffree had argued that American CIA had arrested Dr Aafia from Karachi in 2003 and her son was killed during the arrest. He said she was later shifted to America. The barrister had also presented the copy of a judgment of South African constitutional court that had ordered American court to stop trial of African national.

He said the American court had not only followed the order of African court but had also ordered repatriation of African national to his home country. He said African court had passed the order to the same court, which is trying Dr Aafia on the charges of attacking American soldieries in Afghanistan.

Deputy Attorney General Naveed Inayat Malik had argued that the government could not approach the ICJ without the consent of the US for the release of Dr Aafia due to a treaty barring the government from taking the step. He pointed out that Aafia was arrested from Afghanistan.

Barrister Jaffree submitted that the court had earlier directed the government to take action for the release and repatriation of Dr Aafia but it had not complied with the court orders. He said the court had also asked the government to move the ICJ for the release of Aafia but to no avail.

Courtesy : The News