Govt in no way negligent about Dr Aafia, says PM Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday met with Dr Fowzia Siddiqui, sister of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, and assured that the government would continue to provide all possible legal and diplomatic support in the matter of Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

The government is in no way negligent regarding the case of Dr Aafia, the prime minister said.

The meeting has taken place days after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued contempt notices to the prime minister and the federal cabinet in a petition filed by Dr Fowzia, seeking the repatriation, health status, and release of her sister, Dr Aafia, who is imprisoned in the United States of America.

A single bench of Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, on July 21, hearing Siddiqui’s petition, issued the notices against the prime minister and members of the federal cabinet over the government’s failure to submit a report in the Dr Aafia case.

Justice Ejaz expressed strong displeasure over the government for not submitting the required report about why the government was refusing to sign an amicus brief on Aafia case.

Dr Aafia case: IHC issues contempt notice to PM, cabinet

On the instructions of PM Shehbaz, the government has previously provided diplomatic and legal assistance in the case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a press statement issued by the PM Office said.

Furthermore, the prime minister not only wrote a letter to the then US president Joe Biden regarding this issue but also formed a committee headed by Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar to ensure further progress in the matter.

The committee will remain in contact with Dr Fowzia and will work to provide the necessary support in this regard, the statement added.