ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) will hear the Dr Aafia Siddiqui case, concerning contempt of court proceedings against the prime minister and the federal cabinet, on June 16.
A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan is scheduled to take up the matter.
The contempt proceedings were originally initiated by a single-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the prime minister and members of the federal cabinet in connection with Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s case.
The federal government subsequently challenged the IHC order before the FCC, which, on February 11, 2026, restrained the IHC from proceeding with contempt of court case against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and federal ministers.
Earlier, on May 16, 2025, IHC Judge Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan allowed Dr Fowzia Siddiqui to amend her petition seeking the release of her sister, Dr Aafia Siddiqui. The amended petition requested the court to declare that efforts for Dr Siddiqui’s release and repatriation constitute a constitutional obligation of the federal government.
The federal government, in its reply, urged the IHC to set aside permission granted to Dr Fowzia to amend her petition, and maintained that the issue relates to foreign policy and international law. However, the IHC judge issued contempt notices to the prime minister and the federal cabinet for failing to submit a report explaining the government’s refusal to sign an amicus brief and support legal proceedings in the United States for seeking relief for Aafia Siddiqui.
The federal government also argued that the proposed amendments would exceed judicial authority and violate the finality of decided cases. It added that reopening a matter long concluded would contravene established legal principles.
The government had also informed the IHC that the prime minister, in October 2024, sent a letter to the US president in support of clemency for Dr Aafia. A high-level delegation was also sent to the United States to explore prisoner transfer agreements. However, US authorities did not agree to any such arrangements, the federal government stated.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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