The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday sought reply from key aides of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as well as the interior minister on a petition seeking release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui from the US prison. The petition was filed by Dr Fauzia Siddiqui, the sister of Aafia, through her counsel Sajid Qureshi.
Dr Fauzia attached a letter of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif along with her petition, which the latter had sent to the then prime minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, in which he termed Dr Aafia's detention as stigma and urged the then prime minister to highlight the issue at international forums. The petition requested the court to ask the incumbent government to take up the matter with the US and at the international forums.
The petition cited Sartaj Aziz, adviser to prime minister on national security and foreign affairs; Tariq Fatmi, special assistant to prime minister on foreign affairs; secretary ministry of foreign affairs; principal secretary to prime minister and interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan as respondents.
The petitioner's counsel requested the court to ask the respondents to take up Dr Aafia's issue with the concerned quarters as the incumbent prime minister was not only aware of the issue but had expressed desire to provide justice to Dr Aafia. After preliminary arguments, Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi, issued notices to the respondents with directives to submit reply within 10 days. The court further directed the registrar office to fix the case after the said period, as the matter in question is urgent in nature.