Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has asked the government to provide reasons for not becoming a party to the case in the United States during a hearing on a petition concerning Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s health and repatriation.
Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan presided over the hearing of the petition filed by Dr. Fouzia Siddiqui. Advocate Imran Shafiq (the petitioner’s lawyer), the additional attorney general, and other officials appeared before the court.
The additional attorney general informed the court that the government had refused to provide legal assistance or become a party in Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s case in the U.S. To this, the court questioned, “On what grounds was this decision made?”
The court remarked that when the government or Attorney General makes a decision, it must be based on reasons, “This is a constitutional court, and decisions without justification are not acceptable here.”
The court directed that the reasons behind the government’s decision be presented at the next hearing.
The case hearing was then adjourned until Friday, July 4.
Earlier, Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that there are no words to describe the Swat tragedy.
He expressed these views while talking to the media after offering condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in Swat. He said that children drowned in front of their mother. “I have no words to talk about this tragedy, but there is no doubt that this is a breakdown of rescue and this is not the first incident, but before this, such incidents of failure of rescuers have happened there too. The rescuers came there, but they came empty-handed and then left because they did not have any equipment,” he added.
