American lawyer of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui coming on May 6
ISLAMABAD, April 14 (SABAH): The lawyer of Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui, Advocate Imran Shafique, has said that the government has been telling “dirtiest lies” to the court that it has done what it could do in the case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.
As per details, the single bench of Islamabad High Court (IHC) comprising Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaque heard the petition of Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui about the detention in the US of her sister Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.
The lawyer of Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui, Advocate Imran Shafique, later, told media that in this case the government of Pakistan is trying to hedge off its responsibilities towards the citizens of Pakistan and their constitutional rights. This is evident from their request to the court to wind up Aafia’s case.
He said that there could not be a bigger lie than them saying they have done a lot for her. He said the whole nation is seeing itself as what the government has ‘done’ in this case. He said Dr. Aafia Siddiqui is still languishing in the worst jail of the USA, where she is facing physical, mental and sexual torture.
He said that the medical delegation sent by the Pakistani government has said in its report that Dr. Aafia Siddiqui is not being given medical treatment in the jail. He said that under the Vienna Convention it is the responsibility of the government to provide proper legal and other facilities to its prisoners in foreign jails. He asked if our government has really provided these facilities to Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. He asked if the government has agreed to provide assistance in the cases regarding Dr. Aafia pending or to be filed in the US courts. He asked if the government has inked a prisoner transfer treaty with the US, or agreed for prisoner exchange or transfer of Dr. Aafia to some other country. He said the government has not done any of these things. He said despite this the government has told a ‘dirtiest lie’ to the court that it has already done all that could be done in the Dr. Aafia Siddiqui case.
He said we have submitted before the court that the American lawyer of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, Clive Smith, is coming to Pakistan on May 6 and he would brief the court on this case and tell it how desperately the help of the government of Pakistan is needed in this regard. He said during the next hearing the American lawyer would submit before the court about the possible assistance the government of Pakistan could render in this case. He said Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui would also attend the hearing personally.
However, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader former Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan criticized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), saying that it has failed to ensure the meeting of doctor and Imam Omar Suleiman with Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. He said that despite this the government is saying that it has already done what could be done in the Dr. Aafia case. He said the court has adjourned the case to May 6 and on the next hearing the American lawyer of Dr. Aafia, Clive Smith, would also attend the hearing and brief the court on details of the cases being filed in this regard in the US.