IHC asks MoFA to facilitate Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui’s meeting with Dr. Aafia Siddiqui in FMC Carswell prison of the US

ISLAMABAD, May 24 (SABAH): Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to fully facilitate the meeting of Global Aafia Movement Chairperson Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui with her jailed sister Dr. Aafia Siddiqui in FMC Carswell prison of the US.

As per details, an IHC bench comprising Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaque Khan heard the constitutional petition of Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui for release of her sister Aafia Siddiqui from the US prison.

After the hearing, the lawyer of Fowzia Siddiqui, Advocate Imran Shafique told the media outside the court premises that today the court heard the petition in detail.

Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui and the American lawyer of Aafia Siddiqui, Clive Stafford Smith, attended the court online. Additional secretaries of the ministry of law and ministry of interior were also present besides the amici curiae Zainab Janjua.

The court during the last hearing had asked the government to present the details about the prisoners transfer agreement with the USA.

However, the officials of the ministries of law and interior were unaware in this regard. They were also unaware about why the Pakistani request to join a European Convention on prisoners transfer was not accepted.

The court expressed surprise that the government officials present in the court didn’t have knowledge about the basic facts on this matter.

However, the court repeated the directives given during the previous hearing to contact the Pakistani lawyers in the US and work on proposed mercy petition to be filed with the US president for transfer of Aafia Siddiqui to Pakistan.

Clive Stafford Smith told the court that he has prepared a petition for Aafia comprising 26000 words that would be filed in American court.

However, the court asked the MoFA to facilitate the scheduled meeting of Fowzia Siddiqui with her sister Aafia in the US jail and the MoFA officials assured the court that the Pakistani ambassador in the US would fully facilitate the scheduled meeting. The case was adjourned to June 14, 2024.