LHC seeks treaty with US in Aafia case
THE Lahore High Court on Tuesday directed the federal government to produce before the court the reported treaties signed with the US and Afghanistan which barred Pakistan from moving International Court of Justice (ICJ) without prior US permission for the release and extradition of Dr Aafia Siddiqi.
Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry issued the directives while hearing a contempt petition by Barrister Iqbal Jafree seeking action against government for not approaching the ICJ despite court order for release and extradition of Dr Aafia Siddiqi, a neuroscientist who has become insane after being subjected to severe torture in the US custody for the last six years.
The court adjourned hearing for Jan 18.
Earlier, Deputy Attorney General Naveed Inayat Malik reiterated before the court that Pakistan could not approach the ICJ without the US permission because of the agreements signed with the US. He also reiterated his stance that Dr Aafia was arrested by the US forces from Afghanistan and Pakistan had no role in her arrest.
This repeated claim of the government was rejected by Fouzia Siddiqui, the sister of Dr Aafia who recorded her statement before the court on previous hearing and insisted that Aafia was arrested from the Karachi airport on March 30, 2003, by local agencies along with her three minor children, before being removed to Afghanistan as per policy of Musharraf government.
Mother gets children’s custody: The district and sessions court on Tuesday handed over two children to their mother after getting them recovered from the custody of their father.
The recovery orders were issued by the district and sessions court on a habeas corpus petition filed by the detenue’s mother, Arzo Arif, a resident of Chuhang, alleging that her husband Muhammad Khalil had been keeping her two children, a six-year-old Laiba and four-year-old Talha, in his custody for last few days.
She further stated in her petition that her husband had kicked her out of his house after severely beating her, snatching her children forcibly. She requested the court to depute a court bailiff for the recovery of her children. The court bailiff went to Khalil’s house where the children were present in the house. Later, the court bailiff produced the children before court which handed them over to their mother.
SOURCE: Thenews.com.pk
