ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a contempt notice to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other members of the federal cabinet over failure to submit a report in the Dr Aafia Siddiqui case.
“I am issuing a contempt of court notice to every member of the federal cabinet,” Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan said during a hearing of the plea filed by Dr Aafia’s sister, Dr Fauzia Siddiqui, regarding the former’s health and repatriation from US prison.
Dictating a short order, Justice Ishaq said that the next hearing of the case will be held on the first working day after the court holidays.
Dr Aafia, a Pakistani neuroscientist, has been incarcerated in US for over 14 years after being handed down an 86-year sentence in 2010 on charges of attempted murder and assault of US personnel in an Afghan jail. She is serving a jail term in Carswell, a high-security prison in Fort Worth, Texas.
In January this year, she sought a presidential pardon, terming her jail term as “a blatant miscarriage of justice”, hours before the power transition in the United States (US). However, the then-US president Joe Biden rejected Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s clemency plea.
During the hearing today, Justice Ishaq said that he had fixed Dr Fauzia’s case for Monday, however, he was informed on Thursday that the cause list would not be issued until it was changed.
“The personal secretary informed about the roster change. I told the personal secretary to write to the chief justice regarding the cause list,” the judge said while highlighting that the roster of judges of the IHC was handled by the CJ’s Office.
“The chief justice did not get even 30 seconds to sign it?” Justice Ejaz remarked, adding that the judges’ roster has been used for decisions in certain cases in the past.
“Once again, administrative power has been used [to exercise] judicial power. I will not let justice face defeat. I will use my judicial powers to maintain the honour of the high court,” the judge remarked.
The court then issued a contempt of court notice to the federal cabinet.
