Dr Aafia petitions: CJ seeks report on three missing files

The petitions were filed for her release, repatriation, financial assistance.

KARACHI: Sindh High Court Chief Justice Musheer Alam has sought a report from the deputy registrar of the writ branch about three files of constitutional petitions by three NGOs seeking the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, her repatriation to Pakistan, legal assistance, the recovery of her children and financial assistance to the family.

On Friday, the matter was brought to the knowledge of Chief Justice Alam in an open court after an application regarding a Guantanamo Bay prisoner was disposed of. Nisar A Mujahid of the Human Rights and Civil Liberties Council said that an order was passed by a division bench in 2009 and the federal government was ordered to comply with the orders in the next four months.

When nothing happened, an application for contempt of court and for forcing the government to comply with court orders was filed.

And then the files went missing.

One of the petitions was filed by Amity International through its chairman Mahfooz Yar Khan advocate, another by Intikhab Alam Suri of the Human Rights Network.

The chief justice was informed that the files have been missing for a year and a half.

He asked the complainant to write a few lines so that an executive order is passed.

A joint application was then signed and submitted by Nisar A Mujahid, Mehfooz Yar Khan and Intikhab Alam Suri at which the chief justice sought a report about the missing files by Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th, 2011.