Human rights: Government seeks time in Bagram prisoners case

Application asking court to summon ISI chief pending adjudication.

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Tuesday adjourned till September 27 the hearing of a petition seeking release and repatriation of seven Pakistani citizens detained at Bagram jail in Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, standing counsel Malik Karamat Awan appeared on behalf of the federal government sought time to file reply to an application by the petitioner seeking permission to place on record the affidavits of the relatives of the detainees and a foreign lawyer.

Petitioner’s counsel, Sarah Belal, insisted on a short adjournment owing to her foreign assignment.

Awan, however, said that he was unable to submit a reply in a short time. He said he had to consult three ministries in this regard. Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh adjourned the hearing till last week of September.

Earlier, the standing counsel had objected to the affidavit signed by an American advocate, Clive Stafford Smith.

The petition has been filed by Sultana Noon of Reprieve, a UK-based organisation that works for prisoners’ rights.

Noon submitted that seven Pakistanis were detained at Bagram Theatre Internment Camp in Afghanistan without any charge or trial since 2003. The Reprieve representative alleged that they were abducted from Pakistan.

Those detained include Awwal Khan, Hamidullah Khan, Abdul Haleem Saifullah, Fazle Karim, Amal Khan, Iftikhar Ahmad and Younas Rehmatullah.

Noon said the detainees had no access to lawyer and were not informed of the evidence against them.

She requested the court to direct the authorities to make representation on behalf of these citizens and make arrangements for their release and repatriation to the country.

An application by the petitioner asking the court to summon the ISI director general to answer the charge of facilitating the ‘abduction’ and extradition of these citizens to Afghanistan is pending.



Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2011.