Amjad Farooqi’s plea: Court issues notice to air force JAG

Justice Shehzada Mazhar orders Group Captain Fareed Khan to appear before the court.

RAWALPINDI:

A Lahore High Court (LHC) bench issued a contempt notice on Monday to the judge adjudicate general of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in the Amjad Farooqi case.

When Kamra airbase technician Farooqi was court martialled by the PAF judge advocate general (JAG), Group Captain Fareed Khan, over the airbase attack he was not handed a copy of the inquiry report. He was sentenced to six months of imprisonment and was terminated from service.

Farooqi filed a writ petition at Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi bench. On September 9, 2012, Justice Rauf Sheikh issued an order to the JAG to provide the inquiry report to the accused within 15 days. However, the order was not complied with even after the deadline’s expiry.

The court issued another order on October 25, 2012, to the PAF authorities to share the inquiry report with the complainant. However, this order was also violated.

Then a contempt application was filed against the JAG for not complying with the court order and notices were issued to the JAG.

During a court appearance Fareed Khan told the judge that he would file a written reply and later informed the court that the action was taken without conducting any inquiry against the accused.

Farooqi informed the court that he was in hospital as his wife had suffered a heart attack. He said he informed the authorities about the incident by telephone. When the airbase was attacked he was in CMH and presented a record of his claim from the hospital.

However, his plea was not accepted by JAG. Justice Shehzada Mazhar issued a contempt notice to Group Captain Fareed Khan and ordered him to appear before the court.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2013.