ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday resumed hearings on the case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani national currently imprisoned in the United States. Her American lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, appeared before the court and strongly criticized the conditions under which Dr Siddiqui is being held, describing them as extremely inhumane.
During the proceedings, Clive Smith informed the court that Dr Siddiqui continues to suffer mistreatment in U.S. custody. He emphasized that her detention conditions violate basic human rights standards and called for urgent attention to her plight.
Meanwhile, the federal government submitted a miscellaneous application requesting the dismissal of the original petition, arguing that the petition's primary objectives had already been addressed. However, legal counsel for Dr Siddiqui’s sister, Dr Fowzia Siddiqui, countered that the petition includes multiple pleas, many of which remain unresolved. The counsel also requested the court’s permission to amend the petition to include new grounds for relief.
Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan noted that petitioners have the option to file a new petition reflecting the fresh grounds, although the counsel raised concerns that a new filing might be assigned to a different bench, potentially delaying progress.
The court also discussed procedural issues. It was noted that any interim order in favor of the government’s application could be appealed in the Supreme Court, based on precedents in similar cases.
The IHC adjourned the hearing until next week, as deliberations continue over the admissibility and scope of the proposed amendments.
Background:
Dr Aafia Siddiqui was born in 1972 in Karachi and later pursued higher education in the United States, earning a PhD in neuroscience from Brandeis University in 2001. Her promising academic career was overshadowed by post-9/11 allegations linking her to extremist groups.
She was arrested in 2008 in Ghazni, Afghanistan, under disputed circumstances. U.S. authorities accused her of attempting to shoot American personnel during an interrogation. Although no one was injured, she was shot in the abdomen during the incident and later convicted in a U.S. court. The case remains a subject of intense legal and diplomatic contention.
