Aafiya's detention: Court seeks ministries comments till Jan 15

KARACHI - Sindh High Court Thursday directed Ministries of Interior, Defence and Foreign Affairs to submit till January 15, 2009 their comments on detention of Dr. Aafiya Siddiqui by US authorities.
Intekhab Alam Suri & Imran Ahmed of Human Rights Network, filed pro bono petition against Defence, Foreign Affairs, Interior Ministries and Sindh Home Department.
Advocate Iqbal Aqeel submitted Dr. Aafiya, a resident of Karachi, with her three children was allegedly kidnapped by law enforcement agencies from Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi in March 2003.
The detainees were later allegedly handed over to US agencies.
British journalist Ms Yvonne Ridley early this year disclosed Dr Aafiya was detained at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan by US authorities.
Dr Aafiya, who did PhD in genetics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, is facing trial in US for allegedly attacking US soldiers in Afghanistan. Her son Mohammad Ahmed Khan was released by US authorities, but whereabouts of Mohammad Suleman and Marium, were still unknown.
Counsel contended US courts had no authority to conduct trial without fulfilling extradition formality. He prayed to direct authorities to make arrangements for protection, release of detainees from US
SHC division bench, comprising Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali & Justice Dr. Qamaruddin Bohra, on request of petitioners counsel allowed him two weeks to supply copies of petition to respondents.
It adjourned matter till January 15, 2009 and directed Ministries of Interior, Defence and Foreign Affairs to submit comments.
Case disposed of
On the other side, the same bench has disposed-of the case regarding exclusion the name from the forth scheduled of Anti Terrorist Act.