ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Friday allowed Dr Fowzia Siddiqui for amendment in her petition seeking release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui. A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan conducted hearing of a constitutional petition of Dr Fowzia Siddiqui who moved the court through her lawyer Imran Shafiq Advocate and sought release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui currently confined in an American prison. Amicus Zainab Janjua also appeared before the court. During the hearing, the IHC bench accepted the application of the lawyer of Dr Fowzia Siddiqui, Advocate Imran Shafique, for allowing amendment in the petition and instructed him to file the amended petition within a week.
The additional attorney general requested the court to dispose of the petition, saying that the government has already done in this case what it could do. The court; however, asked that why the government wanted to get this petition disposed of. It asked what benefit it would give to the government. The bench observed that the Aafia case has already become a movement and it is a long struggle. Justice Ishaq added that the problem could not be resolved by just ending this case. The court further observed that the government has taken all the steps regarding Dr Aafia only because of this case. The judge said that the US visa was granted to Dr Fowzia Siddiqui because of the directions of this court, and also the Prime Minister wrote a letter for Dr Aafia. He continued that due to the instructions of this court a meeting took place between Dr Aafia Siddiqui and Dr Fowzia Siddiqui and a Pakistani delegation also visited the US and met Dr Aafia Siddiqui.
Later, the bench deferred hearing of the case for two weeks for further proceedings.