ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday issued a show-cause notice to the federal cabinet for contempt of court over its failure to submit a report in the Dr Aafia Siddiqui case.
Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan passed the order on a plea moved by Dr Fouzia Siddiqui, seeking the repatriation, health updates and release of her sister Dr Aafia Siddiqui, who has been imprisoned in the United States.
Justice Ejaz Ishaq expressed serious concern over the federal government’s non-compliance with court orders. He warned that repeated disregard of judicial directives would not be tolerated and held the cabinet accountable for its inaction.
“The court’s orders are being continuously ignored, and this will not be accepted. The federal cabinet must answer for this conduct,” he remarked.
Justice Ejaz remarked the court would resume hearing on the first working day after the summer recess. He revealed that although his leave officially started today, he had scheduled the hearing of the case due to its urgency.
He disclosed that he had requested a change in the cause list to include this case but the Chief Justice’s Office did not respond. “Even 30 seconds could not be found to sign my request. This is not the first time the roster has been used administratively to affect justice,” he said.
The judge stressed that he would not allow justice to be undermined and pledged to exercise his judicial authority to preserve the court’s dignity.
“Fouzia Siddiqui is a daughter of Pakistan. If a judge wants to provide justice even during court holidays, he should be allowed to do so,” remarked the judge.
He also remarked that if the government failed to submit the report, contempt proceedings would be initiated.
During the proceedings, Dr Fouzia Siddiqui’s counsel Imran Shafiq said the government seemed unwilling to pursue the case and had not taken any steps for a stay order. He noted that the matter had not yet been scheduled in the Supreme Court, allegedly because Justice Mansoor Ali Shah was part of the bench. “The case will only be taken up once the bench roster is changed,” he claimed.
Justice Ejaz remarked that he was unaware of why the case was being delayed in the apex court but reiterated that he would not allow judicial authority to be obstructed by the administrative decisions.
