Observer Report
Islamabad
The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the country’s nuclear physicist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan to appear before the top court today to hear his petition seeking enforcement of his fundamental rights, including right to free movement across the country.
The two-judge bench of the apex court presided over by Justice Mushir Alam took up a petition filed by Dr Khan through his counsel Taufiq Asif.
Dr AQ Khan had filed an appeal in the top court against the Lahore High Court’s September 25, 2019, judgement that had rejected a similar plea of his on the grounds that it lacked jurisdiction in view of special security measures taken by the state for his protection.
The top court had also rejected the plea of the defence ministry’s counsel to hear the case in camera. During today’s hearing, the bench wondered as to how the petitioner first approached the Islamabad High Court, and later went to the LHC on the same subject.
