The planned visit of a Pakistani delegation to the United States for the release of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui is facing significant challenges due to visa issues. Advocate Imran Shafiq, the lawyer representing Dr. Aafia’s sister, Dr. Fouzia Siddiqui, expressed concerns after the hearing of constitutional petition 3139/2015 on Monday. He stated that the delegation now requires a new visa category, which is expected to be difficult to obtain within the scheduled timeframe.
The members of the delegation had submitted their passports to the US Consulate last Friday. However, Shafiq pointed out that the officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not been effectively handling the visa-related matters. He also criticized the bureaucratic hurdles, which have caused repeated delays in the process.
During the hearing, the court, led by Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan, expressed its displeasure over the continuous bureaucratic setbacks. However, a positive outcome emerged as the government informed the court that it would cover the costs of the delegation’s visit to the US.
Advocate Shafiq emphasized that with only four days remaining, there is an urgent need for the bureaucracy to double its efforts in securing the necessary visas, or else all the progress made so far could be wasted. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for December 13.
