The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday adjourned till December 20 hearing of a petition seeking the government’s assistance in release of seven Pakistani citizens detained at Bagram Theatre Internment Camp Afghanistan. Justice Khalid Mehmood heard the petition filed by Sultana Noon, a fellow of “Reprieve” in Pakistan, a UK-based organisation dedicated to prisoners’ human rights, asking court orders to Pakistani government to take steps for release of innocent Pakistanis detained at the Afghanistan Airbase.
The seven included Awwal Khan, Hamidullah Khan, Abdul Haleem Saifullah, Fazal Karim, Amal Khan, Iftikhar Ahmad and Younas Rehmatullah.
The federal government’s standing counsel told court that the ministry of foreign affairs had contacted authorities at Bagram Internment Camp about the seven prisoners and positive development in the matter was expected.
Earlier, the deputy attorney general had claimed that the detainees were not abducted from Pakistani soil – rather, they had gone to Afghanistan allegedly by their own free will to take part in Jihadi activities there.
The petitioner, however, alleged that these seven Pakistani citizens had been abducted from Pakistan, taken to Afghanistan and then from the prison there, they had been handed over to foreign countries, without any reason.
The petitioner requested the court issue directions to the ministry of foreign affairs and the government of Pakistan to take diplomatic steps for the release of the seven Pakistanis who, despite being innocent citizens, were in detention in Afghanistan under the alleged charges of having affiliations with banned outfits.
