Dr Shakil case: PHC issues contempt of court notice to federal govt

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday put on notice the federal government through prime minister’s principal secretary in a contempt of court case filed against the recent statement of Prime Minister Imran Khan suggesting that Pakistan could swap Dr Shakil Afridi for Dr Aafia Siddiqui with the US.

A division bench issued the notice to the federal government through the prime minister’s principal secretary, secretary Foreign Affairs and secretary Interior, directing them to submit comments and explain their position over the statement.

The court issued the notice in a contempt of court petition filed by former deputy attorney general of Pakistan, Muhammad Khurshid Khan. In the two-page petition to which the order of the PHC was attached, the petitioner submitted that Prime Minister Imran Khan in an interview to an American TV channel during his recent visit to the US said that Dr Shakil Afridi could be swapped for Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

The petitioner told the court that the statement amounted to contempt of court in light of the PHC order restraining the federal government from handing over Dr Shakil Afridi to any other country. Khurshid Khan submitted before the bench that the PHC in another writ petition on February 26, 2019 had passed a clear order that Dr Shakil Afridi, a convicted prisoner, would not be shifted to any other country.