Pak lawyer challenges UK govt over 14-day quarantine

LONDON: Veteran British Pakistani Barrister Iftikhar Ahmad has petitioned the British government over 14 days’ mandatory quarantine for those coming from countries like Pakistan – terming it as his unlawful house arrest in breach of his fundamental human rights.

In a petition to the UK government, Iftikhar Ahmad, a former PPP Senator and legal advisor to late Benazir Bhutto, has stated that prior to leaving for London from Pakistan through Qatar Airlines on 15 July he followed all the Standing Operating Procedures and use of PPE made mandatory for all passengers by the airlines.

Barrister Iftikhar Ahmed lives in North London, practicing law both in Islamabad and London, has placed himself in quarantine in a rented accommodation obtained specifically for this purpose. He couldn’t go to his usual residence because his daughter-in-law, who lives there, is a doctor at the National Health Service (NHS) attending hospital each day.

According to the letter written by Mr Ahmad’s solicitors to Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, Mr Ahmad’s airline made it compulsory for all passengers travelling from Pakistan to obtain negative COVID-19 test report from one of their nominated laboratories or else they would be denied boarding.

Mr Ahmed maintains in the letter that since he’s COVID-19 negative, he should have not have been placed in quarantine because “he’s a returning UK citizen who could not and cannot spread coronavirus as he doesn’t have it”.

The mandatory quarantine order issued by the Home Office emanates from the provisions of Article 5 in the schedule of Human Rights Act 1998 which states that “the unlawful detention of persons for the prevention of the spreading of infectious diseases of persons of sound mind alcoholics or drug addicts or vagrants” and in the instant case the reference to the infectious disease is reference to cover COVID-19.