PESHAWAR – A writ petition has been filed in the Peshawar High Courtagainst the expected hand over of Dr Shakil Afridi to the United States.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and JusticeIshtiaq Ibrahim has issued the notice to the secretary interior in thecase. He was directed to submit a reply to the questions raised in thepetition before the next hearing.
The bench was hearing the petition filed by a senior lawyer, MuhammadKhurshid Khan. He had sought the court’s directions for both the federaland provincial governments not to shift Dr Shakil Afridi to a foreigncountry or any other jail from Peshawar Central Prison, or inform the courtbefore any such decision.
The petition was filed in 2017 after rumours surfaced that the doctor mightbe sent abroad and handed over to the US government.
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During the hearing, Khurshid Khan informed the court that Dr Shakil Afridihad been shifted to Punjab province during the pendency of the case. Hesaid that in the petition, he had also requested the court to restrain thegovernment from shifting Shakil Afridi from the Peshawar jail as not onlyhis appeal against conviction is pending in the Fata Tribunal, but also hecould be kept in the Peshawar jail legally.
He stated his handover to the United States would be a violation of law ofthe land.
