August 09, 2008	Saturday	Sha’aban 6, 1429

LAHORE, Aug 8: The Judicial Activism Panel (JAP) has urged the government to allow Pakistani lawyers to proceed to United States to plead the case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.

This demand was raised in emergent meetings held to discuss and chalk out a strategy to handle the arrest and illegal extradition of Dr. Aafia, in Islamabad and Lahore.

JAP Co-Chairman Syed Sajjad Haider presided over the meeting in Islamabad while JAP general-secretary Fiaz Pasha chaired the Lahore meeting.

The government should take up the matter to the International Court of Justice and to place a resolution for arrest and detention of Dr Aafia before the United Nations, the JAP resolved.

A high-powered inquiry committee headed by retired Judges of superior courts, including Justice Wajeeh-ud-Din and Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui, should immediately be formed to probe into the disappearance of Dr. Aafia since 2003 with her kids, her extradition to Afghanistan and then to the United States, inhumane torture, her alleged detention at Begram and Ghazni and murder of her 6-month-old kid during the detention, it further said.

It also demanded registration of criminal cases against those who handed over Dr. Aafia to the Americans.

The JAP had also formed an inquiry committee under the chairmanship of JAP co-chairman to probe into the matter at its level.

The JAP was in touch with her sister Dr. Fauzia and was trying to build contact with her other family members in the US and Dr Aafia’s counsel Ms. Elaine Whitfield Sharp, it added.