ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of the case related to Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist imprisoned in the United States, till November 20 due to the absence of the petitioner’s lawyer, Dr Fawzia Siddiqui’s counsel.

A four-member larger bench headed by Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir conducted the proceedings.

The bench also comprised Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, Justice Azam Khan and Justice Inam Amin Minhas.

During the hearing, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir asked Additional Attorney General (AAG) Rashid Hafeez whether he had reviewed the petition. The AAG responded that the requests mentioned in the original petition had already been fulfilled.

He explained that the petition was filed at a time when Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s whereabouts were unknown.

“At that time, she was missing, and efforts were made to locate her,” AAG Hafeez told the court. He added that one of the requests made in the petition was for a medical examination, and steps had been taken in that regard.

The AAG further informed the court that after fulfilling the requests made in the petition, a miscellaneous application had been filed seeking disposal of the case.

However, Dr Fawzia Siddiqui later filed another miscellaneous application seeking to amend the original petition.

Highlighting the efforts made by the government, Rashid Hafeez stated that the prime minister had written a letter to the president of the United States regarding Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s case.

“A mercy petition was to be filed in a US court on behalf of Aafia Siddiqui,” he said, adding that the petitioner wanted the state of Pakistan to become a party to the mercy appeal.

The Additional Attorney General, however, pointed out that the mercy appeal contained certain points that were against the policy of the state of Pakistan. “How can such an appeal be supported?” he remarked.

Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir observed that the court would hear the petitioner’s counsel at the next hearing before making any decision on the matter.

The court subsequently adjourned the hearing till November 20.

Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist educated in the United States, has been serving an 86-year sentence in a US federal prison after being convicted on charges of attempting to kill US personnel in Afghanistan in 2008. She and her family, however, have consistently denied the charges.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2025