ISLAMABAD – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has reassigned the long-pending petition concerning Dr. Aafia Siddiqui to Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas following a major reshuffle in the court roster. The case was earlier being heard by Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan.
Justice Ishaq had recently issued contempt notices to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and members of the federal cabinet for allegedly failing to comply with court directives in the matter. However, questions over jurisdiction emerged after it was revealed that he had been on a five-week leave starting July 20 and was not included in the official sitting roster approved by Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar.
The IHC registrar subsequently placed the contempt proceedings on hold, pending clarification over whether they had been issued within the judge’s lawful jurisdiction. Under the updated roster, Justice Ishaq has now been reassigned to a special division bench alongside Justice Babar Sattar to hear tax and commercial cases, effectively removing him from single-judge matters.
As part of the reshuffle, Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui’s petition filed on behalf of her sister Dr. Aafia Siddiqui has been transferred to Justice Minhas. The petition, pending since 2015, seeks government action to formally support Dr. Siddiqui, who has been serving a prison sentence in the United States since 2008 on terrorism-related charges.
The broader roster reshuffle has also introduced specialized benches, including a company bench for corporate law matters, a dedicated bench for education-related cases, and new arrangements for financial recovery and privatization disputes.
This story has been reported by PakTribune. All rights reserved.