LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday issued notices to Foreign Secretary Asim Iftikhar in two separate contempt petitions over alleged non-compliance with an earlier court order concerning two PTI-affiliated Pakistani citizens detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On September 14, the LHC had directed the foreign secretary to process and decide within 15 days representations concerning the detention of two citizens — Syed Salman Raza Zaidi and Muhammad Junaid Jahangir.
Justice Sadiq Mehmood Khurram heard the contempt petitions on Thursday. Barrister Abuzar Salman Niazi appeared on behalf of the petitioners and alleged that the two individuals remained deprived of consular, diplomatic, and legal access.
He recalled the court’s Sept 14 directive and contended that the petitioners had not been formally informed of any decision on their representations, even though a considerable amount of time had passed.
The counsel urged the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the foreign secretary for non-compliance.
After hearing initial arguments, Justice Khurram issued notices to the respondent secretary for submission of his reply by October 29.
In the main petitions, the counsel stated that Zaidi went missing from his residence in Sharjah on Sept 27, 2024, and was subsequently taken into custody by UAE authorities.
He said despite nearly two years having passed, the petitioner, Faryal Zainab, had still not been provided clear information regarding the charges against her husband Zaidi, the judicial proceedings, any sentence, or the complete court record.
Meanwhile, Advocate Niazi said Jahangir was allegedly detained on Sept 24, 2024, at Dubai airport on his return from Saudi Arabia.
Muhammad Ibrahim, Jahangir’s father, filed the petition challenging the alleged failure of the federal government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to provide effective consular protection and legal assistance.
The counsel for the petitioners submitted that despite representations having been filed regarding the detention of both citizens before the foreign secretary, the representations had not been processed.
Both petitioners had asked the court to direct that legal and consular assistance be provided to Zaidi and Jahangir, that their judicial records be obtained and that diplomatic-level steps be taken toward their return to Pakistan.