Supreme Court orders government to allow Dr Abdul Qadir to meet his lawyer

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has directed the federal government to arrange a meeting with former nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan's lawyer Taufiq Asif at his residence.

According to the court order, no one other than Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan's team of lawyers should be present in the room where the meeting took place.

The order came after Taufeeq Asif told a two-member bench comprising Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Yahya Afridi that he could only greet Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan in the Supreme Court premises.
 But in the presence of intelligence officials, they cannot be instructed.

It may be recalled that Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan was brought before the Supreme Court but was not produced before the bench hearing his petition for free movement and fundamental rights.

"I want to have a special meeting with my client in complete secrecy and no one is there, not even the government lawyer," his lawyer said.
And Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan should be allowed to speak in court in person.

On this, Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan told the court that a meeting between Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan and his lawyer would be arranged.

It may be recalled that Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan had challenged the decision of the Lahore High Court dated September 25, 2019, which had rejected Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan's appeal due to lack of jurisdiction in the context of special security measures by the state.

In the petition filed in the Supreme Court, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan said that fundamental rights, including free movement, cannot be restricted or taken away on the likes and dislikes of anyone under the guise of reasonable restrictions.

In addition, in the hearing held in the Supreme Court yesterday, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan also submitted a one-page petition in which the government was asked to order him to be produced in court.
 So that they can speak before the bench hearing the case.

The petition states that the petitioner was brought to the Supreme Court building to meet his lawyer on the order of the court, but in violation of court orders, a special meeting with the lawyers was not allowed and during the meeting, the intelligence agency Officials were present.

Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan also sought permission to appear in person in the Supreme Court to speak in the court and said that independent status is his fundamental right.
 Because their movement was restricted not under any law but on baseless allegations.

It may be recalled that in a petition filed in the Supreme Court last year, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan had claimed that he was a pioneer of Pakistan's nuclear program and it was the tireless work of the people involved in these matters that had succeeded in making the country a nuclear power.

The petitioner said that he was proud of his work in protecting Pakistan from the evil eye of its neighbors and opponents.

Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan said that when he came to Pakistan, he started working on the nuclear project and enjoyed personal security according to his status, but now the situation is that the security agency personnel are standing at the door of the house so that Ensure that no one has access to them.

According to the petition, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan is not allowed to travel around the country or attend any social or educational event without the prior approval of the security authorities. This situation is tantamount to keeping the petitioner in virtual custody.

Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan had said that this act of the security authorities is illegal as no order has been issued yet to treat me in a way that guarantees this, at the same time he said that there is no need to say that the security There is no other responsibility of the agency personnel but I am confined to my home as if I am in solitary confinement.

The nuclear scientist said the situation began in January 2004 when he was detained in the name of security.

He said he did not have access to a friend, nor could he meet his daughter and her children, who lived some distance away, while the worst was that he could not even reach the court.

The petition said that on September 25, the Lahore High Court had disposed of his petition as it did not comply with the law laid down by the Supreme Court.

The nuclear scientist had said that his services to the country had been recognized many times and he had been awarded various awards but the treatment meted out to him was a violation of the invincible constitutional dignity enshrined in Article 14 of the Constitution.

According to the petition, it is the basic right of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan to roam freely across the country and meet any person.

Dr. Abdul Qadir said that he is being kept in constant fear of physical harm, he is 84 years old and suffers from various diseases, so he should not be kept like this permanently because it There is a risk of physical harm