KARACHI - The completion of first 5000 days of illegal detention of Dr Aafia is a shameful chapter of the history of law, said former chief justice of the Sindh High Court (SHC) Justice (r) Wajihuddin Siddiqui on Monday. He said that the tragedy of Aafia’s case was that she was sentenced to 86-year imprisonment in USA, the so-called champion of democracy, where she was even deprived of her right to defence.

Talking from Lahore to the activists of Aafia Release Camp who are on 86-day symbolic hunger strike in front of the Karachi Press Club (KPC), he said that the lack of interest on the part of defence in Aafia’s case was visible during the controversial trial of the case.

He said that these lawyers wanted to hide that she was kidnapped and then trafficked to the USA, where she was subjected to inhuman torture. “They are getting fees from the government for committing this professional dishonesty,” he alleged. He said that was why during the hearing of the case, these lawyers interrupted Dr Aafia while she was recording her evidence. He said it was crucial to record the evidence of Aafia about inhuman torture on her, but she was deprived of this right. “Resultantly, her trial has become a joke; not with Dr Aafia, but with the law and jurisprudence,” he noted.

Wajihuddin added that even if the defence lawyers had proved that Aafia had injured an American soldier, 86-year imprisonment was too much even for that crime.

“Ironically, save Dr Aafia, no other person was injured in the alleged attack,”  He said the Americans never charged Dr Aafia for terrorism, and 86-year imprisonment to her was a political punishment.

The retired CJ further said the issue of Dr Aafia had been created by a dictator, and it should have been resolved by the democratic rulers.  “The rulers had promised to bring Aafia back home but they never fulfilled their promises,” he lamented. On the occasion, Azra Amjad, Nasreen Kousar, Ameen Bibi, Fauzia Ibrahim, Rubeena, Nazeera Bibi. Abida Perveen, Shamim Akhtar, Irum Bibi, Sajida Perveen, Bisma, Urooj Fatima, Fahar Amjad, Imam Hussain, Adnan Bhatti and other volunteers were also present.