‘Legal due process has no exceptions', Dar compares Aafia, Imran's arrests
'I think we should not politicise anything,' Dar stated, speaking at an event organised by the American think tank, Atlantic Council, in Washington on Friday.
'For example, Aafia Siddiqui is here (in the US) for decades and going to be (here) God knows till when,' he said, adding it would be unfair to hamper the legal process. If the 'due process of the law has resulted in that action, the same applies to everybody, so there's no exception,' he maintained, drawing parallel between arrest of Imran and Aafia.
The deputy PM's statement kind of deviates from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's assurance that he gave to Aafia's sister, Dr Fowzia Siddiqui, a day ago.
PM Shehbaz on Friday met with Dr Fowzia and assured that the government would continue to provide all possible legal and diplomatic support in the matter of Dr Aafia Siddiqui.
'The government is in no way negligent regarding the case of Dr Aafia,' the prime minister said.
The meeting had taken place days after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued contempt notices to the prime minister and the federal cabinet in a petition filed by Dr Fowzia, seeking the repatriation, health status, and release of her sister, Dr Aafia, who is imprisoned in the United States of America.
Fowzia has consistently maintained that the US court's conviction of Aafia for alleged attempt to murder US military personnel in Afghanistan, for which she is serving an 86-year jail sentence, is unfair.
Govt in no way negligent about Dr Aafia, says PM Shehbaz
In response to a query regarding the government's crackdown on the former prime minister and his party, the foreign minister shed light on the May 9 events in Pakistan, which saw attacks on military installations. He said that even he, who played the role of a 'reconciliator' between the PTI and government, could not intervene in such a situation.
Recalling his role in resolving the 2014 sit-in in Islamabad by Imran Khan's party, which he said 'hampered the economic growth and caused a lot of loss,' for 126 days, Dar noted that he had played his party in what he called a 'political ceasefire.' However, he distinguished this from the violent events of May 9.
'You see, when you pick up arms and you do things that happened on May 9, unfortunately a man like me even cannot do anything,' Dar said. He emphasised that the 'due process of the law has to take place, which is a progress.'
Dar concluded his statement, saying, 'If you are a popular political leader, it doesn't give you license to pick arms to provoke public to go and attack the military installations of the country.'
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