LHC directs foreign ministry to process pleas over detention of 2 PTI-linked Pakistanis in UAE

The Lahore High Court has ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to address petitions regarding the detention of two Pakistani nationals linked to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Justice Sadiq Mahmud Khurram made the directive on September 14 in response to two separate petitions filed by the families of Syed Salman Raza Zaidi and Muhammad Junaid Jahangir.

Zaidi disappeared from his Sharjah residence on September 27, 2024, and was eventually apprehended by UAE authorities. His wife, Faryal Zainab, expressed her concern over the lack of information regarding her husband's charges, judicial proceedings, sentencing, and the full court record. Jahangir's father, Muhammad Ibrahim, reported that his son was detained at Dubai airport upon his return from Saudi Arabia on September 24, 2024.

The petitions questioned the federal government's and the Foreign Office's failure to offer adequate consular protection and legal aid to the men. Barrister Abuzar Salman Niazi informed the court that the foreign secretary had not processed the representations submitted by the petitioners. They requested legal and consular assistance, access to judicial records, and diplomatic measures for their return to Pakistan.

The court directed the foreign secretary to process the representations within 15 days of receiving a certified copy of its orders.