PTI workers detained in UAE: LHC terms foreign ministry's report unsatisfactory

On Thursday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) deemed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' report concerning the detention of two PTI-affiliated citizens in the UAE unsatisfactory and ordered the relevant official to appear in court at the next hearing. Previously, the LHC had instructed the foreign secretary to resolve issues related to the detention of Syed Salman Raza Zaidi and Muhammad Junaid Jahangir within 15 days.

On October 22, the court issued notices to the foreign secretary during hearings for two contempt pleas over the non-enforcement of its earlier order.

The foreign ministry submitted a response through the attorney general's office, stating that they had forwarded the matter to the UAE mission immediately after receiving the court's directions. The ministry's attorney, Zahid Hussain, claimed the mission was tasked with pursuing the issue with the UAE's competent authorities and delivering a report to the ministry "expeditiously."

However, the ministry has yet to receive the response from the UAE authorities. Once the report is received, the ministry said they would examine it further to enable the foreign secretary to make an informed decision based on the facts and circumstances of the case and the court's instructions.

Barrister Abuzar Salman Niazi, representing the petitioners, criticized the foreign ministry for failing to address the most critical questions about the citizens' detention despite repeated court orders. He pointed out that the ministry's reply did not outline any concrete steps taken by the Pakistani diplomatic mission to secure consular and diplomatic access to the detained individuals.

Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa also found the ministry's response unsatisfactory and ordered the officer responsible to attend the hearing personally. In earlier hearings, the petitioners' counsel alleged that the two individuals were deprived of consular, diplomatic, and legal access. The court's September 14 order required clear information about the charges against Zaidi, his wife, judicial proceedings, potential sentence, and the full court record.

The second petition alleged that Jahangir was detained on September 24, 2024, at Dubai airport after returning from Saudi Arabia. Jahangir's father, Muhammad Ibrahim, filed the petition, challenging the federal government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for allegedly failing to provide effective consular protection and legal assistance to the detained individuals.