Dr Qadeer moves SC for enforcement of fundamental rights.

Byline: Nasir Iqbal

ISLAMABAD -- Nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan on Monday filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking enforcement of his fundamental rights, including free movement across the country.

Dr Khan filed the appeal in the apex court against the Sept 25, 2019 judgement of the Lahore High Court which had rejected his similar plea on the grounds that it lacked jurisdiction in view of special security measures taken by the state for his protection.

Advocate Zubair Afzal Rana filed the petition on behalf of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan requesting the Supreme Court to pronounce that fundamental rights, including the freedom of movement, could not be abridged, curtailed or denied arbitrarily merely on likes or dislikes of anyone and under the garb of reasonable restrictions.

'Can the government authorities be allowed to violate constitutional safeguards while restraining the petitioner from meeting his near and dear ones, servants, family members, friends, journalists, teaching staff of different colleges, universities, high officials and bureaucrats?' the petitioner asked.

The petition questioned whether the LHC was justified in making a gratuitous advice to the petitioner to approach the Islamabad High Court for redressal of his grievances.

Dr Khan said that he was the pioneer of Pakistan's nuclear programme and it was with untiring efforts of the people at the helm of affairs that he had succeeded in making the country a nuclear power.

The petitioner said that he felt proud of having done his bit to secure Pakistan from evil eyes of neighbours and other adversaries.

Dr Khan said that ever since he had come to Pakistan and started working on the nuclear project, he had enjoyed personal security befitting of his status, but now the situation was that personnel of security agencies had stationed themselves in a house next door to make sure that no one had access to him.

The petition said Dr Qadeer Khan was not allowed to move around, attend social or academic functions within the country without the prior approval of security authorities. It said this situation amounted...