The directive came when the attorney general said he had gone through the earlier 2009.

ISLAMABAD -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Attorney General (AG) Khalid Jawed Khan or any of his nominees to meet former nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan and allay the latter's concerns.

The directive came when the attorney general said he had gone through the earlier 2009 agreement before the Islamabad High Court (IHC), therefore he was extending an offer that the government was willing to facilitate Dr Khan but without prejudice to consistent security interest involved in this matter.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Mushir Alam postponed proceedings for three weeks with a directive to the AG to meet Dr Khan or nominate someone to find out what his grievances were and how they should be redressed.

Advocate Taufiq Asif and Sheikh Ehsanuddin, who were representing Dr Khan, said the real issue was removal of restrictions on the movement of Dr Khan since he could not openly meet his relatives and friends, not even his lawyers.

The court directed that arrangements should also be made to facilitate meetings between Dr Khan and his counsel.

The apex court had taken up an appeal of Dr Khan seeking enforcement of his fundamental rights, including free movement. The appeal was moved against the Sept 25, 2019 Lahore High Court (LHC) judgement which had rejected Dr Khan's plea on the ground that it lacked jurisdiction in view of special security measures adopted by the state.

Govt is ready to facilitate ex-nuclear scientist but without prejudice to consistent security interest, SC told

The IHC on Feb 6, 2009, while deciding Dr Khan's habeas corpus petition, had declared him a free citizen and disposed of his petition in terms of Annexure-A, the contents of which were not to be issued to the press or made public as requested by both sides.

On May 14, 2020 Dr Khan had claimed before the Supreme Court that he was forced to sign his consent in the earlier habeas corpus petition as a result of which the IHC had disposed of his case.

Dr Khan claimed that the consent letter was not of his free will and requested that his fundamental rights should be safeguarded by the Supreme Court and he should be given an opportunity to be heard.

In his appeal, Dr Khan claimed that he was the pioneer of Pakistan's nuclear programme and it was with the untiring efforts of the people at the helm of affairs that he succeeded in rendering Pakistan into a nuclear state and thus contributed to making the country's defence impregnable.

'The petitioner feels proud...

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