The federal government on Tuesday sought additional time from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to submit an amicus brief regarding the case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, prompting a further adjournment in the long-standing matter.

A larger bench of the IHC was hearing Petition No. 3139/2015, which was filed by Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui, a neurophysician and the Chairperson of the Global Aafia Movement.

The petitioner was present in court, represented by Advocate Imran Shafiq, while Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s US-based lawyer, Clive Smith, joined the proceedings via video link. The government’s legal team included Additional Attorney General (AAG) Rashid Hafeez, Deputy Attorney General Arshad Mehmood Kiani, and Asad Burki, a Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the session, the AAG informed the bench that he required more time to obtain instructions from the Government of Pakistan before filing the court-ordered brief.

The court was also appraised that a draft amicus brief had already been prepared previously on the direction of a Judge-in-Chamber, following consultations with the Ministry of Law and Justice and the Office of the Attorney General for Pakistan.

Counsel for the petitioner recalled a prior order dated May 16, 2025, in which the court had permitted an amendment to the petition”s prayer clause while simultaneously dismissing a government application that sought to have the writ petition disposed of on the grounds that it was no longer relevant. It was noted that while the government has challenged this decision before the Supreme Court of Pakistan, no subsequent order has been issued in the matter.

Speaking to the media after the hearing, Advocate Imran Shafiq confirmed that the larger bench concurred on the necessity of filing the amicus brief. He remarked that this development reaffirmed an earlier view expressed by Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq on the brief”s importance.

The bench, comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, and Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas, adjourned the hearing until December 3, 2025.