Concern grows over delay in Junaid Hafeez appeal

National Party Punjab President Ayub Malik has voiced serious concern over the prolonged delay in the appeal case of Fulbright scholar Junaid Hafeez, whose case has remained pending in court for several years.

In a statement, Malik said Hafeez has spent years behind bars while waiting for justice. He pointed out that many lawyers avoided taking up the case due to fear and pressure. According to Malik, former Human Rights Commission of Pakistan member and lawyer Rashid Rehman agreed to defend Hafeez despite threats to his life. Rehman was later murdered, an incident that shocked human rights circles across the country.

Malik criticized the repeated postponements in Hafeez’s appeal proceedings. He said authorities continue to delay the case by citing reasons such as the dissolution of judicial benches and procedural hurdles. He added that both the state and the judiciary have failed to address the excessive delays surrounding the appeal.

The National Party leader urged Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi to intervene and ensure that the appeal moves forward without further obstruction. He stressed that only the Supreme Court’s intervention could speed up the legal process and help deliver justice to the imprisoned scholar, who has reportedly spent years in solitary confinement.

Malik also called on political parties, civil society organizations, and human rights activists to support Hafeez’s family in their struggle for justice and fair legal proceedings.