Pak law will take its course over arrest of nephew: Andrabi

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Radical Kashmiri separatist leader Aasiya Andrabi, who heads Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM), today said the law of Pakistan would take its course in dealing with the arrest of her kin on charges of plotting terror strikes in that country and having links with Al-Qaeda and Taliban.
The arrival of Andrabi at Pakistan High Commission to meet Sartaz Aziz, the aide of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, raised eyebrows as she had never been called before to such meetings.
"I was invited for the first time for such a meeting," Andrabi told PTI over the phone, adding that she had come to understand the policies of the Sharif government on Kashmir.

To a question as to whether she had taken up the matter of the arrest of her kin, Syed Shoiab Andrabi, with Aziz, the firebrand women's leader said she had come to discuss the Kashmir issue only.
"When I went there, he (Aziz) showed some sympathy for me and said 'we are sorry for the incident', to which I replied I had not come to discuss that and my focus was only on Kashmir," Andrabi claimed.
Andrabi, whose kin has been arrested in Pakistan for allegedly being involved in terror activities, met Aziz after the departure of Syed Ali Shah Geelani last night.

According to Pakistani newspaper reports, the charges levelled by Pakistani authorities against the kin of Andrabi include association with Al-Qaeda and planning to carry out terror acts using an explosives-laden toy plane.

She said she expected a "fair trial" and added that the law would take its course in the case.
She denied having got in touch with Pakistani officials after the arrest of her nephew and said it was rather the people from Pakistan who had contacted her and passed on information about the matter.
She said that another nephew of hers, Irtiyaz-ul-Nabi, was yet to be found and, as things appear, it was one of their tenants who was involved.

According to Pakistani newspapers, Andrabi's nephew has been booked under Sections 324 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosives Act and Sections 13, 20 and 65 of the Pakistan Arms Ordinance.
Shoaib is the son of Zia Ul Haq, Andrabi's brother. He was arrested when police and intelligence operatives raided a house in Sector G-15 on September 7 in Pakistani's capital city of Islamabad.
Irtiyaz Gilani and Mujahid Gilani, the sons of Andrabi's sister, had escaped from the house.