The senior lawyer Iftikhar Ahmad who practices in Lahore and Islamabad lives in north London has approached UK’s Home Secretary Priti Patel to grant him exemption from 14-day quarantine policy in the UK.
LONDON: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-July 20th, 2020) A Pakistani lawyer approached UK government authorities to question 14-day quarantine policy for travelers here on Monday.
Iftikhar Ahmad, a senior Pakistani lawyer who also served as legal advisor to late Benazir Bhutto, moved a writ petition and questioned the policy of the UK’s government. He said that the policy was against the fundamental human rights.
UK government had declared mandatory the 14-day quarantine policy for all travelers coming to the UK from across the world.
The lawyer who is living in North London claimed that he was following all SOPs and had Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), and later on arrival in the London, he quarantined himself in an apartment purchased only for this purpose.
In his letter to Home Secretary Priti Patel, Iftikhar Ahmad obtaining a negative Covid-19 report from the nominated laboratories was declared mandatory for Pakistani passengers, with a clear warning that they would not be allowed boarding without having negative report.
He said putting him in 14-day quarantine despite that his report was negative and he was following all SOPs, pointing out that how he could spread Coronavirus when he did not contract it.
Iftikhar Ahmad said that this policy under the Human Rights and local laws was against the fundamental human rights. He said he travelled through Qatar Airways and all passengers of the airlines were virus free.
He questioned the government as to why he was forced to follow 14-day quarantine policy when he was totally virus free.
“I request the government order an immediate end to my quarantine as in my view this is now a breach of my Right to Liberty as guaranteed under Article 5,” said Iftikhar Ahmad.
There is a long list of exempt persons and a plethora of “Green countries” making the quarantine exempt countries list. The rules authors had booked their holidays in the “Green List” countries last year.
The lawyer said that there was a clear absence of lawfulness, rationale, and reasonableness in making any of the rules.
“I was clear of the virus as my travel to London heathrow airport is its evidence,” said the lawyer, pointing out that his test report was testimony to his clean health in so far as COVID-19 was concerned.
He argued that all those coronavirus free individuals were incapable of transmitting the virus and therefore ought not to be quarantined.
“I should officially be declared an exempt person,” he further said.
The lawyer said he would move judicial review if the government did not listen to his grievances regarding quarantine rules.
