A father from Kerala has moved the Supreme Court seeking extradition of his daughter, along with his grandchild, who were detained in Afghanistan after she left India to join the terrorist organization ISIS. He apprehends, after the exit of the US forces from Afghan soil foreign terrorist fighters could be hanged.
The plea filed by V.J. Sebastian Francis said necessary action should be taken by authorities concerned to extradite his daughter Sonia Sebastian @Ayisha and his granddaughter, who is seven-year-old.
The plea said: “Internationally a lenient approach has been taken against the women foreign terrorist fighters like 1st detainee (Ayisha), this is owing to the stand taken by the countries that women only played ancillary roles and therefore could not pose any significant threat to national security.”
The plea said the issue is urgent in as much substantial changes politically and administratively are going to get effected in Afghanistan, after the US troops exit.
The plea contended that the Centre not facilitating extradition of the detainee is illegal and unconstitutional and violates fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.
Stringent anti-terror law UAPA was registered against Ayisha, after she left India and the Interpol had also issued a Red Corner notice against her in March 2017.
The plea said after reaching Afghanistan, Ayisha’s husband was killed in the war. “The 1st and the 2nd detenue who accompanied A1 (the husband) and was actively not involved in the fight there after his death had to surrender to the Afghan forces on November 15, 2019, along with some other women…”
The petitioner claimed that his daughter repents the decision to join the ISIS and she wanted to return to India and face fair trial before a court.
Ayisha had made this statement during an interview with Stratnews Global, which was uploaded as a documentary titled “Khorasan Files: The journey of Indian ‘Islamic State’ Widows” on YouTube on March 15, last year.
The petitioner said after this interview there has been no information about the whereabouts of his daughter and his grandchild. “Since the defeat of the ISIS in Afghanistan, the Taliban has been seeking immediate withdrawal of American forces from its soil… It is anticipated that subsequent to the withdrawal of the American forces the Taliban and Islamic republic of Afghanistan may enter into a war in which case the foreign terrorist fighters like the 1st detainee could be hanged to death”, added the plea, seeking directions to the Indian government to extradite his daughter and grandchild.