Pakistani consulate refutes rumours of Aafia Siddiqui’s death

HOUSTON: Amid rumours about the death of Dr Aafia Siddiqui circulating on social media, Pakistani consul general in Houston on Wednesday visited the incarcerated neuro-scientist in a detention facility in Texas.

According to a statement, Pakistani consul general in Houston Aisha Farooq visited Siddiqui, detained under the terrorism charges at the Federal Medical Center (FMXC) Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas.

The meeting lasted for about two hours, and was the fourth consular visit in the past fourteen months. The consulate also denied the rumors regarding Dr Aafia’s death.

“Recent rumours regarding Dr. Aafia Siddiqui are completely baseless and false, and refuted,” said the statement.

Fauzia Siddiqui, the sister of Dr. Aafia, had urged the Consulate to take notice of the rumours of her death and enquire the prison officials. However, the Consulate could neither confirm nor deny the rumours.

The MIT-trained neuro-scientist, Aafia Siddiqui, is serving 86-year prison sentence after being convicted of seven counts of attempted murder and assault on US military personnel in Afghanistan.