IHC asks FO to take Aafia Siddiqui’s case with US ambassador

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday asked the foreign office to take up Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s release case with the United States (US) ambassador to Pakistan, ARY News reported.

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

According to details, A petition filed for the release and repatriation of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui was heard by IHC Judge, Justice Sardar Aijaz Ishaq Khan.

The FO counsel submitted the communication record with the US regarding the repatriation of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui to Islamabad high court.

The Judge expressed dissatisfaction and said that the FO secretary should appear before the court and state that he can’t do anything in this case then the court will dismiss this case as there is no proceeding in this case since October 17.

The foreign ministry counsel informed the court that there is no satisfactory response from the US regarding the release of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui yet. Her visa was also rejected by the US.

Justice Sardar Aijaz directed the foreign office to take up Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s release case with the United States (US) ambassador to Pakistan.

The court asked to submit the report after signing it from the foreign ministry and foreign secretary.

Later, the hearing was adjourned until December 20.

Earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) submitted details of communication with the United States (US) for the repatriation of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Background

In 2003, Siddiqui was wanted by the FBI for questioning for possible ties to al Qaeda and was detained by Pakistani authorities, according to U.S. media reports at the time.

U.S. officials alleged that when the Afghan police captured Siddiqui in July 2008, she was carrying two pounds (900 grams) of sodium cyanide, which releases a highly toxic gas, notes that referred to a mass casualty attack, and a list of U.S. landmarks.

Siddiqui was never charged with links to terrorism. The FBI agents, U.S. soldiers, and interpreters said that as they were about to interrogate her at an Afghan police compound in Ghazni, Afghanistan, she grabbed a rifle and began shooting at them. None of them were wounded, but Siddiqui was shot in the abdomen when they returned fire.