Dr Aafia still hopeful for justice

TEXAS: A Pakistani delegation comprising Senators Anjum, Khalid Mahmood and psychiatrist Dr Iqbal Afridi have held an hours-long meeting with incarcerated Pakistani neuroscientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui in the United STates.

During the almost three-hour-long meeting, Dr Aafia apprised the delegation of the difficulties she was facing and expressed hope to get justice, said Senator Bushra.

The Pakistani neuroscientist was handed down an 86-year sentence in 2010 on charges of attempted murder and assault of US personnel in Afghanistan jail. She is serving the jail term in Carswell, a high-security prison in, Fort Worth, Texas which houses female inmates of all security levels.

The delegation's visit, upon Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's directions, is part of Pakistan's efforts to secure Dr Aafia's release which has time again urged Washington to consider and re-evaluate her case.

Apart from meeting the incarcerated scientist, the Pakistani delegation also met US Congress and State Department officials urging them to release her.

During their meetings with US officials, the delegation emphasised that her release could be granted on humanitarian grounds, with some members of Congress pledging their support for the cause. However, some others rejected the request.

"Talks with US authorities for the release of Aafia [Siddiqui] were positive [....] It is hoped that the US government will decide on the release of Dr Aafia before January 20 [Inauguration Day for President-elect Donald Trump," said Senator Bushra.

The lawmaker, while recalling the pardoning of several prisoners by US President Joe Biden, noted that there was optimism that Dr Aafia's release could be possible before the end of the US president's current term.

Her remarks come as in October PM Shehbaz had written to President Biden seeking his intervention in the matter which, he said, deserved to be viewed with compassion.

"Now 52 years old, she has spent approximately sixteen years behind bars in the US," said PM Shehbaz in the letter — which was also forwarded to members of the US Congress, Senators and State Department officials.

The premier further mentioned that numerous Pakistani officials have paid consular visits to the Pakistani scientist at the prison facility over the years and have raised "serious concerns about the treatment she has received".

The treatment meted out to her has severely impacted her "already fragile mental and frail physical health".

"In fact, they even fear that she could take her own life," the prime minister mentioned in the letter.

"Keeping these facts in view, I request you, Mr President, to kindly exercise your constitutional authority and accept Dr [Aafia] Siddiqui's clemency petition and order her release, strictly on humanitarian grounds," he wrote urging the American president to pardon the neuroscientist.

Meanwhile, speaking on the meeting with the Pakistani scientist, Dr Afridi underscored that she has been separated from her children for 20 years and has already served 16 years of her sentence.

Terming the issue a matter of humanitarian concern, he expressed hope that the US government would soon provide relief to her.

"Our aim is to resolve this matter based on human rights, and we are hopeful that the US government will soon make a decision," said the psychiatrist.

Dr Aafia's lawsuit

Meanwhile, last month Geo News reported that Dr Aafia had filed a comprehensive federal lawsuit against the US government, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and several prison officials over alleged torture, sexual abuse and religious discrimination.

The detailed 61-page lawsuit — filed nearly two months ago in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas — accuses prison staff of severe violations of her constitutional and human rights.

The complaint, filed by attorneys Naim Haroon Sakhia, Maria Kari, and Clive Stafford Smith, provides a harrowing account of Dr Aafia's alleged mistreatment.

The Pakistani scientist, as per the complaint, endured repeated sexual assaults and physical abuse by prison staff and fellow inmates since her incarceration at FMC Carswell.

These acts were not isolated incidents but part of a systemic culture of abuse within the facility, it added.

The lawsuit also claims that she was allegedly doused with a burning, acidic liquid by prison staff in retaliation for reporting her abuse.

It also cites multiple instances where Dr Aafia's religious rights were violated, including male officers watching her during private moments, forcing her to strip, and confiscating religious items.

Furthermore, inadequate medical treatment has also been highlighted despite the neuroscientist's documented PTSD and physical ailments stemming from alleged torture in the US custody prior to her trial.