Pakistani lawmakers meet Dr Aafia in Texas and call for her release
Mushahid Hussain Sayed, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told APP by telephone that the four-member delegation had 2-1/2-hour meeting with Dr. Siddiqui, the US-educated Pakistani neuroscientist, at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) at Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas.
Ms. Siddiqui, 36, who was shot in the abdomen by an American agent after allegedly grabbing a US soldier’s gun during questioning in July, was brought to New York on August 4 to face charges of attempted murder and assault.
US District Judge Richard Berman last week ordered that Ms. Siddiqui must undergo a month-long medical assessment, treatment and psychological examination before a special competency hearing to determine if she is “medically fit and mentally competent” to stand trial.
“We call for her immediate repatriation to Pakistan,” Mushahid said, pointing out that no terrorism charge has been brought up against her. He said her human rights were being violated.
The Pakistani MPs delegation included Senator S M Zafar, Senator Saadia Abbasi and Senaor Talha Mahmood.
Mushahid thanked Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, for facilitating the meeting with Dr Siddiqui and for sending a senior diplomat Faqir Asif Hussain to accompany the delegation. He also thanked the Pakistan Embassy in Washington for the efforts it has been making to ensure Dr. Siddiqui’s fair trial and in seeking urgent medical treatment for her.
In Washington, Faqir Asif Hussain said that Dr. Siddiqui, who was pleased to meet the delegation, appeared in a good state of mind and in better physical health than when he met her in August in New York. But she was anxious that her rights were protected and she received a fair trial and have an attorney enjoying her confidence.
Dr Siddiqui told the delegation that charges pending against her were not true.
On behalf of the embassy, Asif Hussain assured her that Ambassador Haqqani and his team of diplomats are striving for her repatriation to Pakistan on humanitarian basis. She thanked the embassy for the support extended to her.
The embassy representative said the mission was working with the Justice Department and other US authorities to ensure that her rights were protected and would pursue her need for medical treatment.
According to Faqir Hussain, the stomach infection she complained of was gone and her bullet wound was on the mend.
Asked as to what was Dr. Aafia’s biggest concern, Faqir Hussain felt she wanted to go back to Pakistan at the earliest and was concerned about her children. She is also concerned about strip searches.
