Dr Aafia Siddiqui – The Prisoner 650

Islamabad—A human rights body of the senate has urged the government to engage more intensely at the highest level with America to secure the repatriation of Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

A Joint Meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was held at the Parliament House here Thursday. The meeting was convened to discuss the issue of Aafia Siddiqui’s release, in the light of the report prepared by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the conclusion of the committee’s visit to the US. Senator S.M. Zafar chaired the meeting.

The committee urged human rights organisations in Pakistan to raise their voice for Dr Aafia and use their clout to bring this issue into the notice of rights bodies to secure her repatriation from US.

The joint meeting adopted a resolution condemning the arrest and detention of Dr Aafia. The committee, through the resolution, termed the arrest and detention of Aafia Siddiqui as a violation of the International Convention on Human Rights. The committee also took notice of the way. Aafia was humiliated in prison, saying that it is against all norms of a civilised society and can be termed as perhaps the most barbaric act committed against a Muslim woman. The committee expressed its satisfaction over the fact that the government was to take steps to provide better legal aid to Dr Aafia for her trial in the court, if the need arises.

SOURCE: pakobserver.net