Dr Aafia Siddiqui – The Prisoner 650

LONDON, (APP) A new investigation by a British journalist Yvonne Ridley has revealed that incarcerated Pakistani scholar Dr. Aafia Siddiqui had remained in Bagram Jail in Afghanistan and held by US authorities during the five years of her disappearance.

Ridley gave the new information at a news conference on Tuesday in the company of Lord Nazir Ahmed, a member of the British Parliament, former Guantanamo inmate Moazzam Begg and Asim Qureshi, a representative of Cageprisoners.

According to Ridley, well known in the Muslim world for her outspoken views and defence of Islam, this new evidence has come to light since the release last month from Guantanamo of US torture victim and British resident Binyam Mohammad who spent a period of his seven-year detention in Bagram.

Ridley who endeared herself to the Muslim community in Britain when she converted to Islam 30 months after making international headlines when she was captured by Taliban on an undercover assignment in Afghanistan in 2001, said the new development came on the basis of her TV interview of Bimyam Mohammad and the Governor of Ghazni.

The documentary on the missing persons of ill-fame Bagram will be aired next week by Iranian TV Channel Press TV.

Ridley said contrary to what had been claimed by the then US authorities, Binyam Mohammad confirmed that Dr. Siddiqui was prisoner 650 in Bagram and this was consequently borne out by the pictures shown to him and to the Ghazni Governor.

She called for her immediate release from US facility in Texas and return to Pakistan to her family. Ridley said of the three children of Dr. Siddiqui, the fate of two are still unknown.

Asim Qureshi said the new investigations also revealed that the Pakistani scholar who disappeared in 2003 while on way from Karachi to Rawalpindi, was forcefully removed to US although there exists no extradition treaty with Afghanistan.

He also said there was no truth in reports alleging that Dr. Siddiqui fired at American soldiers using a captured M-16 rifle. Qureshi said Dr. Siddiqui was too frail to use such a heavy weapon. Quoting press reports, he claimed that the Pakistani woman was injured in a fire fight between US and Afghan soldiers.

Lord Ahmed appealed to the new democratic Government in Pakistan to seek the release of Dr. Siddiqui from the US custody at the earliest. Ridley also read out a statement from PTI Chief Imran Khan in support of Dr. Siddiqui.

SOURCE: app.com.pk