By Masood Rehman

ISLAMABAD: Legal experts on Thursday termed as biased and partial the opinion of a New York jury that found Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist, guilty of attempted murder charges on all seven counts listed in the complaint against her. She was tried on the charges of trying to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan on July 28, 2008. However, the jury did not find her guilty on any premeditated murder charge. According to her lawyer, Siddiqui could be given a sentence of up to 35 years. Commenting on the jury’s opinion, noted lawyer Muhammad Ikram Chaudhry said it was a case of no evidence and Aafia could not be charged and sentenced. Condemning the jury’s opinion, he regretted that an innocent citizen of Pakistan was being sentenced for something she did not do.

He said the jury’s opinion indicates that its members are biased against Pakistanis. He said the decision was a slap on the US’ so called independent and impartial judicial system. He said the government of Pakistan must play its role to save the life of its innocent citizen. Prominent lawyer and constitutional expert Justice (r) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim said Dr Aafia was more qualified in her field of profession than any US citizen, as she had studied neuro sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “How is it possible that she had any links to Al Qaeda or the Taliban?” he said.

He said the allegations levelled against her were unbelievable, asking how an “extraordinarily intelligent and enlightened lady could do the things she is being accused of”. He said he was shocked to hear about the jury’s opinion. “How can a weak lady attack US soldiers”, he said, adding that an impartial commission should be constituted – consisting of impartial jurists from Pakistan and other countries – to probe the whole episode. He said Dr Aafia’s abduction from Pakistan by US agents and detention by US soldiers at the Bagram airbase prison in Kabul from 2003 to 2008 along with her two children was shocking.

Senior lawyer Akram Sheikh said the whole episode seemed to be “cooked”. Many other legal experts expressed similar views on the issue and termed the allegations against Dr Aafia as baseless.

SOURCE : Dailytimes.com.pk

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