FO reaches out to AGP for legal guidance on Dr Aafia Siddiqui case

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) has formally requested legal advice from the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan regarding potential government intervention in US court proceedings concerning Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s release, officials confirmed on Thursday.

The development came during a hearing at the Islamabad High Court (IHC), where Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan was briefed about the FO’s move. Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist convicted in the United States, remains incarcerated at a federal prison in Texas.

Representatives from the Foreign Office appeared alongside Dr Siddiqui’s sister, Dr Fawzia Siddiqui, her counsel Advocate Imran Shafiq, and former senator Mushtaq Ahmed. The court learned that the AGP’s office requires additional time to formulate its legal opinion on how Pakistan might assist in the US judicial process.

Pakistan rules out swapping Shakeel Afridi for Aafia Siddiqui’s release

The Attorney General’s Office sought a 10-day extension to prepare its response, but the bench granted one week instead. The case has been adjourned until June 25 for further proceedings.

This legal consultation marks the latest development in Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to secure Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s repatriation, a case that has drawn national attention for nearly two decades.

Earlier in February, the federal government informed the IHC that the proposal to swap Shakeel Afridi for Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s release was not workable.

When IHC judge Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan heard the repatriation case of Aafia Siddiqui, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Munawar Iqbal Duggal, representing the federal government, told the court that the proposal to exchange was not workable.

He told the court that Clive Smith, Aafia Siddiqui’s US-based attorney, had put forth the proposal.

During the proceedings, the AAG argued that Pakistan has reservations on certain points in the draft petition filed in the US court for Aafia Siddiqui’s release.

Justice Ejaz Ishaq remarked that the court was surprised by the government’s statement withdrawing support for Aafia Siddiqui’s petition in the US court. The IHC had directed the AAG to consult the government and clarify what objections had been raised against Aafia Siddiqui’s petition filed in the US. The court asked for a reply by next Friday. The AAG further said that both Shakeel Afridi and Aafia Siddiqui are Pakistani citizens, and Pakistan has no prisoner exchange agreement with the US.