PM meets Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s sister, assures all possible legal, diplomatic support

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday met with Dr Fouzia Siddiqui, the sister of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist, is currently serving a prison sentence at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Carswell in the United States after being convicted in 2010 for the attempted murder of US personnel in Afghanistan.

The prime minister assured that the government would continue to provide all possible legal and diplomatic support in the matter of Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

“The government is in no way negligent the case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui,” the prime minister said.

On the instructions of PM Sharif, the government has previously provided diplomatic and legal assistance in the case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a press statement issued by the PM Office said.

The prime minister not only wrote a letter to then US President Joe Biden regarding this issue but also formed a committee headed by Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Azam Nazeer Tarar, to ensure further progress in the matter.

“The committee will remain in contact with Dr Fouzia Siddiqui and will work to provide the necessary support in this regard,” the statement added.

Earlier, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Judge Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq on Monday issued contempt notices to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and members of his cabinet over the government’s failure to submit a report in the case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

The contempt notices were issued during the hearing of a petition filed by Dr Fauzia Siddiqui, seeking her sister’s repatriation, medical updates and release from US custody.

The judge issued the contempt notices after the federal government failed to comply with the court’s July 12 directive to submit a report regarding Dr Siddiqui’s health, legal status, and possible repatriation.