IHC directs govt to help Dr Aafia’s family get US visa

A single bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed the Foreign Affairs Ministry on Friday to facilitate the family of Dr Aafia Siddiqi in getting the US visa and take necessary steps that no harm came to them during their travel.

IHC Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan took up a petition regarding the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, who is currently jailed in the US. During the hearing the petitioner, Dr Fauzia Siddiqui, appeared in court along with her lawyer Dr Sajid Qureshi.

Dr Aafia Siddiqui is a Pakistani national, who is serving an 86-year sentence at the US Federal Medical Center in Texas, United States, following her conviction by a federal court in New York in 2010 on attempted murder and other charges.

During the IHC hearing, Rajil Mohsin, the director USA at the foreign ministry, presented a report on Dr Siddiqui. He informed the court that efforts were made to establish contacts with Dr Siddiqui but she had declined.

The jail administration said that Dr Aafia Siddiqui did not want any contact with her family and that they could not force her to meet. Responding to court query, the official said that Pakistani consul general had been in contact with the petitioner, Dr Fauzia Siddiqui.

The petitioner’s counsel stated that no contact had been made with Dr Aafia Siddiqui so far. He added that he could not understand why Dr Siddiqui would not contact her family. The court remarked why the Pakistani consul general would speak against the facts.

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The counsel said that Dr Siddiqui’s mother and sister wanted to meet her. Mohsin assured the court that the Foreign Ministry would try to get the US visa for the Siddiqui family so that they could go to the US and contact her.

The court remarked that the prison warden had said that 500 minutes were fixed for meetings in a month. Dr Fauzia said that on every religious occasion, like Eid, Christmas and Holi, her brother would spend the day outside the jail but he was always told that Dr Siddiqui had died.

However, she mentioned that another lawyer had said that he met her sister and that she had severe injuries. The court remarked that if the jail authorities were not allowing Dr Siddiqui to meet her brother, then what should be the order of this court?

The court asked Dr Fauzia if she would like to go to the US. She replied that she wanted to go, but the Pakistan embassy would have to ensure her safety, lest the US authorities arrest her and put her in a jail.

She said that the Foreign Ministry should at least share the report of the consul general so that the family could be reassured. When the court reminded her earlier statement that the lawyer had contacted Dr Siddiqui was alive, she said that she was not the client of that lawyer.

The court adjourned the case till August 5.