PM Ashraf forms new committee to look into Aafia Siddiqui case
Ashraf informed Dr Fauzia Siddiqui - Dr Aafia’s sister - and Former Attorney General of United States of America Ramsey Clark about the formation of the committee, an official statement said.
The committee will be headed by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and has ministers for law, interior affairs and human rights as its members.
According to the statement, Ashraf assured Fauzia of all the possible assistance.
Dr Aafia, a neuroscientist by profession and a graduate of MIT, allegedly went missing for five years before she was discovered in Afghanistan. The prosecution says that she tried to fire on a US soldier during her interrogation. She has also been accused of working for al Qaeda.
Her family disputes the US version of this account. She was sentenced to 86 years in prison in 2010 by a New York court.
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@nitesh brother thanks for being human :) .. to all those who think a normal gurl can be a terrorist and still america is innocent wow shame on u ... after all the torture and pain she suffred ... one day u all will face inshallah i hate all u guys who hate her ... u cant leave ur sister like this .. inshALLAH WE BRING HER BACK BY THE ONLY HELP OF ALLAH :)
@Mishrab: Why was she in Afghanistan? Because she was abducted along with her kids from Karachi? You are commenting on an article you have no knowledge of! pays to research a little.
@It is EconomyStupid: CONVICTED TERRORIST? I didnt know she was ever tried as a terrorist let alone convicted as one. Facts please
@Haris Chaudhry: Would you have made this comment if she was your sister? The woman spent years in Bagram illegally along with her innocent children, lost one of them, no one knows what happened to the child. Now 86 years for alleged firing a gun at an American soldier! You my brother have a strange sense of justice...
We have ministers for human rights?/? Wow learn something new everyday!
@nitish: Best you wipe your eyes then!
@Cautious: I dont know what to say upon this?But few questions r still to be answered.Like 5 to 7 yrs before her trial,where was she and why she had been kept as a captive?why was she abducted?why her children came back as soon as she had been persecuted?During trial it also seems that it americas conspiracy supported by pak govt?The $2 million money may be funded by us to prove the case in its favor,who knows.Thats why lady took the witness stand.More interestingly she was not charged for terrorism else she was charged for attacking american soldier.There seems something messy.
Afia was neither true to her native country nor true to her adopted country. Double faced double agent. MIT had no impact on her. She was a Taliban in side out. She got what she deserved.
@Hedgefunder: What a comment, again read your comment and feel shame, instead of Afia, there can be our sister or mother, what if we dont have electricity, clean waters etc, these all are our internal problems. Afia is the respect of whole nation. We should raise our voices for her
@nitish I
And why was her trial not just or honest? I have followed her trial noting it was open to the public - she had first class legal representation - Pakistan funded over $2 million in legal fees - and she was treated exactly the same as any American. To be blunt - she ignored her attorney's advice and took the witness stand where the prosecutor shredded her testimony proving she was a blatant liar. This is a person who does not deserve your sympathy.
Stop wasting time and money, there is not that much of a public support on this issue to win you votes.
This women was given several chances to explain and iterate her story infront of the court and she said nothing. Did not give any information how she ended up in Afghanistan or if she was abducted from Pakistan. Her name was given by Khlaid Shiekh Mohammad, her divorced husband claims that she was a fundamentalist. I am sorry but from what I know of the case I do not have sympathy for this lady, however I do feel disgust for her for what she put her children and family through.
Let her spend some time in jail, eventually we will know what the truth is.....
Just like Burmese Muslims now we have to spend time and huge sums on a convicted fanatic foreigner as if we have no other place to spend our hard earned money.
I am just astonished that how much we have gone far in the hatred. She was a Pakistani citizen with Pakistani Passport(and if you have searched a bit you have seen this truth). If you have followed a little you would have known that the case in US was totally unjust. She was Pakistani lady sold by PROUD ARMED FORCE LEADER and PAKISTANI PRESIDENT for few $.
And we should be afraid of Allah of what we are doing and saying.
@naeem hussain: Innocent Afia? Yes some people have strong admiration for the terrorists, and instead of trying and eliminating them here at home, they give excuses to talk to them, and giving them a free reign. Things work a little differently in the civilized world.
@naeem hussain: Those who say spade a spade has more heart than those who shower petals on a COLD BLOOD MURDER Qadiri. think of Taseer Sahib who was a father of few daughters, that if you have any heart. this woman Afia is convicted and that is it. We let Mr. Davis lose, because Islam PERMITS a killer can PAY MONEY, called Blood Money. they paid CASH and relatives of our "SHAHEEDS" hired CRANES to lift that money in sakes. as no normal human can lift so many CRORES of rupees.
@Midhat: Speak for yourself. I am more concerned about innocent people being killed in PAKISTAN and not about convicted terrorists.
To Hedgefunder, Obviously Afia Siddiqi is not your sister or daughter so you do not care. Do you have heart or human feeling for innocent Afia? clearly NO.
@nitish: Sahib, to dry your tears for this ÏSLAMI DAUGHTER, why do not you use DUPPTA of innocent RISHMA? if that does not dry, then you might care to ask DUPPTA of Asia Bibi. Both are PAKISTANI DAUGHTERS and are not less than any Afia.
This PM is on the way out and he is trying to find post eviction employment. Also this step is backwards as Pakistan is loosing credibility worldwde. in this case high offcials of a country are supporting a convicted terrorist. US courts are not banana republic courts the defendent had right to a lawyer and counselor services. She was also turned in by her compatriots, Pakistan had opportunity to fight extradiction to US and they dropped the ball.In short loss in long run for short term gain.
Hope the effort will be fruitful
Why does the PPP not put the same energy into helping the Shia muslims or Ahmadi muslims? Have they not learned their lesson yet - their leader ZAB appeased the mullahs and decades later the mullahs paid him back by murdering his daughter.
The Hidden Truth: This is going to be a trade - "we will give you one, you give us one"
Don't worry, 2 years have been completed, 84 more to go. Don't sweat it, jihadi!
@Nadir
Another Pakistani myth --- she is not a citizen of the USA. She received an American funded scholarship and earned advanced degrees at American Universities but never applied for or received citizenship in the USA.
lol. We cant even give justice to our people who are butchered under the blasphemy law. Lets not pretend to be Angels.
So far in his short term at office, Raja ji has impressed with many sensible decisions.
To what end? She has been tried and convicted by an American Court. She is sitting in an American jail. Does Pakistan think that Ramsey Clark can wave a magic wand and get her released -- didn't work out for his other clients which include Saddam Hussein, Slobadon Milsoevic, Radovan Karadzic, and Elizaphan Ntakirutima.
How they aren't aware that just because they're high profile in Pakistan doesn't mean that they hold any influence over most of the planet is beyond me. Information required to actually look into it requires transcending two borders they have no influence over. There's absolutely no reason to even care about the committee. There's too much distrust and scapegoating that goes on. Such committees only end up holding weight when you've got the international respect to have influence over an outcome of an issue. Nobody will care about you.
Please spare Pakistanis from a terrorist rotting in jail. There are plenty at home, who are making the lives of Pakistanis miserable. Besides, she is not a Pakistani citizen anymore.
So much fuss over a US citizen! Change kis taraan ayee ga!!
Stop appeasing the Mullahs and the lunatics PM...
Aafia deserved what she got.