ISLAMABAD:
The High Court in the capital has ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to question the US ambassador to Pakistan as to why the US president did not find it necessary to respond to a letter from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif requesting a grace for Dr Aafia Siddiqui.
In an order issued on Tuesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) noted that while hearing a petition filed by Dr Aafia’s sister Dr Fowzia Siddiqui, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the court that the government had not received a response to Prime Minister Shehbaz’s letter sent to the United States. President Joe Biden on Dr. Aafia.
The Foreign Office also said that a reminder of the letter was also sent by the Pakistani embassy in Washington, but apparently no response to this reminder was given either. The court noted that this was rather unusual, given diplomatic standards.
While ordering the ministry to submit a copy of this reminder, the court ordered it to ensure that the US ambassador – permanent or acting – to Pakistan be contacted to investigate why the White House did not not “considered it to be proper and appropriate”. ” to respond to the Prime Minister’s letter in apparent disregard for diplomatic norms.
“[MoFA must] ensure that contact with the American ambassador is established no later than close of business tomorrow [Wednesday]. In its response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also add a section relating to compliance with this order and the response of the American ambassador in this regard,” he added. The single-member formation of the IHC, composed of Justice Ejaz Ishaq Khan, will resume hearing the case on January 24.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in October last year wrote a letter to US President Biden seeking the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, who has been imprisoned in the US for around two decades.
In the letter, Prime Minister Shehbaz had urged President Biden to use his constitutional authority to grant pardon and order his release on humanitarian grounds, adding that Dr Aafia’s family, along with millions of Pakistanis, had been waiting for this act of kindness .
The Prime Minister noted that over the years, Pakistani officials had held consular meetings with Dr Aafia Siddiqui, during which serious concerns regarding her medical treatment were raised.
There are serious concerns about her deteriorating mental and physical health, and concerns have been raised that she could take her own life. Dr Aafia’s case should be viewed with compassion, he said.
Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist, became a polarizing figure after her 2008 arrest in Afghanistan. She was accused of attempting to shoot American soldiers while in custody.
She was later extradited to the United States. In 2010, a US federal court convicted her of attempted murder and assault, sentencing her to 86 years in prison.
