DPM DAR says that Dr. Aafia’s reference was “withdrawn from its context”

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, said that his recent remarks on Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, made during a question of questions and answers to the Atlantic Council’s thinking group in Washington, were “out of context”.

Dar, who is currently on an official visit to the United States, addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York before going to Washington, where he spoke during a session organized by the Atlantic Council’s thinking group.

During the event, DAR was asked about the incarceration of the former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-E-insaf (PTI), Imran Khan. In response, he made a comparison with the case of Dr. Aafia, saying that the case was being judicial and beyond the interference of any individual, including himself.

Learn more: PM Shehbaz reaffirms continuous support for Dr. Aafia’s family

“What happened on May 9 … Unfortunately, a man like me can even do nothing. The regular procedure of the law must take place – and it is in progress. I therefore think that we should politicize anything at this stage,” said Dar.

He added: “For example, if I say that Aafia Siddiqui is there for decades and will be – God knows – until … I think it would be unfair. A regular procedure has led to this action. The same goes for everyone. There is no exception.”

He continued by declaring that being a popular political leader does not agree to take up arms, cause unrest or attacking state institutions. “It’s nothing more than betrayal,” he said. “The regular procedure of the law will take its own course. It is the judiciary who takes care of the question … and like any democratic country, we have little right to interfere in the judicial system. ”

Following his comments, the declaration aroused numerous criticisms on social networks, which prompted the Deputy Prime Minister to issue clarification.

In an article on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Senator Dar said that his reference to the case of Dr. Aafia was poorly understood and distorted in relation to the question concerning the legal situation of Imran Khan.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed that successive PML -N governments had always provided complete diplomatic and legal support to efforts to ensure the release of Dr. Aafia – and would continue to do so until the question is resolved.

“Each country has its own legal and judicial systems which must be respected-whether Pakistan or the United States,” he said.

He also pointed out that the government’s position in the case of Dr. Aafia remains “firm and unambiguous”.

Meanwhile, Dr. Aafia’s lawyer Clive Stafford Smith also criticized the remarks of the Deputy Prime Minister, accusing him of having undermined the case.

In an article on X, Smith wrote: “Sorry but it’s silly!” A regular procedure “does not equal something where Aafia had no witnesses, they lied, and everything was wrong. This is called a justice error – not what is “due”. “

He added: “The DPM seemed to do everything possible to undermine the case of Aafia yesterday by acting as if it had” regular procedure “when all that she obtained was a torture and a trial in New York, while all the real witnesses were in Afghanistan. I hope he was recalled to whom he is today.”

Dr. Aafia, a Pakistani neuroscientist who is currently imprisoned in the United States, has been sentenced to 86 years in prison for attempted murder – a sentence considerably exceeding the 10 -year -old legal maximum for crime.

She served 16 years behind bars and has been separated from her children for more than two decades.

Dr. Aafia would have been intercepted in Karachi in March 2003 while he was traveling with his three children and later disappeared for five years. It was later revealed in 2008 that she was imprisoned in Afghanistan before being transferred to the United States.

While two of his children, Ahmed and Maryam, were released respectively in 2008 and 2010, the fate of his son Sulaiman remains unknown.