The Islamabad High Court (IHC) was informed on Friday that the United States has rejected Pakistan’s repeated appeals for the release and repatriation of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist serving an 86-year prison sentence in the U.S.
Dr. Siddiqui was convicted in 2010 by a federal court in Manhattan on multiple charges, including attempting to shoot U.S. military personnel while in custody in Afghanistan. Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts and legal appeals, the U.S. government has remained firm in its stance.
During the hearing, presided over by Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Dr. Siddiqui’s legal team revealed that former U.S. President Joe Biden had turned down her plea for clemency. Additionally, the U.S. authorities have refused to enter into negotiations for a potential prisoner exchange with Pakistan.
Her American attorney, Clive Stafford Smith, had previously submitted a detailed 76,500-word clemency petition to the U.S. government just before Donald Trump’s inauguration. Further appeals, including one from former Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to President Biden last year, have also failed to yield any positive response.
Justice Ishaq, while hearing the case, expressed concern over the lack of reciprocity in U.S. clemency decisions, pointing out that a former U.S. president pardoned his own son, yet similar compassion was not extended to Dr. Siddiqui. The court emphasized the need for the Pakistani government to take stronger diplomatic measures to secure her release.
Dr. Siddiqui’s case has been a point of contention in Pakistan-U.S. relations, with public pressure mounting for her return. Activists and political leaders in Pakistan continue to demand that the government take more aggressive steps to secure her release.
