Pasban Democratic Party PDP Chairman Altaf Shakoor has said that if compared the Indians show more nationalism and patriotism than Pakistanis when their citizens are arrested abroad. Drawing parallels between the cases of Pakistani woman scientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui and Indian woman diplomat Devyani Khobragade, he said theIndian people and government showed an excellent example of nationalhonor when their woman citizen was arrested abroad and forced the USgovernment to bow down.Devyani Khobragade, a 1999-batch IFS officer was arrested on December12, 2013, in the US when she was India’s Deputy Consul-General in NewYork on visa fraud charges and for allegedly providing falsedeclarations in a visa application for her maid. She later was releasedon a USD 250,000 bond.
This happened only because the Indian people and government showed aunwavering solidarity for their arrested woman and compelled the mightyUS government to accept their demands just within a very short time.Comparatively, Pakistan woman scientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui has beenlanguishing in a US jail for 20 years, even without committing a crime,because the government of Pakistan has shown a cowardice and Pakistanipeople failed to lend the required support for their daughter.Altaf Shakoor said this shows the proud national psyche and patriotismwhich help shaping great nations.
He said Pakistan trapped into debtslavery is dancing to the tunes of the IMF and World Bank that take careof the US capitalism interests.He said during last two decades both political and military governmentshave shown lack of interest in the case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui as theydon’t want to irk the US. He said in fact, Pakistan has become a colonyof America. He said after the East India Company now we are slaves ofthe IMF.Altaf Shakoor said that political parties of Pakistan also failed toshow the required solidarity with Aafia Siddiqui. Her name was used as apolitician slogan during election to befool voters, but the winningparties after coming into power just forgot their promises for seekingrelease of DrAafia.He demanded of the government of Pakistan and its ‘institutions’ to shunapathy and take Aafia Siddiqui case boldly with the US government.
Hesaid the case of Aafia is stronger than the case of Daviyani, but thePakistani government is weaker in courage than the Indian government.He said now general elections are approaching fast and once againPakistani politicians would try to exploit the slogan of Aafia for theirpoliticking.
