Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood has vowed to continue struggle for safe release of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.
In a statement on Friday, he said that Pakistani scientist Dr. Siddiqui has been serving an 86-year sentence in the United States (US) since her conviction by a federal court in New York in 2010 on charges of attempted murder and other offenses. It’s worth mentioning here that currently receiving treatment in a federal medical prison in Texas, Dr. Siddiqui benefits from specialized medical and mental health facilities available to women inmates.
Senator Talha Mehmood said that he held meeting with Dr. Siddiqui at the Phantom Detention Centre in Dallas in 2008 after fulfilling all necessary protocols.
During their encounter, he engaged in a detailed discussion with her adding that at that time, it was a fresh incident and she sustained three bullet injuries. Since then, Dr. Siddiqui’s sister, Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui, and mother, Ismat Siddiqui, had maintained consistent contact with him, he mentioned.
Highlighting his priorities, Senator Talha emphasized his initial focus on locating Dr. Siddiqui’s missing children and fighting the case in the US court, in a parallel way to efforts for her release. Notably, her children, Ahmed and Maryam, were discovered in Afghanistan under distressing conditions, he added. To secure Dr. Siddiqui’s freedom, the minister orchestrated protest demonstrations, pursued diplomatic channels through the foreign affairs and interior ministries, and successfully garnered unanimous support for resolutions in legislative forums, including the National Assembly and Senate.
