Pakistan to explore “viable options” for Dr. Aafia’s repatriation

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, left, with Dr. Fauzia Siddiqui, sister of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. (Photo courtesy: @SMQureshiPTI/Twitter)

• FM holds detailed discussions with jailed neuroscientist’s sister
• Experts say Islamabad should pursue diplomatic channels instead of legal ones to resolve the matter

ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday vowed to explore all viable options to secure the release and repatriation of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist who is currently serving a jail term in the United States.
“I am hopeful that things will work out,” Dr. Fauzia Siddiqui, Aafia’s sister told Arab News following a detailed meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on the matter.
“He (the foreign minister) will update me in the next couple of weeks on a doable option,” she said, adding that various “options to get Dr. Aafia repatriated were discussed”, without divulging any further details.
In a tweet earlier on Tuesday, Qureshi said that he had asked the Pakistani Consul General in Houston to seek regular consular visits and to “ensure Dr. Siddiqui’s wellbeing was in line with her legal and human rights”.
He added that he had also assured Dr. Fauzia of his “full support” and “discussed the possible way forward for Dr. Aafia’s repatriation”.
Dr. Aafia was indicted by a New York federal district court in September 2008 on charges of attempted murder and assault stemming from an incident during an interview with the US authorities in Afghanistan. She, however, denies the charges.