Daily Times

Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan on Friday assured the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that the government would take serious efforts for an early release of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.

According to details, a single bench of Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan of IHC heard the constitutional petition of Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui regarding the release of her sister Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.

After the hearing her lawyer Imran Shafique told the media outside the court premises that they are working on three fronts to seek the release of Dr. Aafia. He said the outgoing American president has the right to grant clemency petitions. He said that this period is from November to January. He said that the American lawyer of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, Clive Smith, has prepared a comprehensive petition in this regard. He said we had requested the court that the government of Pakistan should support this clemency petition.

He said today the attorney general of Pakistan submitted before the court that the government of Pakistan would write from its side a letter in support of this clemency petition. He further said that the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan are going to a US visit and during their visit efforts would also be taken on diplomatic grounds.

He said that the second issue was that Clive Smith is working to file a petition in the US courts for seeking release of Aafia on compassionate grounds. He said that we have requested that the government of Pakistan should support an amicus brief prepared in this regard. He said that the attorney general of Pakistan has also assured of the government’s cooperation in this regard.

Advocate Imran Shafique said that the attorney general has also told the court that they are working on the matter of prisoners transfer agreement within the three weeks’ time allotted to them.

He said that the period from November to January is crucial regarding the release of Aafia Siddiqui and the whole nation should play its role in this regard.

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mushtaq Ahmed Khan on the occasion told the media that the successive governments in Pakistan have betrayed the cause of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, who is a citizen of Pakistan and languishing in a notorious jail of America without committing any crime. He said her condition is very bad and she is suffering from torture including sexual torture. He said now the attorney general of Pakistan has assured that the government would support the three available options to seek the release of Aafia. He requested the whole nation to mount pressure on rulers in this regard to ensure an early release of Aafia Siddiqui.