KARACHI: The sister of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist imprisoned in the US, on Tuesday called on supporters not to lose hope after outgoing US President Joe Biden rejected a petition seeking clemency for the jailed academic.
Siddiqui, a US-trained scientist who denies any wrongdoing, was convicted in 2010 and given a 86-year prison sentence for shooting at FBI agents and soldiers after her arrest in Afghanistan. She was arrested in July 2008 by Afghan police, who said she was carrying two pounds (900 grams) of sodium cyanide and crumpled notes referring to mass casualty attacks and New York landmarks.
The day after her arrest, according to the indictment, Siddiqui grabbed an M-4 rifle in her interrogation room and started shooting while yelling “death to America,” the trial jury heard. No US agents or soldiers were hit, but Siddiqui was shot and wounded in response, according to US prosecutors. She was subsequently convicted by a New York federal jury of attempted murder, armed assault and other charges. Siddiqui was never charged with links to terrorism.
Siddiqui’s family says she was visiting Pakistan in 2003 when she was abducted with her three children by Pakistani intelligence officials and handed to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which took her to Afghanistan. Pakistan’s intelligence agencies deny the claims.
“You must all by now have heard the news that our [mercy] petition was denied at the very last moment,” Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui, who has been lobbying for years for her sister’s release, said in a video message.
The rejection comes in response to a 76,500-word dossier submitted by Siddiqui’s lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, urging Biden to grant her clemency before the end of his term.
“We will go onto Plan B and Plan D but not lose hope. Please, I have not lost hope, so all I am asking you is to please stay steadfast, stay with me, join us for Plan B and please continue the support,” Fowzia added.
In October 2024, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also wrote a letter to Biden, calling for Dr. Siddiqui’s release. The letter highlighted concerns about her treatment in prison and warned that her deteriorating physical and mental health could lead to self-harm.
Freeing Siddiqui or winning her repatriation to Pakistan has at times been a popular cause in her homeland, where her trial was seen as unfair.
Outgoing US president Biden turns down clemency request for Pakistani neuroscientist
https://arab.news/zq8zc
Outgoing US president Biden turns down clemency request for Pakistani neuroscientist
- Siddiqui is serving 86-year jail sentence after being convicted of attempting to shoot group of FBI agents, US soldiers and interpreters
- US officials say incident took place as FBI agents, soldiers were about to interrogate Siddiqui at Afghan police compound in Ghazni in 2008
Suicide bomber kills at least five at wedding in northwest Pakistan
- Attack took place in Dera Ismail Khan, targeting the home of a local peace committee member
- Peace committees are community-based groups that report militant activity to security forces
PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber killed at least five people and wounded 10 others after detonating explosives at a wedding ceremony in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, officials said, in an attack that underscored persistent militant violence in the country’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The blast took place at the home of a local peace committee member in Dera Ismail Khan district, where guests had gathered for a wedding, police and emergency officials said.
Peace committees in the region are informal, community-based groups that work with security forces to report militant activity and maintain order, making their members frequent targets of attacks.
“A blast occurred near Qureshi Moor in Dera Ismail Khan. Authorities have recovered five bodies and shifted 10 injured to hospital,” said Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the provincial Rescue 1122 emergency service, adding that the rescue operation was ongoing.
Police said the attacker blew himself up inside the house during the ceremony and that the bomber’s head had been recovered, confirming it was a suicide attack.
Several members of the local peace committee were present at the time, raising fears the toll could rise.
District Police Officer Sajjad Ahmed Sahibzada said authorities had launched an investigation into the incident, while security forces sealed off the area.
Militant attacks have surged in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the Taliban returned to power in neighboring
Afghanistan in 2021, with the administration in Islamabad blaming the Afghan government for “facilitating” cross-border attacks targeting Pakistani civilians and security forces. However, Kabul has repeatedly denied the allegation.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also seen frequent intelligence-based operations by security forces targeting suspected militants.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack.
