AGENCIES / ISLAMABAD
The mother of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist who is a jail in the US for a decade, has written an open letter to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan urging him to help free her daughter from US captivity.
A US court sentenced Dr Aafia Siddiqui to 86 years in prison in early 2010 on charges of attempted murder and assault stemming from an incident with US authorities in Afghanistan—charges she denied. She has since been languishing in a US jail.
The open letter from Ismat Siddiqui, Dr Aafia’s mother, comes days before Prime Minister Imran Khan is scheduled to visit the US and meet with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington.
“Surely, I do not need to remind you of how I am suffering, as the unjust captivity of the daughter of Pakistan is indeed as near and dear to your heart as mine. With due respect and a sad heart filled with new hope, I humbly request you to please help save my daughter Dr Aafia, whose name is now synonymous with the dignity and honor of Pakistan,” writes grieving and ailing mother in the letter, addressing the Pakistani prime minister as “my dear son”.
“Your visit to US and meeting with President Trump is a new ray of hope for Pakistanis and myself that you will not only demand the release of your sister Aafia but do so with a resolve only true leaders can,” she wrote.