‘Govt paid $2m to Dr Aafia’s defence attorneys’

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government had hired a team of three reputed attorneys recommended by Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s family to defend her in the US court, and an amount of $2 million was paid to the defence attorneys.

However, Dr Aafia let go of all her lawyers following her conviction for 86 years in prison and did not file appeal against her conviction despite pleadings by her lawyers and well-wishers. This was revealed in a briefing by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday. According to the briefing note, a copy of which was obtained by Geo News, “at the political and official level, the United States was repeatedly approached through both formal and informal communications, for withdrawal of all charges against Dr Aafia and her immediate repatriation to Pakistan.

“At the highest level, the then prime minister also raised this issue in two meetings that he had with the US president in 2013 and 2015, with a view to securing repatriation of Dr Aafia Siddiqui to Pakistan but the request did not receive a positive response from the US side.” According to the briefing, there could not be a significant headway over the issue due to an absence of formal legal mechanism between the two countries for exchange of prisoners. “The Pakistan government also explored the option of acceding to the Council of Europe (COE) Convention on Transfer of Sentenced Persons signed between EU and US or accession to the Organisation of American States (OAS) Inter-American Convention on Serving of Criminal Sentences Abroad. “However, these efforts also did not materialise because of legal technicalities involved,” the note adds.

The note points out that as the Obama administration approached the end of its term, “extensive contacts” were made again at various levels with the US authorities to secure the repatriation of the imprisoned scientist. The Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC and Consulate in Houston have maintained regular contacts with Dr Aafia throughout her trial, conviction and incarceration. The Consul General Houston visits Dr Aafia every three months, the note states. “On June 21, 2017, CG Houston visited Dr Aafia at FMC Carswell but she refused to meet the CG or speak to her mother on telephone… Dr Aafia has on many occasions refused to meet our consul general and chose not to call her family despite our Mission’s persuasions,” the Foreign Ministry said in the briefing note.

“The government of Pakistan will keep raising the issue of Dr Aafia with the US at all possible levels and continue its efforts to secure release and repatriation of Dr Aafia,” the note says. The note adds that the most recent meeting between the consul general Houston and Dr Aafia was held on October 9, 2018 at FMC Carswell. During the meeting, which lasted almost two hours, Dr Aafia discussed different aspects of her imprisonment with the consul general and sent messages to her children and other family members.