Dr Fowzia Siddiqui revealed that she was unable to recognize her sister Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist incarcerated in United States, during their first meeting in 20 years at a prison hospital in Fort Worth, Texas.
Dr Fowzia, accompanied by Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) Senator Mushtaq and human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, traveled to the United States after finally being granted permission to meet Dr Aafia.
Upon her return to Pakistan, Dr Fowzia expressed gratitude to the current government for facilitating the meeting, emphasizing that previous governments were also capable of doing so. She credited the prime minister and foreign minister for their assistance.
Recalling the meeting with her sister, Dr Fowzia stated, “I could not even imagine that Dr Aafia would have been in such a terrible situation.”
She added that due to Aafia’s condition, she couldn’t recognize her. Dr Fowzia also mentioned that repatriating Dr Aafia could be easily accomplished if the government made an effort.
The next meeting between the sisters is scheduled for July.
During their visits, Dr Fowzia and the accompanying individuals were unable to physically meet Dr Aafia, as they were separated by transparent glass and communicated through phones.
Meanwhile, JI organized a rally to welcome Senator Mushtaq upon his return from the US after meeting Dr Aafia. The rally, starting from Motorway Toll Plaza and ending at Hashtnagri Chowk, included speeches by Mushtaq, district president Bahrullah Khan, and others. Dr Fowzia could not attend the rally due to a flight unavailability but addressed the gathering over the phone.
Speaking at the event, Senator Mushtaq urged the nation to raise their voices for Dr Aafia’s release, urging the government to take action.
He criticized the authorities for imprisoning Dr Aafia for 86 years and subjecting her to police torture, highlighting the violations of human rights by self-proclaimed human rights advocates.
Mushtaq also criticized political parties in power for remaining silent on the issue of Dr Aafia’s release despite advocating for it while in opposition.
Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a US-educated Pakistani scientist, was sentenced to 86 years in prison by a New York federal district court in September 2008. She was charged with attempted murder and assault, which she denied, stemming from an incident during an interview with US authorities in Ghazni, Afghanistan. Although she was suspected of having links to Al-Qaeda, she was never convicted of it.
Dr Aafia had studied at MIT and earned a PhD in neuroscience from Brandeis University. Following the 9/11 attacks, she came under the FBI’s radar due to her donations to Islamic organizations and her association with the purchase of certain items.
The US suspected her involvement with Al-Qaeda, alleging that she returned to Pakistan and married into the family of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a key figure in the 9/11 attacks. Dr Aafia disappeared in 2003 along with her three children in Karachi and was later arrested in Afghanistan by local forces in Ghazni province.
