FM Dar says Dr Aafia Siddiqui jailed after ‘due process’

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated that Pakistani neuroscientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s imprisonment in a US jail came as a result of “due process”, as he responded to a question regarding former prime minister Imran Khan’s incarceration.

Ishaq Dar made this statement while addressing the Atlantic Council after meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.

He attempted to draw a parallel between the two cases, explaining that just as Siddiqui’s detention followed legal proceedings, Khan’s imprisonment too is subject to the due process of law and should not be politicised.

“I think we should not politicise anything, for example if we say that Dr Aafia Siddiqui is here for decades and going to be, God knows till when. So I think I will be unfair. If the due process of law has resulted in that action, the same applies to everybody, so there is no exception,” he said.

Referring to Imran Khan without directly naming him, Dar added, “If you are a political leader it doesn’t give you licence to pick arms, provoke public and attack the security installation of the country. This is nothing but treason.”

However, his remarks sparked backlash online, particularly from journalists and rights activists, who criticised Dar for appearing to justify Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s imprisonment. Critics pointed out the contradiction in the government's stance, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had written a letter to former US President Joe Biden last year seeking Siddiqui’s release.

On Friday, PM Shehbaz also met Dr Fowzia Siddiqui, Aafia's sister, and assured her of the government’s continued efforts to bring the Pakistani neuroscientist back home. Many now argue that Dar’s recent statement undermines the diplomatic case for her repatriation.

Dr Aafia Siddiqui is currently serving an 86-year sentence at FMC Carswell, a federal women’s prison in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2010, she was convicted of attempting to murder US military personnel in Afghanistan.