Web Desk
Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist who has been imprisoned in the United States for over a decade, appeared “miserable and terrified” due to the alleged torture she has endured, according to Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Senator Mushtaq Ahmed.
Senator Ahmed visited Dr Aafia a day after her meeting with her younger sister, Dr Fauzia Siddiqui, which marked their first meeting in 20 years. The meeting took place at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell in Texas on Wednesday.
During the subsequent meeting with Senator Ahmed on Thursday, the incarcerated doctor appeared in a distressed state, as observed by the senator during their three-hour-long telephonic conversation conducted behind a glass shield.
Describing the meeting on Twitter, Senator Ahmed stated that Dr Aafia, dressed in an off-white scarf, khaki dress, and white joggers, appeared in poor health with her eyes frequently watering. He noted that she displayed signs of abuse and pain inflicted upon her throughout her years of imprisonment.
Dr Aafia’s condition included broken front teeth and difficulty in hearing due to a head injury. She repeatedly expressed her desire to be freed from what she described as “hell.”
At the conclusion of the meeting, Dr Aafia was taken away in chains.
The senator mentioned that they attempted to divert Dr Aafia’s attention by discussing books, literature, poetry, and other subjects. Despite her deteriorating state, she displayed remarkable verbal skills while conversing about renowned poets and engaging in philosophical and scientific discussions. However, her thoughts often turned to her children, mother, and the suffering she endured during her imprisonment, leading her to express her longing to be released from the dire situation she found herself in.
Senator Ahmed called upon politicians to work towards securing Dr Aafia’s release, emphasizing that the key to her freedom lies in Islamabad, rather than Washington.
Background on Dr Aafia Siddiqui: Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a scientist educated in the United States, was convicted in 2010 by a New York federal district court on charges of attempted murder and assault. These charges stemmed from an incident during an interview with US authorities in Ghazni, Afghanistan, although she denied the allegations.
She became the first woman to be suspected by the US of having links to Al-Qaeda, although she was never convicted of such affiliations.
At the age of 18, Siddiqui traveled to the US to study at MIT, later earning a PhD in neuroscience from Brandeis University. Following the 9/11 terror attacks, she came under the scrutiny of the FBI for her donations to Islamic organizations and her association with the purchase of night-vision goggles and books on warfare.
The US suspected her involvement with Al-Qaeda, alleging that she returned to Pakistan after joining the group in America and married into the family of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the masterminds behind the 9/11 attacks.
She disappeared in Karachi around 2003, along with her three children. Five years later, she was apprehended in Afghanistan by local forces in the troubled southeastern province of Ghazni.
