The Islamabad High Court has ordered a detailed report on the extradition of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist, to US authorities by Friday.
The court heard the case regarding Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s health and her return to Pakistan.
Aafia Siddiqui’s sister, Fauzia Siddiqui, appeared in court via video link and stated that the key to Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s return lies with the Pakistani government.
She urged the government to assist since the Biden administration is in office, as the matter might get delayed with the arrival of a new US administration.
Aafia’s lawyer, Mr. Smith, submitted his affidavit to the court. The court has requested a detailed report on Aafia Siddiqui’s extradition to American authorities by Friday.
Aaafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist who studied in the United States at prestigious institutions — Brandeis University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
She attracted the attention of American law enforcement in the years after the Sept. 11 attacks. Top FBI and Justice Department described her as an “al-Qaida operative and facilitator” at a May 2004 news conference in which they warned of intelligence showing al-Qaida planned an attack in the coming months.
In 2008, she was detained by authorities in Afghanistan. American officials said they found in her possession handwritten notes that discussed the construction of so-called dirty bombs and that listed various locations in the U.S. that could be targeted in a “mass casualty attack.”
Inside an interview room at an Afghan police compound, authorities say, she grabbed the M-4 rifle of a U.S. Army officer and opened fire on members of the U.S. team assigned to interrogate her.
She was convicted in 2010 on charges including attempting to kill U.S. nationals outside the United States. At her sentencing hearing, she gave rambling statements in which she delivered a message of world peace — and also forgave the judge.
