Islamabad, June 30, 2025: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) was informed on Monday that the federal government has declined to become a party or offer legal assistance in the case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, who remains imprisoned in the United States.
Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan presided over the hearing on a petition concerning Dr Siddiqui’s health condition and potential repatriation from a US prison. The hearing was attended by the petitioner’s lawyer Imran Shafiq, an Additional Attorney General (AAG), and other relevant officials.
Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist, has been incarcerated in the United States for over 14 years, currently serving an 86-year sentence at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas. She was convicted in 2010 on charges of attempted murder and assault of US personnel while in custody in Afghanistan.
At the outset of the hearing, the Additional Attorney General informed the court that the government had chosen not to involve itself as a legal party in her case in the US courts. Upon hearing this, Justice Ejaz expressed serious concern over the absence of justification for such a decision.
“This is a constitutional court. Decisions must come with reasons. The government or the attorney general cannot simply submit a position without explanation,” the judge remarked.
The court directed the Additional Attorney General to present a detailed rationale for the government’s stance at the next hearing and adjourned proceedings until July 4.
In a recent development earlier this year, Dr Siddiqui submitted a clemency request to the White House, describing her imprisonment as a “blatant miscarriage of justice”, just before the US presidential transition. However, the request was rejected by then-President Joe Biden.
The government’s decision not to participate in her legal proceedings has sparked renewed questions about Pakistan’s diplomatic and legal efforts concerning Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s case—an issue that continues to draw significant public and political attention in the country.
