Washington, July 26, 2025: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday said his recent comments in the United States regarding Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s case were being “taken out of context,” following sharp criticism from her legal team.
Speaking at the Atlantic Council in Washington, Dar had drawn a comparison between Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s imprisonment in the US and the incarceration of former prime minister Imran Khan, stating that both cases had followed their respective countries’ judicial processes. “When the due process is followed, others do not have the right to interfere,” he had said.
Dr Aafia, a Pakistani neuroscientist, was convicted in 2010 by a US court for attempting to kill American personnel in Afghanistan. She is currently serving her sentence at FMC Carswell in Texas.
Dar’s analogy was met with harsh criticism from Dr Aafia’s lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, who called the remarks “idiotic.”
“Due process does not equal something where Aafia had no witnesses, they lied, and it was all false. That’s a miscarriage of justice,” Smith posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Smith said Dar’s attempt to justify Imran Khan’s incarceration by referencing Aafia’s case was both “unwise and misplaced.”
“He acted as if Aafia got a fair trial, when in fact all the real witnesses were in Afghanistan, and she was tortured,” he added.
In response to the backlash, Dar posted on X:
“The reference to Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s case is being taken out of context. The PML-N governments have consistently provided diplomatic and legal assistance for her release and will continue to do so.”
He reiterated that Pakistan respects judicial procedures in all sovereign states.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier assured Dr Aafia’s sister, Dr Fouzia Siddiqui, of continued legal and diplomatic efforts for her release. In October 2024, the PM had written to US President Joe Biden urging clemency on humanitarian grounds.
Legal Pressure on Government
On the domestic front, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has been pressing the federal government for updates on Aafia’s case. On July 21, IHC Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq issued contempt of court notices to the PM and cabinet for failing to file an amicus brief in the US. However, the IHC Registrar has temporarily put the notices on hold.
In February, the court was informed that a proposed prisoner swap—Dr Aafia in exchange for Dr Shakil Afridi—was not feasible due to the absence of a bilateral agreement.
Smith said he is preparing to file an appeal in New York within 10 days, claiming that previously overlooked evidence could challenge the basis of Aafia’s conviction.
