Aafia Siddiqui's US lawyer to visit Pakistan for key court hearing

Islamabad: Clive Stafford Smith, the US-based lawyer representing Pakistani neuroscientist Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, is planning to visit Pakistan to attend a court hearing related to her release and repatriation.

During a hearing at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday, Dr. Aafia's local lawyer, Imran Shafique, informed the court of Smith’s upcoming visit. He said Smith is expected to arrive in Pakistan on May 4 and requested the court to postpone the current hearing to May 6, allowing time for consultation.

Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan, who presided over the hearing, asked government representatives if they had any objections to the new date. The law officer confirmed there were none, and the court approved May 6 as the next hearing date.

The court also noted the absence of the newly appointed Additional Attorney General, Umar Aslam, during the session.

Earlier in the case, the federal government had rejected a proposal to exchange Dr. Aafia Siddiqui with Dr. Shakil Afridi, the Pakistani doctor jailed for helping the CIA locate Osama bin Laden.

Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, born in Karachi in 1972, is a highly educated neuroscientist who earned her PhD from Brandeis University in the US in 2001. Her case gained international attention after she went missing in 2003 following the arrest of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. Siddiqui was reportedly married to Khalid’s nephew.

In 2008, she was arrested in Afghanistan. US authorities claimed she was found with harmful chemicals and plans to attack US targets. During questioning, she allegedly tried to shoot American agents and was wounded. Reports of mistreatment followed.

In 2010, Dr. Aafia was convicted in the US of attempted murder and sentenced to 86 years in prison. She was never charged with terrorism, but her case remains controversial. One of her sons was later found, but the whereabouts of her two other children remain unknown.

The next court session in Islamabad is now set for May 6.