First Time In A Long Time: Pakistan PM urges US President To Pardon Dr Aafia Siddiqui on Humanitarian Grounds

Islamabad (Pakistan): For the first time in last many years, Shehbaz Sharif as a Prime Minister of Pakistan has requested US President Joe Biden to pardon and release jailed Pakistani Dr Aafia Siddiqui, who was awarded an 86-year sentence for allegedly attacking US personnel in Afghanistan, it emerged on Friday.

Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn claimed to have seen a letter dated October 13, that the PM expressed his concerns about Dr Siddiqui’s “fragile mental and frail physical health” while in prison. “Now 52 years old, she has served 16 years behind bars in the US.

“Numerous Pakistani officials have paid consular visits to Dr Siddiqui … all of them have raised their serious concerns about the treatment she has received,” the letter reads. “In fact, they fear she may take her own life.”

The prime minister wrote that it was his “solemn duty” to ensure the wellbeing of his citizens, appealing to Biden to fulfil the same role as a head of state. “I am well aware of how passionately you have fought for the rights of your citizens, particularly those stranded or held captive abroad,” the PM wrote.

“You would, therefore, fully understand that as prime minister, it is my solemn duty to intervene when it becomes absolutely necessary to ensure a citizen’s wellbeing, particularly when the circumstances are as dire as they are in this case.”

PM Shehbaz urged Biden to release Dr Siddiqui on humanitarian grounds, writing, “I have always known you to be a committed friend of Pakistan who has demonstrated warmth and genuine friendship for our people.

“I request you, Mr president, to kindly exercise your constitutional authority and accept Dr Siddiqui’s clemency petition and order her release, strictly on humanitarian grounds.”