No formal request ever made for Dr Aafia’s repatriation: Lawyer

[Devil Soul]

No formal request ever made for Dr Aafia’s repatriation: Lawyer
By PPI
Published: September 19, 2012
KARACHI: US Senator Mike Gravel and Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s attorney Tina Foster have said that no formal request for Dr Aafia’s repatriation has ever been made to the US authorities despite support claims by all political parties of Pakistan.
Talking to media before leaving for the US, they urged the Pakistani leadership to take action for the release of Dr Aafia. They stressed that Dr Aafia was a Pakistani citizen and that the US government’s rendition of Dr Afia from Afghanistan to the US is illegal under international law.
Gravel and Tina of the International Justice Network further said that the Musharraf regime had illegally kidnapped Dr Aafia along with her three children from Karachi in March 2003, and handed her over to the US government for illegal interrogation and secret detention based on completely false information.
Senator Gravel, a former member of the US Congress and a presidential candidate who ran against President Obama in 2008, maintained that Dr Aafia’s trial in the United States was illegal. He added that the US government had no moral or legal justification for their actions.
The senator pointed out that the Pakistani government would have to take serious action if it wanted Dr Siddiqi to be repatriated, adding that only words were not enough.
Attorney Foster said that the Pakistani administration had missed out many opportunities to secure the release of Dr Aafia; the case of Raymond Davis, a bilateral agreement for prisoner exchange and the adoption of a formal transfer treaty could have led to Dr Aafia’s release.
“We have received no cooperation from the Government of Pakistan in securing Dr Siddiqui’s repatriation to Pakistan,” said Foster “There’s been a lot of talk, but no concrete steps have been taken despite numerous requests for assistance.”
“I’ve come on a humanitarian mission to ask Pakistani leadership for its assistance in returning Dr Siddiqui to Pakistan. It’s obvious that the will of the Pakistani people is being ignored by their leadership,” she said, adding that the US government will not unilaterally release Dr Siddiqui unless it is pressured to do so by Pakistan.
“Dr Siddiqui is not a US citizen, so the US government should not be left to determine her fate, she should be returned to Pakistan so that she can begin to recover from the horrible torture and abuse that she has suffered,” said Senator Gravel.

 

[tarrar]

Stupid people expect this corrupt, wh*re Govt. to do something for Pakistan, they must really be crazy.

 

[LeGenD]

The case of Dr. Aafia is a very controversial one. She had a husband and kids. And she ended up in Afghanistan. What the hell was she thinking?

 

[anilindia]

Is this true...US can consider releasing Aafia in exchange for Afridi: Hoagland

Says Pakistan hasn’t formally sought an exchange yet; praises Afridi’s role in OBL killing; says drones not aimed at infringing any country’s sovereignty; calls Nawaz ‘sensible leader’



By Muhammad Saleh Zaafir



ISLAMABAD: Acting US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Hoagland on Thursday revealed that Pakistan had never formally sought the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui in exchange for Dr Shakil Afridi, who is convicted of treason charges, but added that the United States can consider the release of Dr Aafia in exchange for Dr Afridi and is prepared to provide him shelter in the United States.



In an exclusive chat with The News at a diplomatic reception, Richard Hoagland said during the cold-war, his country had exchanged prisoners with the defunct Soviet Union, which was done through backdoor interactions. Like with Russia, the US has no formal agreement with Pakistan for the exchange of prisoners. “But everything is possible in this world, if the will exists,” he said with a broad smile.



The US ambassador was of the view that Dr Shakil Afridi played an important and praiseworthy role in reaching and killing Osama bin Laden. “He deserves every laurel for that role and Pakistan should also eulogies the work done by Afridi,” the ambassador said.



About drone attacks in tribal areas, the acting US ambassador reiterated that the purpose of using drones was not to infringe the sovereignty of any country in any way, but to target terrorists. He said drones did not take off from the soil of Pakistan as they were kept away from Pakistan. When asked if they fly from Afghanistan, he parried the question, saying: “They do not flying from Pakistan”. The perception with regards the use of the drones is different here and in Washington. Pakistan has been cribbing about their use, he added. To another question, Richard Hoagland said: “General John Allen, commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, was scheduled to visit Pakistan on Thursday, but his trip has been put off due to sudden malfunctioning in his special plane.”



Incidentally the plane developed some snag at the eleventh hour just before his departure, forcing him to postpone the visit to meet Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvaiz Kayani.



The postponement of his visit has no political connotation at all. General Allen immediately contacted General Kayani to inform him about the technical fault in his plane and consequent delay in his visit. He is likely to visit Pakistan later,the acting US ambassador insisted.



He said Pakistan and United States would have a special meeting of the working group on energy in early October in Washington where Pakistan’s energy needs would come up for thorough discussion. Various working groups will also meet in September when Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar visits the US. Richard Hoagland termed Khar’s visit to Washington of significant importance, saying she would have extensive discussions with her counterpart Hillary Clinton in the US State Department. He expressed his surprise at the way the education sector is being ignored in Pakistan and said his country was prepared to assist Pakistan in this field.



The US envoy said the US administration and state departments were keen to dispatch the new US ambassador in Islamabad at the earliest as Richard G Olson had already been designated for the slot. The US Senate will be resuming on September 10 after recess and it will continue in session for three weeks before proceeding on long recess for general elections. If the senator, who has blocked the conformation of new ambassador in the Senate, withdraws his objection, the new ambassador could travel to Pakistan once the conformation of the Capitol Hill is made, Hoagland said. He termed his meeting with PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in Lahore a day earlier an excellent event and said he was impressed with the views expressed by the former prime minister. “Nawaz Sharif is a sensible and true political leader of Pakistan and I had a useful exchange of views with him,” the ambassador added.



http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-17163-US-can-consider-releasing-Aafia-in-exchange-for-Afridi-Hoagland

Is this true...US can consider releasing Aafia in exchange for Afridi: Hoagland

Says Pakistan hasn’t formally sought an exchange yet; praises Afridi’s role in OBL killing; says drones not aimed at infringing any country’s sovereignty; calls Nawaz ‘sensible leader’



By Muhammad Saleh Zaafir



ISLAMABAD: Acting US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Hoagland on Thursday revealed that Pakistan had never formally sought the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui in exchange for Dr Shakil Afridi, who is convicted of treason charges, but added that the United States can consider the release of Dr Aafia in exchange for Dr Afridi and is prepared to provide him shelter in the United States.



In an exclusive chat with The News at a diplomatic reception, Richard Hoagland said during the cold-war, his country had exchanged prisoners with the defunct Soviet Union, which was done through backdoor interactions. Like with Russia, the US has no formal agreement with Pakistan for the exchange of prisoners. “But everything is possible in this world, if the will exists,” he said with a broad smile.



The US ambassador was of the view that Dr Shakil Afridi played an important and praiseworthy role in reaching and killing Osama bin Laden. “He deserves every laurel for that role and Pakistan should also eulogies the work done by Afridi,” the ambassador said.



About drone attacks in tribal areas, the acting US ambassador reiterated that the purpose of using drones was not to infringe the sovereignty of any country in any way, but to target terrorists. He said drones did not take off from the soil of Pakistan as they were kept away from Pakistan. When asked if they fly from Afghanistan, he parried the question, saying: “They do not flying from Pakistan”. The perception with regards the use of the drones is different here and in Washington. Pakistan has been cribbing about their use, he added. To another question, Richard Hoagland said: “General John Allen, commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, was scheduled to visit Pakistan on Thursday, but his trip has been put off due to sudden malfunctioning in his special plane.”



Incidentally the plane developed some snag at the eleventh hour just before his departure, forcing him to postpone the visit to meet Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvaiz Kayani.



The postponement of his visit has no political connotation at all. General Allen immediately contacted General Kayani to inform him about the technical fault in his plane and consequent delay in his visit. He is likely to visit Pakistan later,the acting US ambassador insisted.



He said Pakistan and United States would have a special meeting of the working group on energy in early October in Washington where Pakistan’s energy needs would come up for thorough discussion. Various working groups will also meet in September when Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar visits the US. Richard Hoagland termed Khar’s visit to Washington of significant importance, saying she would have extensive discussions with her counterpart Hillary Clinton in the US State Department. He expressed his surprise at the way the education sector is being ignored in Pakistan and said his country was prepared to assist Pakistan in this field.



The US envoy said the US administration and state departments were keen to dispatch the new US ambassador in Islamabad at the earliest as Richard G Olson had already been designated for the slot. The US Senate will be resuming on September 10 after recess and it will continue in session for three weeks before proceeding on long recess for general elections. If the senator, who has blocked the conformation of new ambassador in the Senate, withdraws his objection, the new ambassador could travel to Pakistan once the conformation of the Capitol Hill is made, Hoagland said. He termed his meeting with PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in Lahore a day earlier an excellent event and said he was impressed with the views expressed by the former prime minister. “Nawaz Sharif is a sensible and true political leader of Pakistan and I had a useful exchange of views with him,” the ambassador added.



http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-17163-US-can-consider-releasing-Aafia-in-exchange-for-Afridi-Hoagland