ISLAMABAD | Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has clarified that his recent remarks about Dr Aafia Siddiqui were “misinterpreted and taken out of context.”
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Dar said his reference to Dr Aafia’s case during a recent talk at the Atlantic Council in Washington was wrongly linked to the legal situation of former prime minister Imran Khan.
“My remarks were in response to a question about Imran Khan’s legal matters. Mentioning Dr Aafia’s case was not intended to compare the two situations, and the context was misunderstood,” he wrote.
Dar emphasized that successive PML-N governments have consistently provided diplomatic and legal support for Dr Aafia’s release and will continue to do so.
He also stressed the importance of respecting the judicial systems of sovereign nations. “Every country, whether Pakistan or the United States, has its own legal framework that must be respected,” he said.
Dar reaffirmed that the government’s position on Dr Aafia Siddiqui remains “firm and unambiguous.”
During his talk in Washington, Dar had said that Dr Aafia’s detention in the US followed due legal process, just as Imran Khan’s sentencing in Pakistan was the result of a legal procedure. “When the due process is followed, others have no right to interfere,” he said.
Dr Aafia, a Pakistani neuroscientist, was convicted in 2010 by a US court for attempted murder and sentenced to 86 years in prison. She denies the charges.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Dr Aafia’s sister, Dr Fouzia Siddiqui, and reassured her that the government would continue legal and diplomatic efforts for her repatriation.
The PM Office stated that Shehbaz Sharif had already written to former US President Joe Biden, seeking clemency for Dr Aafia. A special committee, headed by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, was also formed to ensure progress in the case and stay in touch with Dr Fouzia.
