ISLAMABAD - The United States has said it would not repatriate Dr. Aafia Siddiqui to Pakistan even if Islamabad joins the Inter-American Convention on Serving of Criminal Sentences Abroad 1993, it has been learnt reliably.

According to the documents exclusively available with The Nation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had approached the US government for confirmation if they would agree to its proposal for transfer of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui to serve her remaining period of jail in Pakistan, in case Pakistan secures membership of the said convention. The US side has now formally conveyed, “the present political climate in the USA would preclude the chances of any meaningful response regarding Pakistan’s request for repatriation of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui even if Pakistan were to join the Inter-American Convention on Serving of Criminal Sentences Abroad,” the documents revealed.

A source in the Foreign Office here said that the US decision has thrown the political government in Pakistan into utter disappointment which, he said, wanted to take a political mileage of the repatriation of Siddiqui. “The government sincerely did its efforts to achieve the objectives but the same did not yield positive results,” he added.

The source told this correspondent that the Pakistani authorities believe that the US side intends to pursue the matter as a political one rather than a legal or humanitarian subject. “Keeping in view the US approach, the Pakistani authorities are now weighing other options to lure the US authorities for repatriation of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. The possible subjects for discussion with the US authorities in the coming days can be revocation of death sentence, amendment in blasphemy laws, better security for minorities and more rights for Pakistani women,” he added.

More...