WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (APP):
Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Sherry Rehman had a meeting with Tina Foster, Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s lawyer here Thursday, during which Foster apprised the diplomat of her client’s situation.Foster discussed with the ambassador various options to ease Dr. Siddiqui’s conditions of incarceration, and in the longer term, her repatriation to Pakistan, the Pakistani embassy said.Ambassador Rehman assured Foster that the Pakistan embassy took its responsibility to protect the rights of Pakistani citizens, including Dr.Siddiqui, very seriously and will continue to ensure that no Pakistani citizen is deprived of these rights.
The ambassador informed Foster that the embassy and the Pakistan Consulate General in Houston were in regular contact with FMC Carswell prison authorities and that she had asked the authorities to provide Dr. Aafia Siddiqui appropriate medical care. Ambassador Rehman also thanked Foster for trying to uphold Dr. Siddiqui’s rights.
The ambassador also informed Foster that the Government of Pakistan engaged a high level team of three attorneys at considerable expense to provide the best possible legal defence for Dr. Siddiqui.
The Pakistani embassy also helped re-establish telephonic contact between Dr.Siddiqui and her family in Karachi and also interceded on her behalf to try to ensure that her various other concerns, including those relating to her health, were addressed. The embassy will continue to play this role while also exploring various options to facilitate Dr. Siddiqui’s eventual repatriation to her own country.
The ambassador also assured Foster that she intended to visit Texas and to meet with Dr. Siddiqui.