Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui, who is currently incarcerated, had her second reunion in two decades with her sister, Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui, at a prison hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. The 44-minute meeting took place in the presence of Senator Talha Mahmood and Aafia Siddiqui’s lawyer.
However, Dr. Fowzia’s previously scheduled meetings on December 2 and 3 were denied, as authorities claimed to have ‘lost’ the key to the prison.
In a video statement, Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui expressed her frustration at not being able to meet Aafia due to the alleged misplacement of the prison key.
This reunion marks the second meeting between the sisters in the same year, with their first encounter occurring in May, ending a 20-year separation.
Aafia Siddiqui was initially sought by the FBI in 2003 for possible ties to al Qaeda, and she was later detained by Pakistani authorities. In 2008, when Afghan police captured her, US officials claimed she was in possession of two pounds of sodium cyanide, along with notes indicating plans for a mass casualty attack and a list of US landmarks.
US Prison Refuses Meeting Between Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui And Imprisoned Sister Aafia Siddiqui, Citing Lost Keys
Meanwhile, a meeting between Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui and her imprisoned sister, Aafia Siddiqui, at a United States prison was reportedly denied due to the prison authorities claiming to have lost the keys to the visitation cell.
Dr. Fowzia, along with Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam leader Talha Mahmood and British-American lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, had traveled to the U.S. for the meeting.
Despite their efforts, the Carswell authorities informed Dr. Fowzia that the meeting could not take place as the keys to the visitation room were lost. Stafford shared a photo of Dr. Fowzia outside the prison and mentioned that it was supposed to be the sisters’ second meeting in 20 years.
Jamat-e-Islami’s Senator Mushtaq Ahmad criticized the prison authorities’ excuse as ‘comical’ and condemned what he described as the ‘inhumane’ attitude of the jail officials.
