Dr Aafia Siddiqui received 'minor injuries' in assault at Texas prison: FO Spokesperson

Dr Aafia Siddiqui
Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri on Saturday said that Dr Aafia Siddiqui, incarcerated at the FMC Carswell prison in Fort Worth, Texas, "received some minor injuries" after an assault by a fellow inmate.

"Our Consul General in Houston visited Dr Siddiqui immediately to ascertain her well-being. She had received some minor injuries but was doing fine," said Chaudhri, in response to media queries regarding her well-being.

He said that the incident took place on July 30.

"Our Embassy in Washington DC as well as our Consulate General in Houston immediately took up the matter with the concerned US authorities," the FO spokesperson said.

According to the spokesperson, the ministry lodged a formal complaint with the relevant US authorities "to thoroughly investigate the matter and ensure the safety and well-being of Dr Siddiqui".

Both the Embassy of Paksitan in Washington DC and the Consulate General of Pakistan in Houston "continue making every effort to ensure that Dr Siddiqui is properly looked after during her incarceration at FMC Carswell”, he added.

Dr Aafia, a Pakistani neuroscientist jailed in the United States, was indicted by a New York federal district court in September 2008 on charges of attempted murder and assault, stemming from an incident during an interview with the US authorities in Ghazni, Afghanistan — charges that she denied.

After 18 months in detention, she was tried and convicted in early 2010 and sentenced to 86 years in prison. She has since been imprisoned in the US.



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