ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has officially requested the United States forconsular access to Dr Aafia Siddiqui to clarify the rumours about her deathin US custody.

Talking to a private TV channel, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson ZahidHafeez Chaudhri said that the Pakistani mission and attorney are in touchwith the US authorities regarding the health of Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

He added that the US officials had not confirmed any reports about Dr Aafia.

However, Dr Fowzia Siddiqui clarified that her sister Dr Aafia Siddiqui isalive in US prison. She said that American prison authorities assured herthat Dr Aafia is alive. She said that rumours about the death of AafiaSiddiqui are very “painful and cruel”.

Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a US citizen of Pakistani origin, is serving 86-yearprison sentence after being convicted by the US court of seven counts ofattempted murder and assault on US military personnel in Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, she had refused to meet Pakistan’s consul general forprocessing her mercy petition.

In a report submitted to the Islamabad High Court in January, the foreignministry informed that “the consul general approached prison authoritiesfor consular access at the earliest. Only after the intervention of theembassy in Washington, a special consular visit was arranged for the consulgeneral on Sept 24, 2020, but the consent form could not be signed duringthat meeting. The consul general again went to meet Dr Aafia on Dec 15,2020, but prison authorities informed him that Dr Aafia has refused to meethim”.

According to the report, Dr Aafia Siddiqui had then tested Covid-19negative and her mental condition was stable.