Daughter of Pakistan or What? Aafia Siddiqui Case Insights from Declan Walsh's Reporting.

Dr. Allama Iqbal once said, “Vision without power does bring moral elevation but cannot give a lasting culture.” This statement will become clear as you read through this blog. The most high-profile case in Pakistan in the 21st century has been that of Aafia Siddiqui. We hear news about her case every few years, and we will continue to do so. You may already know something about Aafia Siddique, but today we will discuss a report by Declan Walsh.

If you do not know Declan Walsh, he is currently the Chief Africa Correspondent for The New York Times. Before that, he was associated with The Guardian from 2003 to 2011, covering South Asian affairs. In 2012, he became the Pakistan Bureau Chief for The New York Times but was deported before the 2013 elections because some powerful figures in Pakistan were unhappy with his reporting. After his deportation, Walsh wrote a book titled "Nine Lives of Pakistan." The insights in this blog will be based on his book and reports for The Guardian, The New York Times, and Al Jazeera.

First of all, Dr. Aafia Siddique is a highly qualified individual who earned a degree in neuroscience from one of the world’s top universities and later completed a Ph.D. She is a neuroscientist, not someone who simply attended a madrassa or studied at a lesser-known institution in Pakistan. Despite this, the American media refers to her as the “Al-Qaeda Mom.” In Pakistan, another highly educated woman advocating for Aafia is Fouzia Siddiqui, who graduated from Harvard and she is sister of Aafia.

Aafia Siddiqui first came into the public eye in 2003 when news of her disappearance broke. Here, an interesting aspect emerges: there are two narratives. One claims that she was arrested by the U.S. in 2003 in Karachi, while the second, reported by Declan Walsh, states that she was captured in Afghanistan in 2008.

As the case slowly unfolded, the Pakistani government spent $2 million on lawyers in U.S. courts to try to bring her back, but to no avail. After 9/11, U.S. activities intensified, and they began monitoring individuals closely to prevent any incidents similar to 9/11 from occurring again. In 2002, Aafia Siddiqui and her husband, Amjad Khan, made some questionable purchases totaling about $10,000, which included night-vision goggles, body armor, and bomb-making literature. When questioned, her family claimed these items were for hunting. The authorities accepted this explanation but kept them under observation.

Shortly after, Aafia returned to Pakistan with her children but went back to the U.S. after a few months in search of a job. During this time, Aafia opened a P.O. box in the name of Majid Khan, an Al-Qaeda operative who was later arrested for plotting to bomb gas stations and petrol pumps. Following this, Aafia divorced Dr. Amjad and allegedly married Ammar al-Baluchi, the nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. According to Declan Walsh, this marriage was confirmed by al-Baluchi’s family, although Aafia's family denies it.

Declan Walsh reports that in 2008, Aafia met her uncle, Shamsul Hassan Farooqi, in Karachi. According to her uncle, Aafia met him urgently and asked for help, stating that she was safe with the Taliban and wanted to go to Afghanistan. This raises questions because Aafia's ex-husband, Amjad Khan, insists that Aafia had not gone missing or been abducted by then, which contradicts the narrative presented by her sister, who claims she was abducted by the U.S. in 2003 and imprisoned in Afghanistan.

Another significant aspect of the case is that the Taliban and several commanders made efforts to secure her release, but unfortunately, nothing came of it. A critical question remains: Was Aafia handed over to the U.S. or was she genuinely fighting against them?

Under President Musharraf, around 4,000 Pakistanis were handed over to the U.S. Aafia’s name may have been among those. Some police officers claimed to have arrested her, but there is no solid evidence to support this. A video of her arrest shows that she had literature for bomb-making and maps of significant buildings in the U.S. Despite this, the question remains whether her treatment in custody was justified.

Aafia was shot in the stomach after allegedly grabbing a gun and firing at U.S. soldiers, although no one was injured. The 86-year prison sentence she received for this seems harsh, given the circumstances. This raises important questions: Did the U.S. jury base their decision solely on the literature presented? If Aafia fired at U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, why was she punished in the U.S.?

Declan Walsh reports that Aafia did not trust the court and consistently claimed that it was rigged. She refused to collaborate with the lawyer provided by the Pakistani government, and she declined psychiatric treatment, which further complicated her case. Despite the many unanswered questions, the debate continues about her guilt and the fairness of her treatment.

In the past, Pakistan's former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani referred to Aafia as “Pakistan's daughter.” Additionally, Imran Khan was the first prominent figure to hold a press conference advocating for her. However, sadly, when he became Prime Minister and visited the U.S., he did not address the issue, and there are reports that journalists were instructed not to discuss Aafia Siddiqui's case.

Now you can understand the significance of Iqbal's quote I mentioned earlier.

The Aafia Siddiqui case is certainly complex, but we cannot deny that she had connections to the Taliban. This case leaves us with many questions: How is it possible for someone to receive an 86-year sentence based on a notebook containing bomb-making techniques and plans for attacks on U.S. or Afghan sites? If her alleged crime occurred in Afghanistan, why was she sentenced in the U.S.?

As the saying goes, “Let a hundred wrongdoers go free rather than punish one innocent person.”

 file photo of Pakistan-born neuroscientist Dr Aafia