"This might be the last time I see her": Dr Fauzia meets sister Aafia Siddiqui in US prison

Dr Fauzia Siddiqui met her elder sister and neuroscientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui, who is imprisoned in a US jail, on Sunday.

In a video statement following the meeting, Dr Fauzia expressed her deep concern about Aafia's deteriorating health condition in prison, saying she was at a loss for words to describe it.

Sharing the meeting details on 'X,' Dr Fauzia revealed, "I left Aafia Siddiqui in the same condition once again; it felt like this might be the last time I see her." Fauzia broke down in tears while recounting Aafia's distressing state.

Fauzia Siddiqui's lawyer Clive Stafford Smith disclosed that the two sisters were not permitted physical contact during their meeting.

#BrokenPromises, they did not #LetSistersHug
And no social interaction.
FMC Carswell needs to be shut down or a whole overhaul, it's inhuman, cruel and ruthless. pic.twitter.com/Dq9TrJtYbi

— Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui (@FowziaSiddiqui) December 3, 2023

Dr Fauzia Siddiqui had been outside the prison on Saturday for the scheduled meeting with her sister. However, due to delays caused by American prison authorities, the meeting did not materialise.

Dr Fauzia clarified that she had come to the US following court orders and approval from American authorities to visit her sister. Yet, she was informed by jail authorities that the key to the meeting room had been misplaced.

Expressing disbelief, she emphasised that losing the key to a high-security prison cell is an inexcusable claim by the prison authorities.

In 2010, Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui, who had studied in the US, was found guilty of attempted murder and assault by a New York federal district court and sentenced to 86 years in prison.

These charges arose from an interrogation by the US authorities in Ghazni, Afghanistan. Siddiqui denied all allegations against her.

At the age of 18, Siddiqui went to the US for higher education and earned a PhD in neuroscience from Brandeis University.

According to media reports, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 brought Siddiqui to the attention of the FBI due to her alleged financial contributions to proscribed organisations.

She was allegedly linked to the acquisition of $10,000 worth of night-vision goggles and military manuals.

American authorities suspected Siddiqui's affiliation with a banned militant outfit during her time in the US.

She disappeared in around 2003, along with her three children, in Karachi. Five years later she turned up in Pakistan's war-torn neighbour Afghanistan, where she was arrested by local forces in Ghazni.