Consular access to Dr Afia sought
By Our Diplomatic Correspondent

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan is seeking from United States consular access and medical assistance for Dr Afia Siddiqui, and is committed to bring back all Pakistanis detained in other countries.
“The government is committed to bring back all Pakistani detainees including Dr Afia Siddiqui,” Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq told weekly media briefing at Foreign Office here. The spokesman said Pakistan Embassy in Washington was seeking consular access to Dr Afia and expected that US authorities would take decision on the issue by today.
“She is a citizen of this country and has claim on this country,” the spokesman said and assured that the government would provide all possible assistance to Dr Siddiqui. He said the government had been officially informed by the US authorities that Dr Afia was taken in US custody by Afghan authorities on July 17 in Ghazni, Afghanistan and was transferred to the United States on August 3.
He said the government still does not have full information about the case. “We still do not know when she was arrested originally, where her children are, how she was missing. We are still trying to find these facts,” he said.
When asked if Dr Siddiqui’s arrest would affect Pak-US relations, he said, “we do not possess full information about the case to take a decision. You are talking about the second step, we are still in the first step.” The spokesman dispelled the impression that the proposed US$ 15 billion would affect Pakistan’s military assistance extended by United States.
“I do not see any link between this assistance and the position of 18 new F-16s,” he said, the conditionalities had already been determined at the time of adoption of bill. On a question regarding “troika” of US-India-Afghanistan, he said there was no such alliance appearing to threaten Pakistan and termed the perception as “hypothetical”.
When asked how the adoption of Indian safeguards agreements at IAEA would affect Pakistan’s prospects for international cooperation, the spokesman mentioned the statement of IAEA Director El Baradei which confirms the preceding setting nature of Indian safeguards that could serve as a model for other states.
He said Pakistan was interested in seeking international cooperation towards access to technology for civilian nuclear energy. He referred to the National Command Authority meeting this month, which called for a criteria-based approach to enable Pakistan to access civil nuclear energy under safeguards to meet its growing energy needs.
In a statement on the role of parliament on foreign policy issues after the new elected government took over, the spokesman said, “The parliament, as a representative of people, is the supreme law and policy-making organ of the state.”
Leader of the house Mian Raza Rabbani has said that govt was in contact with America in relation with Dr Aafiya’s case and would present all the details about it to the upper house today (Friday)
According to details, as the senate session start, members of the senate recorded their protest in relation with Dr Aafiya’s case. Talking on point of order Senator Sadia Abbasi said that Dr Aafia is a Pakistani citizen and govt should raise this issue in front of America, Senator Professor Ibrahim has said that how she could reach from Pakistan to Afghanistan though she was kidnapped from Pakistan in 2003.
While Senator Dr Kamran has said that there were many other cases like Dr Aafia, govt should hand over this issue to a special committee and should be solved very soon. Leader of the house said that a committee was already observing Dr Aafiya’s case and Standing Committee under the interior Ministry was dealing missing person’s case.