Faisal terms report on handing over Aafia to US baseless
Below is the full text of a 2004 article, calling the 2003 reports on Aafia Siddiqui’s capture by U.S. authorities ”baseless and a bunch of lies.”
Asia Africa Intelligence Wire: Faisal terms report on handing over Aafia to US baseless.
May 29, 2004
COPYRIGHT 2004 Financial Times Ltd. (From Pakistan Press International Information Services Limited)
ISLAMABAD, May 29 : Interior Minister, Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat has termed baseless and a bunch of lies a report published in some section of press with reference to handing over Dr Aafia, having dual Pakistani and American nationalities, to US authorities in 2003 saying that Interior ministry spokesman has not given any statement in this regard.
He said this while replying to questions from the journalists here Saturday in interior ministry. Dr Aafia has gone under ground for the last one year and her whereabouts are not known to us, he held. However there is no reality in the report on arrest of Dr Aalia and later handing her over to US authorities, he noted.
It may be recalled that US FBI in its report has rated Dr Aafia as one of the seven hardened terrorists of Al-Qaeda who are planning to launch fresh attack on US.
It has been claimed in the report that Dr Aafia is in Pakistan at present. However Pakistan authorities are persistently denying the reports on her presence in the country.
