Updated on
Summary
President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday directed the government to immediately establish contact with the family of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and provide her with possible legal assistance in the US. Spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the President issued the direction soon after a jury in Manhattan pronounced guilty verdict against the Pakistani scientist. He said that the President was concerned about the verdict and expressed the hope that justice will ultimately be done as the case passes through subsequent stages in the US judicial system. Dr. Aafia Siddiqui had been charged for trying to kill an American soldier while in detention in a police station in Ghazni, Afghanistan. The lawyers of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui have already said that a review appeal would be filed after going through the detailed judgment. The jury also said that she did not commit the crime with pre-meditation. The President directed that the family of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui should be assisted in the legal process by the concerned ministries of the government, the Spokesperson said.
