Dr Aafia's extradition: Cabinet okays prisoner swap deal with US, Europe
PM directed the Interior Minister to make arrangements for the early return of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The Federal Cabinet has approved signing of exchange of prisoners treaty with the United States and Europe.
Chairing the meeting in Islamabad‚ Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif directed the Interior Minister to make arrangements for the early return of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.
Earlier, the recommendations for the extradition of Dr Aafia Siddiqui were sent to PM Nawaz for final approval.
The recommendations were forwarded after interior ministry and foreign office declared them agreeable.
The interior ministry had formed a three-member task force under the supervision of director general national crisis management cell Tariq Lodhi. The task force presented 14 recommendations to interior ministry that were later sent to PM Nawaz for approval.
The sources said that the letter was written in light of a letter sent by US in 2009. In that letter, the US told Pakistan that the only legal way for the extradition of Dr Aafia was to sign a prisoner swap deal with it.
The US offered two deals that include European Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons and Convention on Serving Criminal Sentences Abroad for the extradition of neuroscientist.
The interior ministry’s sources said a delegation would soon hold talks with US civil labour union representatives.
Meanwhile, PM Nawaz will also hold a telephonic conversation with President Obama in this regard.
The Pakistani neuroscientist was sentenced to 86 years in prison after she was convicted of grabbing a US soldier’s M-4 assault rifle and trying to shoot a group of FBI agents and soldiers at an Afghan police compound in July 2008, a charge she consistently denied during the trial.
