WASHINGTON: The US State Department on Tuesday declined to comment on a letter,

written by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the Biden administration, requesting clemency for Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani citizen incarcerated in the US.

When a journalist inquired about the letter during a press briefing on Tuesday, spokesperson Vedant Patel stated: “Certainly, we would not get into private diplomatic communications,” seemingly confirming receipt of the correspondence.

However, he urged the journalist to direct further questions to the US Justice Department. “On the case itself, I would refer to the Department of Justice to speak to any inquiries regarding Dr. Siddiqui’s incarceration.”

Last week, PM Shehbaz had requested that President Joe Biden pardon and release Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year sentence for allegedly attacking US personnel in Afghanistan.

In a letter dated October 13, the prime minister expressed concerns about Siddiqui’s “fragile mental and frail physical health” while in prison. “Now 52 years old, she has served 16 years behind bars in the US. I request you, Mr. President, to kindly exercise your constitutional authority and accept Dr. Siddiqui’s clemency petition and order her release, strictly on humanitarian grounds,” he added.

Published in Dawn, October 23th, 2024