Dr. Aafia Siddiqui seeks pardon before Biden leaves office: report

Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist convicted of attempting to murder an FBI agent in 2010, has called for a presidential pardon from US President Joe Biden before he hands over the office to President-elect Donald Trump.Siddiqui, 52, maintains her innocence and claims new evidence could support her case.She was sentenced to 86 years in prison for an incident in Afghanistan, where she allegedly attacked an FBI agent while in custody.Her lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, has submitted a detailed dossier to President Biden urging him to issue a pardon, arguing that intelligence failures led to her wrongful conviction.He claims Siddiqui was abducted by Pakistan’s intelligence agency in 2003 and handed over to the CIA, which then tortured her.Despite the controversy surrounding her case, CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou and others insist Siddiqui had ties to al-Qaeda and was a significant figure in their network.However, Siddiqui’s family continues to argue that she was a victim of injustice, and her sister, Fowzia, has campaigned for her release for almost two decades.With Biden’s term ending soon, there are concerns that Siddiqui may not receive the relief she seeks before Trump’s inauguration.Her legal team hopes for an immediate intervention to avoid her prolonged imprisonment.Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s case began in 2003 after the capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), Al-Qaeda’s 9/11 mastermind. Siddiqui, reportedly married to KSM’s nephew, disappeared with her children in Karachi, later earning the title “Lady Al-Qaeda” due to alleged links with Al-Qaeda.In 2008, she was arrested in Afghanistan, allegedly carrying sodium cyanide and plans for attacks on US targets. During interrogation, Siddiqui reportedly wrestled hold of a US soldier’s rifle and attempted to shoot US agents. She was wounded in the process and later showed signs of severe mistreatment.Siddiqui’s son was released in Afghanistan, while her other two children’s whereabouts remain unknown. In 2010, she was convicted of attempted murder in the US and sentenced to 86 years, although she was never charged with direct ties to terrorism.