Dr Aafia may be given life sentence: FO

ISLAMABAD Foreign Ministry has informed the Senates Standing Committee on Interior on Tuesday that US court of law could award life sentence to Dr Aafia, up to 30 years imprisonment, amid the denial of Interior Ministry about the information of any arrests specially from capital in connection with the botched car bomb attack in US. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs further informed the Committee that it was discussing the possibilities with the US to bring Dr Aafia back, under the possible 'agreement of exchange of prisoners soon after the sentence would be announced. It was also revealed that it had no agreement of exchange of prisoners with the US so far, and Government would have to sign an agreement under the international treaties, as US itself did not sign bilateral agreements. However, high ups of the Ministry had showed fears that if the Government made such treaty, it would also be applicable to India and they would also have to exchange prisoners with it, despite the fact that Pakistan does not enjoy good relations with it. The representatives of Foreign Ministry as well as Interior Ministry made these revelations before the Senates Standing Committee on Interior, who met on Tuesday in the Parliament House to probe the issues of Dr Aafia, Pakistani prisoners languishing in foreign jails, and blockade of roads in Islamabad due to security concerns. Many Director Generals of different regions of the Foreign Ministry along with its Additional Secretary were also present in the meeting. However, the Committee questioned the Ministry whether it ever had held any meeting with the US Ambassador in Pakistan to settle the issue, but the official from the Ministry answered ambiguously that it had taken all those measures what it was liable to do. The Committee then directed the concerned Ministry to summon US Ambassador and talk to him with dignity, and report it within 15 days. On the issue of blockade of roads in the capital for security reasons, Senator Tariq Azeem raised severe concerns about the presence of different foreign missions in the residential areas of the city saying that Government was providing them security at the cost of citizens lives. He asked why those were not shifted in the Diplomatic Enclave despite the fact that a huge piece of land was lying vacant in the Enclave. The Chairman Committee constituted two separate sub-committees that would make its recommendations for the removal of road blockades and the transfer of foreign missions in Diplomatic Enclave. The representatives of Foreign Ministry informed the Committee that it had arranged a comprehensive data of the Pakistani prisoners, languishing in foreign jails and a Special Cell in this regard had been established for their welfare. The Committee was informed that 6900 Pakistanis were imprisoned in different foreign jails, while 3000 had been repatriated so far.

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