Washington: The government of Pakistan offered to trade Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor and accused of killing two Pakistan in Lahore on January 27, for a Pakistani neuroscientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui suspected by the United States intelligence to be an al Qaeda operative.
According to a senior American administration official and a Pakistani official involved in the negotiations to free CIA contractor Raymond Davis, the Pakistani government proposed trading Davis for Aafia Siddiqui, an MIT-educated Pakistani neuroscientist currently serving 86 years in federal prison for attempted murder.
The offer was immediately dismissed by the US government. “The Pakistanis have raised it,” the US official said. “We are not going to pursue it,” American media reported.
It is pertinent to mention here that after the Lahore tragedy, strategic ties between both the countries have been suspended.
Obama adminstration have been continuously insisting Pakistani government to recongnise Davis as US diplomat but owing to heavy mass pressure government of Pakistan rejected to accept the US orders regarding the release of Davis.
Government of Pakistan cleared the US government that Davis case is proceeding in Pakistani court and every one should wait the final decision of the court.
It is worth mentioning here that Dr Aafia was abducted along with her three children from Karachi. Later, famous British journalist Mariam Ridely disclosed during her visit to Karachi that Dr Aafia has been detained in Bagram jail, Afghanistan.
The news of Dr Aafia detention in Afghanistan was taken seriously but then government paid no heed on the issue.
In 2009, the US court awarded 86-year sentence to Dr Aafia for opening fire at the US soldiers in Afghanistan.
Mariam Redily noted that the US court gave prejudiced verdict in Dr Aafia’s case. She said government of Pakistan has not played effective role to get Dr Aafia’s release.
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