Pak diplomat has met Aafia three times, Senate told

Islamabad: The Upper House of the Parliament, Thursday, was informed that Pakistani Consul General in Houston visited FMC Carswell prison on 15 April, 08 August and 22 November 2011 to meet Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

During those visits, he discussed Dr Aafia Siddiqui's various concerns about her condition of detention with the prison authorities, who took appropriate action to allay most of these concerns.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar apprised the House in black and white that the Embassy and the Consulate General were also able to arrange telephone calls between Dr Siddiqui and her family in Karachi. Dr. Siddiqui's brother Muhammad Ali Siddiqui was able to meet with her on 05 November 2011.

"During the Consul General's visits to FMC Carswell, Dr. Aafia Siddiqui mentioned to him that she was suffering from poor health.

The Consul General conveyed those concerns to the prison authorities who responded that they tried to provide medical attention to Dr Afia Siddiqui but she refused to cooperate" stated, adding that newly appointed ambassador Sherry Rehman received Dr Afia Siddiqui's lawyer Ms Tina Foster on 26 January 2012 and assured her full cooperation and also addressed a letter to the FMC Carswell prison authorities asking for an independent medical examination of Dr. Afia Siddiqui to allay her concerns about her health.

She said that the repatriation of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui could only take place if Pakistan could become a party to either the Convention on the Council of Europe Convention on Transfer of Sentenced Persons (CEO Convention) or the Inter-American Convention on Serving Criminal Sentences Abroad (OAS Convention).

Khar said while responding to queries in "Question Hour" that total of 14 persons of this Ministry (Diplomatic Wing) were working in Pakistan High Commission, Dhaka, Bangladesh and the Ministry has no proposal under consideration concerning reduction of such employees as the Mission already has bare minimum staff. There is no proposal under consideration to apply any specific cuts other than envisaged by the Ministry of Finance.

She told the House that the instructions of the Ministry of Finance in regard to financial discipline are being followed in letter and spirit and the mission applied cuts as per instructions received from the Ministry of Finance.

She informed the House that total of 13 persons of this Ministry (Diplomatic Wing) were working in Pakistan Embassy in Brussels, Belgium while there were 86 countries where 118 Pakistan Missions were working at present.

She further said that the officers were entitled to home leave passage in accordance with Pakistan Foreign Service (PFS) Rules. According to these rules, an officer is entitled to receive actual fare, from the place of posting to his/her home town declared in the service record after 24 months of continuous service abroad on duty, Similarly, she said that provided it was known that he was not likely to be transferred or to come back to Pakistan in next 12 months. - Online