Pakistans top official has reached out to the White House about a touchy issue. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote to Joe Biden asking him to let Aafia Siddiqui out of jail (shes been there for around 14 years now)
Siddiqui‚ a brain doctor‚ got locked up in the US for a really long time – 86 years! They say she did some bad stuff related to terrorism. But her family thinks its all wrong.
The story goes back to the early 2000s. Siddiqui left America and got married to someone whos uncle was mixed up in the 9/11 attacks. Then in 08‚ she got hurt during a fight with US folks in Afghanistan some people say she shot at them.
I humbly request that this matter be viewed with compassion
Sharif told Biden that Siddiqui isnt doing so well: her minds not great and her bodys weak. He thinks letting her go would be a nice thing to do. Lots of people in Pakistan want her free too.
But theres more to this story. Siddiquis family says she went missing from Karachi way back in 03. They blame the old boss of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf for giving her to the US without telling anyone
Its all tied up with how Pakistan and America worked together after 9/11. Musharraf helped the US catch people they thought were bad guys. Some folks werent happy about that
So now‚ everyoneʼs waiting to see what Biden will do. Will he let Siddiqui out or keep her in jail? Its a tricky situation with no easy answers