News
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Nisar asks MPs to stage walkout over Aafia’s conviction
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday called on fellow parliamentarians to stage a walkout from parliament on Monday in protest against the conviction of Dr Aafia Siddiqui by a US court.
Addressing the 25th session of the assembly, Khan said parliamentarians should stage a walkout to convey displeasure over Aafia’s convinction to US legislators. Dr Aafia, a US-trained Pakistani neuroscientist was accused of firing at US soldiers and FBI agents in Afghanistan in 2008 as she tried to escape from their custody. “Let us express solidarity with her. Let us walk out of the House collectively to send a message as it is a matter of our sovereignty,” he said in the National Assembly. Nisar criticized the govt for a lethargic stance on the case and said, “Today we must protest this decision.”
“The government should convey the sentiments of the people of Pakistan and… parliament to the US government on the issue of Dr Aafia,” Khan said. “I am not talking about the US court’s verdict but there was a lot of room for the American administration to intervene, as the case against Aafia was very weak,” he said. The opposition leader asked the government to pursue this issue actively on humanitarian grounds. “The government should come up with a future strategy over how to proceed further in this case”, he urged.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk