Pakistani diplomat meets Dr Aafia Siddiqui in US prison, quashes online rumours of her death

WASHINGTON - A Pakistani diplomat to the US has rejected all rumours emerging on social media about the death of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui in a Texas prison.

Pakistani consul general in Houston Aisha Farooqui met the Pakistani scientist at Carswell detention facility in Fort Worth, Texas. It was the fourth meeting in 14 months and lasted about two hours.

Earlier, online reports claimed that Siddiqui, who is serving her 86-year sentence at the US jail, had passed away in the detention.

The consul general, however, termed all such reports baseless.

The Pakistani neuroscientist was indicted by a New York federal district court in September 2008 on charges of attempted murder and assault stemming from an incident in an interview with US authorities in Ghazni.  Siddiqui had rejected all the allegations. In 2010, she was tried and awarded a sentence of 86 years in jail.

Earlier this week, Dr. Fauzia, a sister of Aafia, responding to rumours said that they had not received any information from Pakistani and US officials in this regard.

There is no contact with Aafia for the last two years despite making several efforts, Fauzia said.