Incarcerated Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui had the second reunion in 20 years with her sister Fowzia at a prison hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, on Monday. According to details, the meeting between both the sisters continued for 44 minutes in which Senator Talha Mahmood and Aafia Siddiqui’s lawyer were also present. Dr Fowzia was scheduled to meet Aafia Siddiqui on December 2 and 3 but she was denied as the authorities claimed to have ‘lost’ the key of the prison. In a video statement, Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui said she reached the jail but could not meet Aafia Siddiqui as the staff ‘misplaced’ the prison key. It is to be noted that Fowzia Siddiqui met her sister in May, earlier this year, for the first time after 20 years of imprisonment in US.

In 2003, Siddiqui was wanted by the FBI for questioning for possible ties to al Qaeda and was detained by Pakistani authorities, according to US media reports at the time. US officials alleged that when the Afghan police captured Siddiqui in July 2008, she was carrying two pounds (900 grams) of sodium cyanide, which releases a highly toxic gas, notes that referred to a mass casualty attack, and a list of US landmarks.

 
Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)