The US State Department has refrained from commenting on the case of Pakistani neuroscientist Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year sentence in the US on terrorism charges.
During a press briefing, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel directed inquiries to the Department of Justice, stating he would not address private diplomatic communications.
“So first, I certainly wouldn’t get into private diplomatic communications,” he said.
This comes after it was revealed that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif requested Dr. Siddiqui’s release on humanitarian grounds in a letter to US President Joe Biden. The letter was submitted to Islamabad High Court as part of efforts to secure her extradition.
