By Muhammad Umer
FMC Carswell, a federal medical center in Fort Worth, Texas, is not your average hospital. Unfortunately, it’s a prison – and not just any prison, but a high-security one where Aafia Siddiqui is serving the rest of her life sentence. With an average life expectancy of 60 years for prisoners in the US, Aafia is likely to spend the rest of her life behind bars, well into her hundredth year.
FMC Carswell is a mile and a half inside a massive military base, making it a true fortress of solitude. On a recent visit, it took the military three hours to let the author in, cutting their time with Aafia to a mere 80 minutes. The allegations against Aafia have long been questioned, with much of the evidence considered extorted and unreliable, and the notion that she posed a threat to armed American personnel is simply absurd. What is certain, however, is the violence inflicted upon her – the US admits to shooting her while she was in custody, and she has suffered beatings and lost her front teeth from being kicked in the face. Aafia is the only known woman in the CIA’s Rendition-to-Torture program, and now she faces daily abuse in the US secret prison system, a nightmare that is set to continue until 2094.
From time to time, rumors surface that Aafia has passed away, but it’s not the case. Despite the physical abuse she has endured, she appeared to be in reasonable shape for someone who has been through so much. However, the psychological toll of her mistreatment is devastating, and she is far more traumatized than any of the 87 male prisoners the author has seen in Guantanamo Bay. Instead of helping to repair the damage, FMC Carswell only exacerbates her nightmare.
This is where the Pakistan government comes in. As per the inside of Aafia’s passport, the Ministry of Interior requires and requests all those concerned to allow her to pass freely and provide her with necessary assistance and protection. However, she is getting neither assistance nor protection, and it’s up to the Pakistan government to change this. A solution that benefits both countries would be a prisoner swap with Dr. Shakil Afridi, who is currently held by the US. The US media would see this as winning liberty for the man who helped track down Osama bin Laden, while Pakistan would bring home a woman whose plight symbolizes the excesses of the War on Terror. The author believes they could persuade the Americans to make the swap, and it’s time to find out who in Pakistan is standing in the way and why. It’s time to put an end to Aafia’s nightmare.
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