The Aafia affair

The 86-year sentence meted out to Dr Aafia has aroused acute concern with human rights groups questioning the justification behind so long a term. The issue of her repatriation meanwhile echoes loudly through the country, with protesters taking to the streets and MQM Chief Altaf Hussain joining the chorus of voices condemning the US for its treatment of the young neuroscientist. The interior minister has said that Washington has agreed to repatriate her but, given the lack of credibility around Mr Rehman Malik, it is impossible to know if there is any truth in what he says. The issue has become one with a potentially big impact on Pak-US relations. Any goodwill Washington may have succeeded in building up among the people here has been nearly shattered by the case -- and also by the manner in which it has been played on by local groups giving it an anti-US twist.
For these reasons it may be worth some while for the US to consider extraditing Dr Aafia. A number of legal provisions need to go into place to make this possible, but these can of course be expedited with cooperation between Islamabad and Washington. Such a move may do more to combat the growth of terror than the incarceration of a woman who has quite obviously suffered a great deal already and seems to be in a mentally distressed state, judging by her appearances at the Manhattan Court. Islamabad needs to persuade the US that, to a very large extent, militancy is driven on by fierce anti-US feelings. The repatriation of Dr Aafia would help ease these. If Dr Aafia cannot be allowed to walk away free and if there is evidence she that is not entirely innocent, then 'justice' might demand that she be penalised under the law. But humanity does demand that this penalty should not be excessively harsh. As a person in need of both physical and psychological support Dr Aafia may fare better at home -- close to her family. Efforts must also be made to reunite her with her children whose fate is still a mystery. The return of Dr Aafia could also offer a valuable opportunity to explore the many mysteries in the case -- including how she was taken away from Karachi.