US gives Pak consular access to 'terror suspect' Dr Aafia Siddiqui

New York, Aug 10 : US government sources have reportedly said that it has allowed Pakistan consular access to Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist who is being held here after being charged with attempting to kill FBI agents and other US personnel last month while in Afghan custody.

According to well informed sources, Faqir Saeed, a counsellor at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, has arrived here to meet Dr Aafia who was transferred to New York from Afghanistan last Monday.

The exact time for the meeting will be set after consultations with the US authorities, The News quoted the sources as saying.

Ms. Siddiqui, who has a bullet wound, is awaiting bail hearing on Monday afternoon. Her lawyer, Elizabeth Fink denied the charges that Judge Ellis of US District Court read out during her appearance on Tuesday.

The criminal complaint claimed that Aafia who was behind a curtain at the police station, managed to grab a US soldier's rifle and fire two errant shots as an interpreter tried to wrestle the weapon away from her. The soldier returned fire with a pistol and hit her at least once in the upper body, it said.

Ms. Fink also argued that alleging a "90-pound woman" could incite the violence claimed in the complaint was "patently absurd." "We don't know what happened. All I know is that I have a person who's shot here," said the lady lawyer.

ANI