Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has requested that US President Joe Biden pardon and release jailed Pakistani Dr Aafia Siddiqui, who was awarded an 86-year sentence for allegedly attacking US personnel in Afghanistan, it emerged on Friday.

In a letter dated October 13, which has been seen by Dawn.com, the PM expressed his concerns about Dr Siddiqui’s “fragile mental and frail physical health” while in prison. “Now 52 years old, she has served 16 years behind bars in the US.

“Numerous Pakistani officials have paid consular visits to Dr Siddiqui … all of them have raised their serious concerns about the treatment she has received,” the letter reads. “In fact, they fear she may take her own life.”

The prime minister wrote that it was his “solemn duty” to ensure the wellbeing of his citizens, appealing to Biden to fulfil the same role as a head of state. “I am well aware of how passionately you have fought for the rights of your citizens, particularly those stranded or held captive abroad,” the PM wrote.

“You would, therefore, fully understand that as prime minister, it is my solemn duty to intervene when it becomes absolutely necessary to ensure a citizen’s wellbeing, particularly when the circumstances are as dire as they are in this case.”

PM Shehbaz urged Biden to release Dr Siddiqui on humanitarian grounds, writing, “I have always known you to be a committed friend of Pakistan who has demonstrated warmth and genuine friendship for our people.

“I request you, Mr president, to kindly exercise your constitutional authority and accept Dr Siddiqui’s clemency petition and order her release, strictly on humanitarian grounds.”

‘We welcome the progress in this case’: Dr Siddiqui’s lawyer

On Friday, Dr Siddiqui’s lawyer Imran Shafiq announced that the court granted their demands for a formal request to release the doctor. “The PM has requested that the US release Dr Siddiqui on humanitarian grounds,” he told reporters outside the Islamabad High Court

“There has been significant progress in the case after two years of efforts,” he added. “When nearing the end of his term, the president deals with clemency petitions. According to our demands, the prime minister wrote a letter to the US president.”

Shafiq said that he has filed an application by Clive Stafford Smith “with all the data”, adding that the court directed the government of Pakistan to provide full support in attaining Dr Siddiqui’s release.

“The court ordered that a high-level delegation needs to go to the US, as the clemency petition alone is not enough to secure Dr Siddiqui’s release,” Shafiq stated. “This is the next step and the court has already suggested names.” However, Shafiq did not identify anyone who might be part of the delegation.

The court mandated that a senator, a military official and a high-ranking medical official need to be part of the delegation, according to Shafiq.

“Another hearing on this issue is scheduled for next week where the government will present their names.”

According to US court papers, Dr Siddiqui was allegedly carrying two kilogrammes of sodium cyanide hidden in moisturiser bottles in 2008 when she was taken into the custody of US forces in Afghanistan who began questioning her.

During her interrogation, she allegedly grabbed a rifle and opened fire, according to witnesses, at US agents while screaming “Death to America” and “I want to kill Americans”. The soldiers were unharmed, though she was injured.

She was sentenced to 86 years imprisonment by a US federal court in Manhattan in 2010, after she was convicted of firing at US troops in Afghanistan while in their custody and six other charges brought against her.

On October 9, a US judge granted Dr Siddiqui’s legal team access to new and confidential evidence that could potentially strengthen a clemency request.

Smith, one of the lawyers actively advocating for Dr Siddiqui’s release, filed a 56,600-word clemency petition, aiming to highlight the complexities and injustices surrounding her case.