海角大神

Thousands of political and social activists and students across Pakistan on Thursday protested the conviction of Aafia Siddiqui by a Manhattan jury for the attempted murder of US soldiers in Afghanistan.

Siddiqui, a US-educated neuroscientist and Pakistani citizen was found guilty Wednesday. For many Pakistanis, the verdict is another example of the US government鈥檚 high-handedness and is expected to fuel anti-American sentiment in a country where Washington's foreign policy is already viewed with suspicion.

鈥淭he public鈥檚 reaction [to the conviction] can be read as a reaction to drone attacks, travel restrictions, and other discriminatory policies [against Pakistanis],鈥� says Riffat Hussain, a political and defense analyst at Islamabad鈥檚 Quaid-e-Azam University.

Pakistani opposition parties and human rights activists had already been protesting an escalation of strikes against targets in Pakistan by US drones 鈥� in January, 123 civilians were reportedly killed in 12 attacks. 鈥淎afia鈥檚 case has become a rallying point for anti-US sentiments,鈥� says Dr. Hussain.

Siddiqui was missing for five years before being apprehended by Afghan police in 2008. During the trial, jurors heard that she had been caught carrying bomb-making instructions and a list of New York City landmarks.

FBI agents and US soldiers testified that during her interrogation at an Afghan police station, she grabbed an assault rifle that one of her interrogators had set down, thinking that Siddiqi was restrained, and shot at him. She was wounded when he returned fire and brought to the US for trial.

Siddiqi said that she was shot when she peered around a curtain in a bid to find a way out of the room where she was being held, and had not shot at anyone.

Pakistani public's view

Many Pakistanis believe that Siddiqi was picked up in the southern port city of Karachi in 2003 and detained at Bagram Airbase, a US facility in Afghanistan, where she was allegedly tortured.

鈥淭he Americans should be warned that their tactics and fake convictions will not intimidate us,鈥� says Aaliya Shamim, a spokesperson of the women鈥檚 wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a religious political party.

Shamim on Thursday organized a protest that drew hundreds of women who called for Siddiqui鈥檚 release and decried US involvement in Pakistani affairs. 鈥淲e can no longer sit quietly; every mother and sister will fight for justice against America,鈥� she said.

Protests against Siddiqui鈥檚 alleged ill-treatment while in detention have been ongoing during her trial. Those who believe the trial has been politicized from the start saw Thursday鈥檚 public reaction as inevitable.

鈥淪iddiqui鈥檚 family has been saying that this verdict was expected, implying that the US cannot be fair,鈥� says Sana Saleem, a Karachi-based political blogger. 鈥淎afia herself has been playing the political and religious card during her trial.鈥�

On being convicted, Siddiqui claimed the verdict was prompted by Israel.

Public face of 'missing persons'

But there is also a local dimension to the widespread protests. In recent years, human rights groups have accused Pakistani intelligence agencies of illegally detaining terror suspects. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 242 people remained missing in 2009.聽Siddiqui had become the public face of Pakistan鈥檚 "missing persons" after she vanished from Karachi with her three children.

鈥淲e are protesting the verdict, and we are protesting against our government,鈥� says Ali Abbas Zaidi, the chair of the Pakistan Youth Alliance, an activist group that participated in a civil society protest against the verdict in Islamabad鈥檚 Blue Area. He argues that Siddiqui鈥檚 case must be seen in a 鈥渂roader perspective.鈥�

鈥淗ow can we criticize the US when our own government has been complicit in illegally detaining innocents?鈥� asks Zaidi. According to Defence of Human Rights, an independent organization advocating for the release of all missing persons, more than 100 Pakistani women remain in illegal detention.

Siddiqui鈥檚 conviction is expected to put pressure on President Asif Ali Zardari鈥檚 government, which is already perceived locally as an American proxy. 鈥淭he government needs to handle this issue with circumspection,鈥� says Dr. Hussain, who suggested that Pakistan appeal the verdict. The Pakistani embassy in Washington has already expressed "dismay" at Siddiqui's conviction.

鈥淚t鈥檒l be a balancing act for the government,鈥� says blogger Saleem. 鈥淲e have to respect judicial systems no matter what, even if they go against our expectations.鈥�

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.