Dhabi, Nov 21st, 2008 : How a mother of three children is victimised by allegations of her unproven link to terrorism featured the editorial of a UAE newspaper today.

'Clearly, she is one of those hundreds of people, most of them innocents, abducted as part of the war on terror', said the paper.

Under the title 'Let Afia Siddiqui go home', Khaleej Times wrote:.

'There is no end in sight for the ordeal of Dr Aafia Siddiqui who has been in the US detention for the past five years.

'A US judge, trying her on terrorism charges, says she is mentally incapacitated to stand trial. Needless to say her situation is an outcome of torture and pressure tactics applied on her in detention in Afghanistan and US. But will she be able to see justice is anybody's guess as Pakistan is now seeking her extradition.

'Dubbed as the ?Grey Lady of Bagram', Aafia Siddiqui is a mother of three children and a MIT-trained neuroscientist. Not much is known to this day as to how she ended up in Afghanistan, before being arrested on charges of 'aiding and assisting the Al Qaeda leadership'.

'Her lawyers argue that Pakistan-born Dr Aafia, 38, was kidnapped with her children in March 2003 from Karachi Airport, and was secretly held in custody for the past five years by either Pakistani or US authorities in Afghanistan. She was flown to the US in July this year to stand trial as her home country, Pakistan, looked the other way round.

'Under pressure from rights groups and media, Islamabad has now asked Washington to extradite Aafia. But under US legislation, it is feared that she might end up in an asylum house in US for the rest of her life, rather than sent back to her homeland. As rights groups and Aafia's family members have repeatedly pleaded, the case against her is flimsy.

'Pakistan claims it does not have enough details and is clueless about her disappearance five years ago from Karachi. The US authorities too have nothing against her. Which is why she is being tried on the charges of 'assaulting' her interrogators, rather than her alleged links to Al Qaeda. How ridiculous can you get? How can a lone woman, who can't even stand without support, attack US troops and officials? And if she was planning acts of terror against the US, would she be travelling with her young children in tow as she was? 'Clearly, she is one of those hundreds of people, most of them innocents, abducted as part of the war on terror. At a time when hopes are pinned on US President-elect Barack Obama, who has promised to close down the infamous Guantanamo Bay, Dr Aafia Siddiqui's case is a grim reminder of appalling human rights abuse going on in the name of war on terror.

'This young mother of three has already paid a heavy price for crimes she most likely did not commit. Besides, the onus of proving her guilty should be on the US authorities rather than the other way round. Dr Siddiqui badly needs medical and psychiatric help. The US authorities must let her go home forthwith and compensate for putting her through this trauma'. (WAM/AB)