Ahmed Siddiqui (American youth) and Asia Task Force

Contents 1 Life in the USA 2 Arrival in Pakistan, 2002 3 Disappearance, March 2003 4 President Asif Ali Zardari request 5 Reappearance and capture, Ghazni Afghanistan, July 2008 6 Transfer to the custody of Pakistani security officials 7 Return to the custody of his maternal family 8 First public statement 9 References

Life in the USA

Ahmed's parents had been students in the United States in the 1990s, where his mother Aafia Siddiqui earned a PhD in cognitive neuropsychology. While living in the US his parents started a charity. They would later be identified as suspected terrorists. Ahmed and his younger sister were born in the USA, and lived there until 2002, when his parents returned to Pakistan, and their marriage broke up. Aafia was pregnant when the marriage broke up, and his younger brother was born in Pakistan in late 2002 or early 2003. Arrival in Pakistan, 2002

After the marriage broke up Aafia made a trip back to the United States, to look for an academic job. In March 2003 Aafia and all three children were living with relatives in Karachi, Pakistan. Disappearance, March 2003

Aafia and all three children disappeared during a trip to Karachi airport on March 23, 2003. Aafia's relatives went on record with their belief that her ex-husband's denunciations had led to the capture of Aafia and her children by security officials, and that they were being held in secret prisons. Her ex-husband claimed she was at large, living underground, as a ploy to prevent him getting access to his children. President Asif Ali Zardari request

According to the Arab News Pakistan's President, Asif Ali Zardari, had personally requested Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai return Dr Aafia's children to their family in Pakistan. Reappearance and capture, Ghazni Afghanistan, July 2008

In the summer of 2008 Aafia and a teenage boy were reported to have been apprehended by Afghan police. It was later confirmed that the teenage boy was her eldest son Ahmed. Transfer to the custody of Pakistani security officials

On August 26, 2008 The United States State Department confirmed that the youth captured with Aafia Siddiqi on July 17, 2008 was her son, American citizen Ahmed Siddiqi.

Ahmed was transferred to the custody of Pakistani security officials. Joanne Mariner, Director of Human Rights Watch, criticized Afghanistan officials for transferring Ahmed to Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security—the NDS due to its reputation for using torture as an interrogation tool. Mariner pointed out that under both Afghan law Ahmed was too young to be held criminally responsible. Return to the custody of his maternal family

Ahmed was returned to the custody of his maternal family, while his mother was taken to New York City to stand trial for attempted murder. The whereabouts of Ahmed's younger siblings remained a mystery. During her interrogations following her 2008 arrest Aafia described visions of her youngest son as an angel, as he had died in custody with her during the period 2003-2008.

When a girl who may have been his younger sister Maryam was returned to the Ahmed's family, tests to confirm her identity were inconclusive. His aunt Fawzia expressed doubt that the girl was her niece Maryam. The Daily Times reported that the girl was only able to speak English and Dari, a dialect of the Persian language, and that when Ahmed was returned he too could only speak English and Dari. First public statement

In late August 2010, British journalist Yvonne Ridley, who had first reported that Aafia and her children had been held in the Bagram Theater internment facility reported that she had acquired a statement taken from Ahmed in 2008. She reported that the statement was taken from Ahmed by an American official when he was released.

The statement is the first from Ahmed. The statement is the first to appear to confirm Aafia's dream that her youngest child was dead. The statement, as quoted by Ridley, read:

Asia Task Force and Ahmed Siddiqui (American youth)

Contents 1 Membership 2 Objectives 3 Meetings 4 Activities 5 External links 6 References

Membership

Members of the Asia Task Force are senior business leaders and members of academia. It is co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

On assuming the Co-Chairmanship of the ATF in May 2010, Vince Cable said:

"If we are looking for growth, we should be looking to Asia. Asia is driving the global recovery and its growing middle classes are seeking more of what we can produce. We want UK businesses to export more goods and services to these markets. Through UK Trade & Investment, we will help British companies to play their full part." Objectives To identify the current and future challenges faced by UK companies operating in Asian markets and to suggest practical ways to overcome and anticipate them; To raise awareness among UK companies of the potential opportunities in these markets and to provide a resource to support companies seeking to do business in Asia; To contribute to the UK’s response to globalisation by bringing together the business community, Government and academia to develop a coherent strategy. Meetings

The first full meeting of the ATF was held on 27 October 2005. The Chancellor opened proceedings with a speech on the growing importance of Asia in the world economy and said he would welcome ideas and policy proposals from the ATF for the government to consider.

The ATF meets around twice a year - the minutes and membership details are published on UK Trade & Investment's ATF pages. Activities

On the advice and recommendation of the Asia Task Force, UK Trade & Investment regularly runs ‘Doing Business in Asia - Meet the Experts' events throughout the UK designed to galvanise more companies to explore opportunities in key Asian markets.

Further information can be obtained from the Doing Business in Asia: Meet the Experts website. External links UK Trade & Investment: Asia Task Force
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