Thousands of Pakistanis have staged rallies against the conviction of a Pakistani scientist found guilty of trying to kill American servicemen in Afghanistan.Protests were held on Thursday in several cities in Pakistan, where many believe that Aafia Siddiqui is innocent. The neuroscientist, branded "Lady Qaeda" by some in the US press, disappeared for five years before her arrest in Afghanistan in 2008. She was convicted in a New York court on Wednesday. Siddiqui, who was arrested in 2008, was accused of grabbing a US serviceman's rifle and opening fire on her American interrogators, who returned fire. While none of the US agents or personnel were injured, Siddiqui was shot in the incident. Siddiqui's relatives condemned the verdict, with Fauzia Siddiqui, her sister, saying the verdict had "rejuvenated" the family. "And we're proud to be related to her," she said, speaking from the Pakistani city of Karachi. "America's justice system, the establishment, the war on terror, the fraud of the war on terror, all of those things have shown their own ugly faces." The AFP news agency quoted Ismat Siddiqui, Aafia's mother, who lives in Karachi, as saying the family had been braced for the verdict but would continue to work for her release. "I did not expect anything better from an American court. We were ready for the shock and will continue our struggle to get her released," she was quoted as saying.
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