[JURIST] The US has denied a Pakistani delegation's request to meet with Pakistani detainees held at the US military detention center at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive], according to a Daily Times report [text] published Sunday. According to the report, the US said that it does not permit delegations to meet with specific detainees held at the center, but did agree to arrange a meeting for the group with female detainee Aafia Siddiqui [FBI materials], who is being held in a federal prison after being extradited to the US and appeared before a federal court [JURIST report] in New York last month. The delegation had planned to visit the detainees later this month in order to assess their condition, about which Pakistani authorities have long expressed concern [Xinhua report].

Last week, Pakistani Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani [official profile] met with US officials to discuss the release [JURIST report] of six Pakistani citizens currently being held at Guantanamo, saying that any Pakistani prisoners facing terrorism charges upon their release would be tried by Pakistani courts. Haqqani's efforts to secure the release of the remaining Pakistani prisoners at Guantanamo came shortly after the unannounced release [AP report] of Pakistani detainee Qari Saad Madni from the detention center.