Pakistan, July 27 -- Few issues cut as deeply in Pakistan's national consciousness as the Aafia Siddiqui saga. It is not just a legal case but a symbol of powerlessness, injustice, and of a state repeatedly outplayed on matters of its citizens' dignity. Governments have long postured, promising action but delivering little. Yet Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's remarks in Washington accomplished what decades of inaction never could: they made Pakistan appear to accept the narrative it once staunchly rejected.

At a forum in Washington, Dar equated Aafia's conviction (with its serious allegations of torture and flawed procedure) to the imprisonment of Imran Khan. The public reaction was swift. Aafia's lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, rejected the ...