US seeks clarification on Dr. Shakeel Afridi’s case

In its continued efforts to press Pakistan, the United States sought clarification from Islamabad on the issue of Dr Shakeel Afridi’s sentence.

State Department’s spokesman Mark Toner while speaking to the media during daily press briefing said, “US sought clarity on the ‘new reason’ being given by Pakistan for sentencing Dr Shakeel Afridi”.

According to the ruling of the tribal court, Dr Shakeel Afridi, the CIA-funded spy, who helped the United States track down Osama bin Laden, was jailed last week not for working with the America, but for supporting the banned outfit.

The ruling said the doctor met with commanders of the banned militant Lashkar-e-Islam, giving them medical treatment and financial assistance.

The US State Department’s spokesman observed, “It seems to contrast previous reports about his conviction and the basis of it, so we’re trying to get clarity. I mean you know other than raising it very publicly as we’ve done via Secretary (of State, Hillary) Clinton and raising it consistently in our meetings with Pakistani government officials”.

He was of the opinion that it was unclear to him what else they could do for his case, but the US administration certainly takes it very seriously. The secretary of state was very clear in her remarks saying that there was not any basis for holding Afridi in imprison, he added.

According the US press reports, the revelation that Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi was sentenced on militancy-related charges, and not the basis of his links with CIA, may undermine Washington’s efforts to press Islamabad for his release.

The media commentaries came as a US senator said he would move legislations to stop all of Washington’s assistance for Pakistan over sentencing of Dr Afridi.

The long sentencing by a tribal Pakistani court has drawn stinging criticism from both the Capitol Hill and the Obama administration, who both say Afridi did not work against Pakistan but only helped the US against al Qaeda, which is a threat to both Pakistan and the United States.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=24145

Posted by Faisal Farooq on May 31 2012. Filed under National, Pakistan, USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.