America’s Striat Demand from Pakistan: The atmosphere of political corridors in America has once again been hot in the US with Dr. Shakeel Afridi, who was in Pakistan’s jail. US MP Brad Sherman said clearly to the delegation who visited Pakistan that if Pakistan is really serious against terrorism, it should first release Afridi. Sherman linked the issue with the honor and justice of the 9/11 victims and said that Afridi has done a big job for the whole of humanity by gathering information about Osama bin Laden.
Who is Dr. Shakeel Afridi?
Dr. Shakeel Afridi is known as a senior doctor in Khyber area of Pakistan. The American intelligence agency CIA contacted him and took help in collecting the DNA sample of Laden’s family under a fake polio vaccination program in Abbottabad. In collaboration with this campaign, the US found Laden to death on May 2011, 2011.
How to reach jail?
A few months after the death of Osama bin Laden, Pakistani agencies arrested Afridi and put them in jail. He was made many major allegations such as assisting the US agency, anti -national activities and contact with terrorists. In 2012, he was sentenced to 33 years, which was later reduced to 23 years.
America’s response
America has been demanding the release of Dr. Afridi for a long time. Former President Donald Trump highlighted the issue during his tenure, but did not get any response from Pakistan. Now MP Brad Sherman has raised this issue again and termed Afridi’s release as a ‘Test case’ for America-Pakistan relations.
Pakistan’s silence
No official statement on this issue has been revealed by the Pakistani government or army so far. But it is clear that the Government of Pakistan will not bow under US pressure about Afridi, as the matter belongs to ‘national security’ and ‘sovereignty’ there.
Today, Dr. Shakeel Afridi has not only become an important issue of international diplomacy, but it is also a sensitive aspect of human rights, world class fight against terrorism and Pakistan-America relations. Now it has to be seen whether Pakistan bends in front of American pressure or not.
