The other Afridi

With Pak-US love on the rocks, labour appears lost

In his cell at the Central Jail Peshawar, Dr Shakil Afridi must be ruing the day he chose to play a la the other world famous Afridi – Shahid, that is. They have one striking similarity: living dangerously.

But unlike the cricketer, whose stay at the wicket resembles something of a temporary shelter, the physician may be looking at long occupation of the wicked bars.

With US-Pakistan love on the rocks, helping the CIA track down the world’s most wanted man behind the back of his compatriots was always going to be a misadventure, unless Afridi’s sponsors had cared to look beyond the immediate goal of liquidating Osama bin Laden.

That Afridi was sentenced to 33-year imprisonment in a controversial trial held at a secret location over treason charges without access to a lawyer was, under the circumstances, hardly surprising. That he was convicted for “waging war against Pakistan” and “concealing a plan to wage war against Pakistan” didn’t defy belief either.

Intriguingly, the physician was punished for a crime committed in Abbottabad – a settled area – which is not in the jurisdiction of the Political Agent. Is there a hidden motive?

Opinion is divided on Afridi’s actions insofar as the definition of treason is concerned. To be sure, even the Pakistani security establishment claims – a trifle late in the day notwithstanding – a decisive role in helping the Americans get to Bin Laden. Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar has officially said as much.

The definitional crisis of ‘treason’ becomes even more pronounced considering former strongman General Pervez Musharraf handed over dozens of Al-Qaeda leaders – without due course of law – to the US but never faced treason charges during or after his rule.

Perhaps, the bone of contention lies in why ‘the character actor’ did not inform his own country even as he passed on the results of the DNA samples to the CIA.

In a nutshell, Afridi’s is a classic case of perception versus reality. Predictably, American reaction has bordered on disbelief with the Obama Administration and Republicans making no secret of being incensed.

In fact, last Thursday, a US Senate panel voted to cut aid to Islamabad by a symbolic $33 million – a million dollars for each year of the sentence handed to the physician.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the verdict as “unjust and unwarranted” and vowed to push Afridi’s case with Islamabad. Pentagon Press Secretary George Little probably represented the general reaction. “Anyone who supported the United States in finding Bin Laden was not working against Pakistan, they were working against Al-Qaeda,” he said. Calls have been made for administration to award Afridi the Congressional Medal and naturalised status as an American citizen for his “courageous, heroic and patriotic act”.

These are valid observations. However, the international media appears to have missed the elephant in the room.

The fact is that Afridi was paid by the Americans to set up the phony vaccination camp, which jeopardised the national campaign against polio itself – Pakistan is one of the few countries where the menace has resurfaced – as well as those he called upon to work with him.

The physician was motivated by greed, not conscientiously driven to help bring Bin Laden to justice – according to some reports, he was not even aware the intended target was Bin Laden! He is reckoned to have a fair idea it was high value but came to learn about the identity only after the US Navy SEALS had their man.

On evidence, Afridi did violate the country’s laws and endanger lives with his indiscrete actions. The medical staff, predominantly female, assisting him have already lost their jobs and face an uncertain future.

Humanitarian organisations, including Médecins Sans Frontières, protested the use of a medical charity for espionage purposes, saying it would lead to suspicion of such organisations and endanger personnel working on such projects in the future.

The Obama Administration’s concern for Afridi’s fate appears to be an afterthought.

The hard fact is that the physician put his life on the line for the Americans and eventually helped them get the ultimate trophy. For all his effort, they seem to have pretty much left him to his devices. He was arrested near the Afghan border while trying to escape days after the Abbottabad raid.

Having said that, all is perhaps not lost for the beleaguered physician. Some experts suggest there may be a method to the madness in his conviction.

Had Afridi’s case been heard by a high court, it could have been curtains for him – treason is punishable by death under Pakistani constitution. The authorities apparently, tweaked the situation with recourse to a tribal court – reportedly, a deliberate move to enable the government to commute the sentence later.

Maybe those shedding crocodile tears in Washington need to hold judgment for now.

The writer is a former newspaper editor based in Islamabad and can be reached at [email protected]