Dr Shakil Afridi’s lawyer on Thursday raised a technical objection in the sentencing of his client during a hearing before a Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) tribunal.
The FCR court, headed by Peshawar Commissioner Tariq Jamil, heard Dr Afridi’s petition against the Khyber Agency Political Administration’s decision of awarding 33-year prison term to the CIA-complicit surgeon who helped track former al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. Dr Afridi, who was not brought before the court, was represented by his lawyers Latif Afridi and Samiullah Afridi.
Latif told the Peshawar commissioner that under FCR, an assistant political agent (APA) could not sentence any accused for more than three years, while arguing that in the case of Dr Shakil Afridi, the APA had sentenced the medic for 33 years. He pleaded the court to declare the APA’s decision null and void.
The petitioner further said that Dr Afridi had been tried under Criminal Procedure Court (CrPC) 121-a/FCR- 11, adding that under these sections, a person could be tried when the president or governor lodge a formal complaint in writing with the political administration of any tribal agency on the grounds that the accused was indulged in acts contrary to the interests of the state. The petitioner said that the APA had mentioned nothing of this sort in his verdict. However, Latif Afridi suspended further arguments when he was informed that the public prosecutor was unable to attend the proceedings. Later, the tribunal adjourned the hearing of the case until November 22.
