In yet another aid condition set by the United States (US), the eagle’s lawmakers have conditioned $33 million aid to Pakistan with the liberation of Dr Shakil Afridi, who helped CIA in tracking down Osama bin Laden.
The decision was taken by Republicans and Democrats unanimously. The parliamentarians have not only demanded his release but have also asked the government to withdraw all the allegations leveled against him.
Afridi was arrested by the Pakistani law enforcers after US troops killed Osama bin Laden. However, Islamabad branded the raid a violation of sovereignty and during that time the Pak-US relations fell to an all-time low.
Afridi was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to run a vaccination programme in Abbottabad in the hope of obtaining DNA samples to identify bin Laden, although medics never managed to gain access to the family.
Here it is important to know that he was convicted of treason under Pakistan’s tribal justice system in 2012, not for working for the CIA, for which the court said it had no jurisdiction, but for alleged ties to militant group Lashkar-e-Islam. He was jailed for 33 years and fined $3,500.