Samiullah Afiridi, the legal counsel of the alleged US spy, Dr Shakil Afridi who had led the Navy Seal to the compound of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, has quit citing security threats to his life and mounting pressure from the US on Pakistan to release Afridi.
During the hearing, Samiullah Afridi said that they were fighting the case in the court of law but undue pressure from US on Pakistan is an indirect interference in the courts proceedings and that is the main reason he decided to quit.
“The pressure tactics by the US on Pakistani government for extra judicial release of Dr Shakil Afridi was impacting the Pakistani courts, though I do not consider the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) laws humane and we are fighting for amendments, but still the case has to be left to the courts for decision,” he added
Samiulalh Afridi said, he had decided to fight Dr Shakil’s case on humanitarian grounds but since then he and his family was being threatened from different quarters so it was no more possible for him to continue and that’s why he decided to quit.
“The threats are very real, and they are coming for the last almost two years but the last few days remained very difficult for me and family so there was no option but to quit,” he added.
Samiullah Afridi further added that US is holding Dr Aafia Siddiqui under its laws and despite repeated demands and resolutions from the Pakistani people and the government she is not being freed which is also being used as a pretext by all including the religious elements to create problems in Shakil Afridi case.
Dr Afridi was sentenced to 33 years in prison and fined Rs320,000 on charges of colluding with Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and its chief Mangal Bagh in 2012.
However, the tribal court had not entertained evidence relating to Dr Shakil Afridi’s involvement with the CIA, citing lack of jurisdiction.
His sentence was overturned last year in August and a retrial was ordered.