Dr Shakil Afridi’s trial on Wednesday was postponed till the March 3 owing to the retirement of tribunal members and expiration of the FATA tribunal’s tenure.
Dr Shakil Afridi who was convicted of having links with a banned outfit, first made headlines due to his involvement in a faux vaccination drive which he launched at the behest of the United States, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as an attempt to confirm Osama bin Laden’s presence in Abbotabad.
In May 2012, Afridi was sentenced to 33 years in prison for having links with the Mangal Bagh led, Laskhar-e-Islam. In its order the court noted Afridi had “close links” with the group and had a “love” for Mangal Bagh, adding that Afridi’s “association with him was an open secret.”
Since being sentenced, Afridi’s family and counsel have argued his innocence on various platforms. In August 2013 a Peshawar Commissioner set aside the tribunal’s 2012 verdict and ordered a retrial.
However in early 2014, instead of a retrial the tribunal reduced Afridi’s sentence by 10 years to 23 years in prison.