A relative of Dr Shakil Afridi, the medic who helped CIA trace Osama bin Laden, has claimed that the Taliban tried to kidnap the jailed doctor’s brother and other relatives.
According to Qamar Afridi, a cousin of Dr Shakil Afridi, the Taliban attempted to abduct the relatives on Monday, when a man, claiming to be a representative of Afghan President Hamid Karzai met with their lawyer in Peshawar to discuss Dr Afridi’s case.
The man reportedly said that the Afghan leader wanted to help the Afridi family, and was willing to offer them financial support in their efforts to free the doctor.
According to Fox News, the family reacted to the offer with alarm because the Karzai government had shown no interest in Dr Afridi’s case.
An Afghan official confirmed their suspicions, saying “no one from the Karzai administration has reached out to Afridi, nor do they intend to”.
Qamar suspected that the Taliban were behind what he calls “an attempted abduction”.
“We believe it was the Taliban. It has to be … We firmly believe this is the Taliban trying to get us,” the report quoted him as saying.
