Shakil Afridi, doctor ‘who helped US find Bin Laden’

A Pakistani court is due to hear an appeal to free a doctor accused of helping the US track down al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. PHOTO: BBC

The Peshawar High Court will hear Shakil Afridi’s case on Wednesday, the first time it will be heard in an open court in Pakistan.

He was never formally charged for his role in the 2011 operation to hunt down and kill the world’s most-wanted man, according to BBC report.

Dr Afridi has always argued that he was denied a fair trial.

His imprisonment caused outrage and saw the US cut federal aid to Pakistan by $33m (£27m) – $1m for every year of his jail sentence.

US President Donald Trump promised in his 2016 election campaign that he would get Dr Afridi released in “two minutes” if elected – but that never happened.

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While the doctor is considered a hero in the US, in Pakistan he is seen by many as a traitor who brought humiliation to the country.

US Navy Seals had been able to fly in, kill the 9/11 attacks mastermind and get away with his body without even being challenged, far less stopped, BBC reported.

And it raised uncomfortable questions about whether Pakistan’s military, which runs its security policy, was aware Bin Laden was in the country.

Pakistan remains an uneasy partner to this day in the US-led fight against militant Islam.

Vanguard News Nigeria.

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source: Vanguard

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