• Source:JND
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In a new diplomatic initiative, US Congressman Brad Sherman has urged Pakistan to release immediately Pakistani doctor Dr Shakil Afridi, who assisted the CIA in locating Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in 2011. After a meeting with a visiting Pakistani delegation headed by former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sherman stated that releasing Afridi would be a strong move toward justice for the victims of the 9/11 attacks. "Dr Afridi remains in jail for assisting the United States in assassinating Osama Bin Laden. Releasing him is a significant move toward providing closure for 9/11 victims," Sherman tweeted on X, formerly Twitter.

 

Who Is Dr Shakil Afridi?

A retired government doctor named Shakil Afridi from Pakistan's Khyber tribal area was approached by US intelligence to conduct a false vaccination campaign in Abbottabad. The secret mission was designed to get DNA evidence confirming Bin Laden’s presence in a heavily guarded compound, only a few hundred yards away from Pakistan's elite military academy. As reported by the BBC and National Geographic, Afridi knocked on the compound's door back in April 2011. While it is uncertain if DNA from Bin Laden's family was obtained, the intelligence he had was crucial in confirming the location of the terrorist. US Navy SEALs stormed the compound in a midnight raid and killed Bin Laden on May 2, 2011. The news that the world's most wanted man had been hiding in Pakistan for so long evoked shock around the globe and embarrassed the Pakistani security establishment.

Within just 20 days of the raid, Dr Afridi was detained by Pakistani officials. Even though he was initially charged with treason, the government later sentenced him in 2012 under tribal laws for purportedly aiding the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Islam, a charge that stemmed from ransom payments his family paid for his freedom after he was abducted by the same outfit in 2008. His sentence was subsequently cut short to 23 years. Afridi is now held at Sahiwal Central Jail in Punjab, with no significant legal events in his case in recent years. In a rare 2012 interview with Fox News, Afridi claimed he was tortured by Pakistani intelligence officers. Since then, he has remained out of the public eye. His family, including his wife and three children, reportedly live in hiding due to threats from militant groups.

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Congressman Raises Broader Human Rights Concerns

The US has repeatedly called for Afridi’s release, hailing him as a hero. Pakistan, however, considers his actions a breach of national sovereignty. Sherman’s renewed appeal has once again thrust Afridi’s case into the diplomatic spotlight, with human rights advocates urging Pakistan to reconsider its position. At one point, discussions were held around a possible prisoner swap—Afridi for Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist convicted in the US on terror charges—but the negotiations collapsed.

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Sherman also brought up concerns about enforced disappearances and water rights in Pakistan's Sindh province during his meeting with the Pakistani delegation. "The Indus River is a lifeline for millions. I also expressed concern regarding the recent tragic passing of Irfan and Zahib Laghari, who were demonstrating for water rights in Moro, Sindh," he wrote on X. Referring to statistics from Pakistan Human Rights Commission, Sherman said more than 8,000 enforced disappearance cases were reported since 2011, of which many are still pending. He also requested Pakistan to act strongly against terror outfits such as Jaish-e-Mohammed behind the killing of journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002. "His family resides in my constituency. Pakistan has to do everything in its power to finish off this despicable organization," he said. Sherman concluded his tweet streak by stressing the importance of safeguarding religious minorities in Pakistan, such as Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadiyya Muslims. "These groups need to be free to live and worship as they wish without fear of persecution or discrimination," he noted.