Federal govt miffed over K-P’s demand to move Afridi

Provincial officials ask for doctor to be shifted from Peshawar Central Jail citing threats to his life. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

PESHAWAR: Disputes have surfaced between federal and provincial authorities after the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government wrote a letter to the federal government to shift Dr Shakil Afridi from Peshawar Central Prison, citing threats to his life.

Sources within Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Home and Tribal Affairs Department confirmed that a letter was written last week and that the federal government is yet to respond to the letter.

“This is a very serious issue. Afridi’s life is in danger and we have been in close contact with the federal government. We wrote them a letter to shift Afridi, probably to Adiala Jail. However, we are yet to receive a response from the federal government,” the source said.

Strict security measures have been taken inside the Peshawar prison where Afridi, sentenced to 33 years of imprisonment by an assistant political agent of Khyber Agency, is being held.

According to recently revealed court documents, Dr Afridi has been convicted for his links to the banned Khyber Agency-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Islam. The controversial doctor had also helped American intelligence officials track down Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts in Pakistan by running a fake polio vaccination campaign.