US Congressman declares Dr Shakil Afridi an ‘American hero’

Dana Rohrabacher introduces resolution in House of Representatives, says Dr Afridi should be immediately released.


Huma Imtiaz February 28, 2013
Dr Shakil Afridi. PHOTO: FILE

WASHINGTON: US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives declaring Dr Shakil Afridi a hero.

According to a press statement, the resolution expressed that Dr Afridi is an ‘American hero’ and should be immediately released from Pakistani custody.

The statement said that Americans owe Dr Afridi a debt for helping find former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Congressman Rohrabacher said that Dr Afridi and his family have “paid a terrible price at the hands of our so-called allies – the Pakistani government. We cannot continue to turn our back on Dr Afridi. He risked his life to provide the intel our forces needed to locate and eliminate Osama bin Laden and he now languishes in a Pakistani prison serving a 33-year sentence.

“He has been tortured, his family has been attacked and he is still in a desperate situation. It behooves us as Americans to state in a unified voice to his Pakistani captors, Dr Afridi should be freed.”

The sponsors of the resolution include Representatives Bachmann, Gerlach, Higgins, Hunter, Lummis, Poe, Salmon, Loretta Sanchez and Stockman, the statement added.

Congressman Rohrabacher has previously introduced bills calling for Balochis to be given right of self-determination, and for Dr Afridi to be given the Congressional Gold Medal.

Dr Afridi had been working with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for years before the Bin Laden raid, providing intelligence on militant groups in Pakistan’s tribal region.

He helped the agency hunt down Bin Laden after which he was sentenced to 33 years in prison last year in May for his links to a banned militant group.

COMMENTS (48)

NAkhtar | 11 years ago | Reply

treason is hero for american congressman? Dr. Afridi should be an examplary lesson for those are still spying for America in Pakistan.

Dr. Fuzia Tia Khan | 11 years ago | Reply

DR.SHAKIL AFRIDI. - reminds us Pakistanis of a dark time in our recent history. The Pakistani military know how gullible we Pakistanis are so working with the CIA the ISI formulated a plan to bring UBL into the safest area of Pakistan the backyard of the military! Then then left him alone, and for years monitored him at the same time receiving monetary payments to harbor the most wanted man in the world. Once UBL felt safe and non-detectable they used DR.SHAKIL AFRIDI. as a mole to get his DNA as the US was not going to formulate the killing without a positive DNA match. If anyone believes that the Pakistani military were unaware of this mission then they are in full support of the propaganda they are being fed on a daily basis. Afia Siddique broke the law in ht US and unlike Pakistan America abides by the principles of its founding fathers if you do the crime you do the time therefor no release should be requested and she will probably NEVER get it.

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