Pakistani doctor who helped CIA track Bin Laden 'likely to be released next month'

Dr Shakeel Afridi is likely to move to the United States after release to settle there

Dr Shakil Afridi, a Pakistani doctor who had helped the American CIA hunt down former al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in his Abbottabad compound, is expected to be released next month, according to his lawyer.

Qamar Nadeem Advocate has confirmed to the BBC Urdu that his client, who has received several remissions in sentence, will  complete his jail term next month.

He said that Afridi was awarded a total of 33 years jail term on four different charges in which he was awarded 30 years on three counts while three years on one. However, after an approval of his appeal, 10 years of imprisonment had been remitted.

According to Nadeem, if his client's total jail term and remissions are taken into consideration, then he is likely to be freed next month.

Dr Shakeel Afridi was shifted to Adiala Jail of Rawalpindi from Peshawar central jail under strict security measures on Friday.

According to media reports, he was moved in a helicopter but no official statement was issued from the government this regard. However, it is still not clear as to whether he will be kept in Adiala jail or shifted to another location.

There is a chance that after his release, Dr Afridi might move to the United States to settle there permanently.

A team of expert doctors has reportedly examined Dr Afridi in Adiala jail and declared him completely fit. According to jail sources, he has been kept under strict security measures and additional guards have been posted at his barracks.



Two days ago, Punjab's prisons chief Shahid Saleem Baig had embarked upon a snap visit to Adiala jail and examined the security arrangements in detail.

Dr Afridi, the former surgeon of Khyber Agency, had run a phony vaccination campaign in Abbottabad to help the CIA track down the former al Qaeda chief in his compound and kill him in a controversial raid on May 2, 2011.

Dr Afridi was arrested from the Karkhano market area of Peshawar later that year.

In 2012, he was sentenced to 33 years in prison by the political administration of Khyber Agency under the Frontier Crimes Regulation, the colonial-era laws that govern the tribal regions, for having links with banned militant groups.

Two years ago, US President Donald Trump had said in an interview  during his campaign for presidential elections that he could have Dr Afridi released in two minutes and he was certain that the Pakistani officials would not object.

However, Pakistan had later condemned his statement in strong words and said the fate of Dr Afridi would be decided by Islamabad and not Washington.