The bill submitted by Congressman Dana Rohrabacher on Friday, called for Dr Afridi to be deemed “a naturalized citizen of the United States.”
In his speech in Congress, Rohrabacher, who is also the Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight, said, “Pakistan's Inquiry Commission on the Abbottabad Operation, the US mission which killed bin Laden, has recommended that Dr Afridi be tried for treason for helping the US. If convicted, he could be executed. My bill would grant him US citizenship and send a direct and powerful message to those in the Pakistani government and military who protected the mastermind of 9/11 for all those years and who are now seeking retribution on those who helped to execute bin Laden.”
Rohrabacher cited media reports that Dr Afridi’s wife, an American citizen of Pakistani origin was also missing. “This bill shows the world that America does not abandon its friends,” adding that 21 members of Congress had endorsed the bill as well.
The bill, which was referred to the Committee on Judiciary, comes after US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said in an interview last week that Dr Afridi had provided key intelligence that led to the raid in Abbottabad.
Media reports had earlier said that Dr Afridi had organized a polio vaccination campaign in the city for the Central Intelligence Agency, in order to collect DNA sample to prove that the al Qaeda leader was present in the Abbottabad compound.
COMMENTS (80)
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Truth seeker: Your analogy is pretty awful. 1. For a start, the owner, first off all, did not accept that the jewel was in his house. He claimed that the jewel was in neighbour's house 2. The servant since he was very obedient and honest, did not want to let the owner down, So he gave it to the "so called" cops, who had the authorisation to grab the jewel. 3. The most important point is this, We all thought that the servant caught a snake, Therefore he turned it over to the snake killer. To treat the snake as jewel, exposes your mentality.
Let me explain the whole thing by an analogy.
A sweeper finds a priceless lost jewel while cleaning and instead of returning the jewel to its owner, he sells it for couple of bucks. Now, should we reward him for finding the priceless jewel or prosecute him for selling it illegally. Rewarded? Definitely, had he returned the jewel to the owner. Prosecuted? Depends; if you believe in the rule of law, he must be; if you live in a jungle and governed by whims then maybe not.
Here is Dr. Shakil Afridi, who's role and importance in this whole episode is nothing more than that of a sweeper. He was required by the law to inform the authorities when contacted by a foreign intelligence agancy, irrespective of how noble the cause it was. Instead of fulfilling his duties as a loyal citizen of the state and a paid employee of the government, in utter disregard for the law and out of greed for some bucks, he chose to work for a foreign spy agency. And you know, people who work for foreign spy agencies are not referred to as "Heroes", rather .....
@ Tim Hover YOU are comparing apples & oranges a soldier while on duty stole data and gave it to Wikileaks no matter which side you are on Dr Shakeel helped in ending the terror life of OBL .....do the math!
Why the US soldier who leaked Wikileaks is facing court marshal and Dr shakeel is glorified by this headless congressman??
he can get citizenship of the moon but after he answers pakistani establishment about his "deeds" and serves his time in prison for being an uncool pakistani.
I think the best move for Pakistan is to just let Dr Afridi be given free passage to safety the more we spend time we open the big wound of SHAME that Osama Bin Laden was living in a protected house in the middle of the industrial military complex while we Pakiatani were downloading pirated Bollywood movies or texting on Facebook. Pakistan was viewed as a country of imbeciles when the most wanted man was living in Pakistan and our military intelligence looked dazed and confused by the swift American Seal action where more was achieved and very little was talked about and discussed. We are a nation that talks big and look around you the chaos and calamity speaks of our action where we have not been able to even get regular utilities and power blackouts are the norm of the day. So lets go back to the downloading pirated software and Bollywood films we at least seem to be good at that!
@RBI: For genetic comparison the DNA sample from a family member like a brother is enough. It does not have to be Osama's DNA. Osama's brother lived in the USA for a long time.
@SM: "Mind your business Mr. Congressman" This is very much his business!
Mind your business Mr. Congressman
@Anon:
You mean greater ill will than already exists? What is PAK going to do start open conflicit with the US and NATO
Bytheway, goto congressmans fb page and see what he calls us.
The dream of every Pakistani.
Besides hurting the non-political vaccination efforts of NGOs in the region, I am not really sure what negative impact Dr. Afridi has had on Pakistan or Pakistani society. OBL was considered a terrorist by the US and also by Pakistan. His crime was working for another country's government but its no where near being treasonous.
The US does a lot of wrong, but I admire that they are trying to get Dr. Afridi citizenship after he helped them. In Pakistan, we have still not managed (or even attempted) to bring back Biharis in Bangladesh who gave up everything supporting a United Pakistan. MQM has taken a few steps in this matter but has thwarted by others saying that they are trying to increase their vote bank. At the end of the day, many Biharis are still living in camps in Bangladesh.
America: pls pls take away all of your stooges from our soil.
I think the good Doctor should get a UN citizenship for doing the world a favour. History will treat him in good light. In the history treason charge against the Docotor will always be a black mark for Pakistan.
thanks Mr. Afridi if this news is correct that will enhance our knowledge that your name is also include with Mir Jaffer and Saddeqs
Shakeel Afridi is PAK hero . . . and only in PAK a true hero is to be humiliated but TERRORISTs can roam free
What dr shakeel did might be important for rest of the world but not for Pakistani poor kids,, coz the means dr used to access obl home was a fake polio campaign just look at the statistics of the polio cases before and after this incident, he betrayed the great human cause of polio free pakistan for his personal interest and benefits (50 m $). Would USA now offer a similar citizenship package to those polio effected children n their families ??
Glad OBL is dead, I would've been happier if we would have hung him ourselves outside a wapda or sui gas office.
Dana - an old hand at reaganomics, the same hand that has been dealt to us consistently over the last 30 years. He use to rub shoulders with OBL and co back in the day. Look at his stand on his "friends" now. He had tabled the Bill to stop aid to Pakistan (not a bad idea) but give you an idea how he thinks about our nation. The list goes on.
All said, I think Afridi should take up the offer and get out before he ends up six feet under for the good work done. I guess once the deal is done with taliban, all gitmo inmates may have a shot at driving cabs in NY. Happy days.
I would love to see Pakistan try and punish Dr. Shakil Afridi for finding the world's most wanted terrorist.
"Oh yes, Mr. President! We are 100% committed to hunting down terrorists! Now if you'll excuse us, we have to go lynch the people who are actually carrying out this job."
Everyone knows what the US does to its friends. Sadam and Qadaffi were both US friends at one point in time.
OBL was in killed in abottabad.. u sure about it?
@nnk: Even mullah Omar would've done it, if he had known the perks of it.
@sidjeen: Being on the payroll of a foreign spy agency in your own country and providing them information that would result in invasion of that country by foreign forces would be considered treason. He should have passed on any information he had to ISI. Thats what you are missing darling!!!
If this story of Dr. Shakeel Afridi is true and he spied for a hostile agency, then he should be hanged 100 times, so that he became lesson for others. His Pakistani citizenship should be cancelled and I request Afridi tribe that he should be deported from the Afridi's area.
I know, I got it now, After lots of thinking and reading the comments, I have found out the reason why the good doc is charged with treason. The bounty on OBL's head was to be claimed by the Army at the appropriate time when the time and price are right. Since the good doc denied the funds to the Army, it must be treason.
It would be interesting to note any right wing protests on this issue. They have always been declaring, and quite loudly, that OBL wasn’t present at this compound, so the doctor actually could not have committed this act of identification. Hence no issue, no crime right?
Hussain Haqqani's wife is US citizen and there is Memogate. Dr. Shakil's wife is US citizen and this case.
If Afridi deserves death for handing over Osama to the US then the by the same definition the ghairat brigade lot also deserve the same treatment for handing over yahoos like Libbi, et. al.
@Munda Baloch: It's a good point you make. If Pakistan is also fighting the good fight, they should be pinning a medal on the coat of the good doctor who helped take down a dreaded terrorist. Instead he is being hounded as a traitor ! Shouldn't Pakistan be on the same wavelength as the rest of the world? Isn't it time to shelve the hypocrisy?
Beware Dr. Shakeel Afridi. OBL helped the American like you did and see what happened to him.
Dr. Afridi should be tried for treason and if proven guilty then should be awarded capital punishment.
So OBL who killed thousands in Pakistan is not a traitor, but the doctor?
Such a welcome step by our ever-green friends!
Please grant US citizenship to all your friends including top industrialists(who are here just to mint money out of cheap labor & then dump in US/UK), politicians, people from establishment who have more sympathy with US than Pakistan.
And please, don't forget to place them on travel advisory / ECL to Pakistan again, because it is soooo unhealthy for them.
In doing so you will prove to be our real evergreen friend by leaving only those people here who have their total stakes in Pakistan, so, they will be able to do sincerely for its welfare & progress.
How was it treason to help identify OBL and turn him over? Werent the Pakistani agencies and military supposedly trying to do that for 10 years while enjoying billions in the dollars of "aid" from the Americans? Did Dr. Afridi betray a Pakistani national interest by giving Americans intelligence about OBL's location? If so, what does that say about Pakistan's national interest...?
If Pakistanis are so innocent, and and against terror then why so much hue and cry agaisnt this doctor who did a fantastic job ?
So, this doctor is being charged for treason!!!!
So what does that mean? OBL was a state guest, protected by the state. USA is an enemy country.
I think Pakistani military establishments must be thanking their nukes for the current situation not exploding. But soon they will be cursing their nukes for the country's implosion.
Shakil Afridi to me is a hero for helping get rid of a man who openly declared war against Pak Army and it's citizens. Instead of trying him for treason the Army higher ups should be held accountable for failing to know about the whereabouts of OBL!
Peoples, here is a great way to get a US citizenship !! There are still a few opportunities left - Mullah Omar is still on the loose. Anybody want US citizenship? ;-) Seriously, this is a great move by the US. The poor doctor was only trying to get a terrorist to book. Good job America !!
@RBI : US got samples from Bin Ladens extended family who were in US for medical treatment.
Bravo: Considering the length US goes to protect and cover the interests of its citizens, considering the shameful ways of Pakistan selling its citizens to US for greenbacks, I will no doubt believe that the good doc will take it given an opportunity. There is no question of treason here, The good doc tried to help a foreign fugitive hiding in Pakistan. If an illegal visitior is handed over to the officials, is it treason. After all OBL was wanted by everyone. It does not matter to whom he helped. The most wanted fugitive was eliminated. End of story,.
He will be killed there just like the delta force was killed to cover up lies.
Dr. Shakeel should be given Nishan e Imtiaz from Pakistan govt. Any other nation would treat him as hero who help in elimination of most wanted terrorists of the world.
so they dont give a damn to feelings of Pakistani people
Anyone saying this is going to hurt the US in regard to Pakistani opinion: the card has been played and taken out of the deck some time ago. Who cares if it gets a little worse now?
The US should try to understand the position of Pakistanis who are aggrieved at a perceived slight against national sovereignty. It is not about OBL who deserved to be served justice. It is the principle that the citizen of a nation should not be spying for a foreign government without informing his own nation. Would the US react positively to an US citizen working for Russian intelligence to track down and kill a criminal on US soil without US knowledge? What is that US citizen is now being honored and being given Russian praise and citizenship? I can't understand why this issue needs any clarification. The US should work together with Pakistan and if they work behind the back of the Pakistani government, how can they build a positive partnership?
Congressman, This step of yours will only fuel anti-Americanism in Pakistani general public. But who cares for the public anyway?
"America does not abandon its friends ..." Yeah tell that to our public what happened right after the russians left Afghanistan. seriously, the guy is very new at his game.
Dr afridi did a great offer to Pakistan ,just imagine if pakistan was attacked bu USA ,what would have our army done..?
We should also give Pakistani citizenship to Mansoor Ijaz for his great services to the deep state of Pakistan.
Oh come on guys just admit that we got caught with our pants down. Instead of this being a lesson we still believe we were somehow in the right. Humiliation should be a humbling experience not living in denial.
@sidjeen:
I quote you: " i dont understand if Dr shakeel afridi helped in the killing of OBL should not we be giving him an award or something rather than trying him for treason i mean osama was a sworn enemy of pakistan was not he or am i missing something"
What you are missing is the point that the Establishment has lost its head and is trying to hide its shame by absurd acts.
I am waiting for the suggestion from the Establishment that Pakistan, in a tit-for-tat act, should offer Pakistani Citizenship to Dr. Fai.
Me too!!!
Shakil afridinis benefactor not traitor.
LOVE Pakistani ways of finding scapegoats.
OBL hiding near Pak army base (and killed); no ISI resignations, no heads rolled.
The good doctor helped to kill Pakistani enemy OBL and you want to hang him.
ISI sold Pakistanis (our Gitmo guests) for money, no commission needed; the CJ does not give a damn.
Did the doctor reveal any state secrets? NO
US is giving importance to Dr Shakil because his case can provide a good cover up that whether OBL existed there or not. They want to keep this issue alive since whole Attobabad operation fiasco looks dubious.
Dear Congressman, Please dont play with doctors life just to annoy Pakistan Govt. It is very clear you dont wish well for the doctor.
Thats no good
Citizenship is great but what about the $50M bounty money? If you don't give that world won't take your head money announcements seriously.
@Anon: "wow if this bill gets through, there will be lasting ill feeling towards US in Pakistan. " Doesn't just the introduction of such a bill denote that no one really cares about the "ill feelings" of Pakistanis? On the flip side, the fact that Pakistan went after the good doctor just for helping in the elimination of terror to which ostensibly Pakistan had enjoined signify that it considers US an adversary by association?
@RBI
OBL came from a big family. Getting DNA samples wouldnt have been a hard thing for them. If a Pakistani National commits a crime in the US. Does Pakistan speak for that individual? What goes around, comes around ....
@RBI
DNA samples were obtained from relatives including his Sister who died of brain cancer at the Massachusetts General Hospital - like most conspiracy theories - they only survive because people take great pains to avoid looking at anything that conflicts with their bias.
@RBI: please educate yourself. You don't gather DNA samples of your employees after hiring him. second, DNA match can be made based on those of parents, siblings, and samples can be collected from previously used items by the subject. In short, science is fairly more advanced than the little cocoon you are living in.
Instead of US citizenship, Dr. Afridi should be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize. It is ironic that the Abbottabad Commission while sitting and not bringing out the truth the US congressman already is talking about its findings. Now the Commission would have to alter its findings or keep them secret like all previous investigations e.g., Rehman Commission Report.
Looks US justifying spying in other counties and endorsing crime and violations of international law...
i dont understand if Dr shakeel afridi helped in the killing of OBL should not we be giving him an award or something rather than trying him for treason i mean osama was a sworn enemy of pakistan was not he or am i missing something
those who handed over pakistanies to America are heroes in Pakistan( placed in high positions) and one who helped identify the most wanted OBL is prisoned in Pakistan.Dr. Shaleel Afridi will be remembered in history and that is why America has decided to take him away.
good development...next time we need anyone to do a topsecret inside job in US, we would know whom to get in touch with ;p ;p
I have never believed in conspiracy theories about 9/11 but subsequent events have made me increasingly suspicious. OBL is a fish story right from the beginning.
@RBI: may be you were quite involved with Pakistani conspiracy media to play attention to the details during may last year , OBL has a family of 2 cricket teams size some of them are in USA itself.
Friends of our enemies (traitors) cannot be our friends.
There is going to be a lot of resentment, US should consider the consequences of taking such an unpopular step.
Why US is giving so much importance to Shakeel Afridi and why our institutions are silent and not charging him ?
it was long overdue
How did the USA get a comparative sample of OBL in the first place ? Did OBL have a past record in the us where his DNA was first stored ? Eg when obl applied for a job at the CIA ?
wow if this bill gets through, there will be lasting ill feeling towards US in Pakistan. Thanks US - give more material to Difa e Pakistan!!!
As US has announced US citizenship for Dr. Shakeel Afridi, it means that US is going to take away Dr. Shakeel Afridi from Government of Pakistan.
But there are many US friends in Pakistan.
What are the reasons that US Congress don't pass the bill(s) and announce that those friends residing in Pakistan are also US citizens and then take them away from Pak soil?