US Senator Rand Paul introduced legislation demanding US aid to Pakistan to be cut off unless Dr Shakil Afridi – sentenced in Pakistan for helping CIA locate al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden – is released, said a press release.
The legislation demanded that all US assistance to Pakistan be cut off unless Dr Afridi is released from prison, all charges against him are dropped and he is allowed to leave Pakistan.
Two bills were attached to the legislation. The first demanded Pakistan to overturn Dr Afridi’s 33-year prison sentence and allow him to leave the country, and the second asked granting Dr Afridi US citizenship for his efforts.
Earlier when Paul proposed the bill, he had said, “They accuse Dr Afridi of working against Pakistan, but he was simply helping the US capture the head of al Qaeda. Surely Pakistan is not linking their interests with those of an international terrorist organisation.”
The former government surgeon ran a fake vaccination programme designed to collect Bin Laden family DNA from the compound in the town of Abbottabad, where the al Qaeda leader was shot dead in a US raid in May 2011.
After his sentencing, a furious Senate Appropriations Committee voted to cut US aid to Pakistan by a symbolic $33 million – $1 million for each year of jail time.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the sentence was “unjust and unwarranted”, saying Dr Afridi was “instrumental in taking down one of the world’s most-wanted murderers”.
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This aid bussiness must come to an end. We don't need aid which is stolen by your cronies in the bureaucracy / Government and creates trouble for Pakistan and its people.
Nobody can force Pakistan to beg or accept aid. It is their own choice, starting from 1947 when they appealed to the US for huge sums of money till today. Why any other country like B. Desh, Nepal or S. Lanka is are not asking or accepting money? During the Tsunami the US offered India lot of help but they refused with thanks. No bitterness, if one does not want or like handouts a mere thanks but no thanks would suffice.
@Nas: Millions of innocents have already starved, displaced and even killed in this so called War on Terror. Pakistan has to loose in both cases.
@Nas: Wrong! These views are by ordinary Pakistanis. That aid never makes it to the needy; the governmental corruption consumes it all. It is the swiss accounts that are getting filled, not the accounts of the poor. We better be pushed to the brinks where we learn to create jobs and opportunities within Pakistan instead of our tradition of relying on the aid that never makes it to the correct destination.
I think this is a good step towards making Pakistan a self reliant nation. Enough of relying on foreign aid which never benefitted any citizen in any way or form. This money was only used to bribe politicians and army generals to buy their loyalties. Timing is perfect to stop such help as they are still hitting innocent civilians by using drone strikes. Pakistanis should demand their leaders to leave their palaces and live amongst them. All governor houses and President and Prime Minister houses should be converted into museums, libraries and Universities. They should also demand to cut down expenditures and wastes and use them towards education, health and infrastructure development. That is the only way out for Pakistan to prosperity. If any current leaders still prefers begging for aid, is enemy of the state and people of Pakistan.
@Nasir: all the people that support cutting US aid have rich daddy's and will still get fed - what about the millions that will starve and the millions that do not have swiss bank accounts? India / China have become economic superpowers - Pakistan has been raped by its politicians and starved due to lack of foreign investment due to countries being afraid to invest thanks to the MULLAH - we are in NO state to make demands.
The Dr. was working for the US only for big money and after the objective is achieved, the US is playing dirty politics with Pakistan on his name. Pakistan has already been chosen as an escape goat for all the failures and for winning the elections.
Rand Paul THANK YOU!
AND NOW...PLEASE STAY OUT OF PAKISTANI POLITICS AND PLEASE STOP SUPPORTING DICTATORS AND CORRUPT POLITICIANS!
This is a blessing in disguise, Please suspend all AID to pakistan PERIOD. Pakistanies will have to manage on their own and learn to develop their own skills to survive, AID must be cut. Thanks Senator Even thou I think Dr. should be allowed to go free and given the Millions of head money on Trash OBL.
Thank you senator. I urge you to cut aid completely.
Sincerely, A Pakistani.