Bills in US Congress: ‘Cease aid till Pakistan releases Afridi’

Pakistan must understand that they are choosing the wrong side: Rand Paul

WASHINGTON: Senator Rand Paul, a member of the Republican Party and Tea Party movement, has introduced two bills in Congress asking for all US foreign assistance to Pakistan to cease until Dr Shakil Afridi is released and all charges against him are dropped, and that Dr Afridi be given US citizenship. In a statement issued from his office last week, Senator Paul said, “Pakistan must understand that they are choosing the wrong side. 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.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2012.