In the midst of already degrading relations of USA and Pakistan comes a bestseller Dr. Shakil Afridi's 33 year imprisonment. Dr. Shakil Afridi was the man who played a central role in the shootout of Osama Bin Laden. He was running a false Hepatitis B vaccination camp just at the walking distance from OBL's honeymoon suite in Abbottabad, to get the DNA of kid's staying in the house and confirm the identity of Bin Laden. He actually was a Doctor.
First things first he was running a fake vaccination camp which is unethical and considering the fact that it was Pakistan where camps are suspiciously looked as some Foreign agenda, it was unpardonable. But hold on a second wasn't he doing a favor to the citizens of the world by playing a part in the OBL diaspora? He was just doing a favor to mankind and wow he got picked up for 33 years imprisonment.
 |
| Dr. Shakil Afridi |
What's worse, Obama and his security cabinet is being blamed to have dumped its most valuable partner at its fate. USA goes gaga and cuts $33m aid to Pakistan (which should teach them not to mess with Uncle Sam).
Let me walk you guys through all this who are patient enough to have read this far. Dr. Afridi was brought before a secret trial in the Khyber tribal area – no charge sheets, no lawyers, no statements from the defendant or the prosecution, just a measly accusation of conspiracy against the state of Pakistan and "high treason".
Now suppose, Vladimir Putin sent a KGB/FSB hit squad to USA to murder a former agent called Alexander Litvinenko. For those who are acquainted with Cold war period of "spy games" must have came across the name. Yes, he was murdered by KGB but not in USA but in UK (doesn't matter as in the case of Pakistan and North Korea) and without the help of any citizens of US or UK. And Litvinenko, in real life, was indeed a trusted agent of the Russians, just as Bin Laden was a much-admired servant of the CIA when he was fighting the Russians in Afghanistan.
Now straight to the point, suppose Litvinenko was murdered after being identified by a US national, well respected, practicing doctor. What would Mr. Obama, Cameroon, CIA, FBI, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and the Lord Chief Justice would have done. Accept the bribe from Russia (say $33m like they are offering to Pakistan) to let that citizen of their country to go and receive awards, accolades, a bungalow in posh colony of Moscow, private security guards and an opportunity to start his career all over again.
No brownie points for guessing, they would have accused that citizen of conspiracy against the states and for "High Treason", would clad him in an iron apparel, staged a hush hush trial (Guantanamo Bay) covered by Official secrets Act and attended by their pet Agents and would have send the fellow to the ghetto barracks of a highly secured and hi tech prison.
In other words, are the Pakistanis being so mean and malicious when they lock up a national who has helped a foreign power murder an exile inside his own country of Pakistan? And, more to the point, wouldn't any other country of the world do the same?
What about that Israeli citizen named Mordechai Vanunu, who, in opposition to the nuclear weapons that his country was amassing in secret, spoke out to the world about this outrageous threat to international world order and was subsequently kidnapped from Italy by intelligence agents, tried in Israel for "treason" – in secret, of course – and spent 18 years in prison? Now I grant you that's 15 years shorter than poor old Dr Afridi, but Vanunu still lives under grave restrictions to his liberty and has twice been imprisoned again for the heinous crime of chatting to foreign journalists.
My point is that US and UK never spoke about that, against Israel, nor they had cut any annual donation to the state of Israel let alone taking measures against the 40 years old illegal occupation of Gaza and colonization of west bank.
But I suppose in the end, if you're going to prostitute yourself to America – financially and militarily, as Pakistan has done for decades – that's the price you pay. But this time the prostitute has raised the bar, refusing to bow down in front of his pimp. Dr. Afridi is a classic case of "Collateral damage" as the incident of Pakistani soldier being killed by US led NATO forces came into highlight. He gets his foot tangled in a firestorm. The purpose of all this was to send a signal to the Americans’ that we are sticking by our guns, and are willing to raise the stakes’ as high as possible, Dr. Shakil Afridi is unfortunate to have got caught in the cross-fire.
