Dr Aafia should not be linked to Shakil Afridi: Foreign Office

The Foreign Office spokesperson stated that Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s extradition should not be linked with Dr Shakil Afridi’s fate, Express News reported on Friday. Afridi was sentenced to a 33-year jail term in May 2012 for helping the US CIA determine the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden and for his links to a banned militant group. Aafia is the Pakistani scientist who was sentenced to 86 years on September 23, 2010 after she was found guilty on seven counts, including attempted murder. She is currently being held at an American maximum security prison in Fort Worth, Texas. The spokesperson said, “The decision regarding Shakil Afridi’s fate will be decided according to Pakistani law. He has broken the law and will be punished accordingly.” The Foreign Office’s comments come against the backdrop of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s official visit to the United States. To a question about Dr Aafia Siddiqui and Dr Shakil Afridi, the premier had said the United States did raise its concerns, as did Pakistan. “They discussed Dr Shakil, we did Dr Aafia. Now we will review the situation after we reach Pakistan.” During the visit, Chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ed Royce, had urged Nawaz to release Dr Shakil Afridi. According to a statement, Royce said, “I specifically pressed the prime minister to release Dr Shakil Afridi and encouraged him to ensure that his nation is in fact a responsible and effective partner in countering terrorism, proliferation and violent extremism in the region.”