ISLAMABAD – The US has expressed concerns for the safety of a doctor whohelped track down Osama bin Laden, the world’s most wanted terrorist. Itfollows his transfer to a maximum security prison in Pakistan.
“We are aware of reports that Dr. Shakil Afridi has been transferred toanother prison,” said Helaena White, the US State Department’s Bureau ofSouth and Central Asian Affairs spokesperson, told Arab News.
“We expect the government of Pakistan to take all necessary measures toensure Dr. Afridi’s safety.”
The doctor, regarded as a hero by the US but a traitor in Pakistan, wastransferred last month from Peshawar Central Jail, where he had been heldsince 2012 after being charged with anti-state activity and colluding withterrorists.
The Inspector General for Prisons in the northwest province of KhyberPakhtunkhwa (KP), Shahid Ullah, said that Afridi was moved on April 27 tothe heavily guarded Rawalpindi Central Jail outside Islamabad, but declinedto comment on the reason for the sudden transfer.
KP government adviser on prisons Malik Qasim Khattak said: “It was ourlongstanding demand to shift Dr. Afridi from Peshawar.”
He said the doctor was a “high-profile case” and Peshawar prison, whichholds the country’s most dangerous criminals and terrorists, was notappropriate for him.
Media reports suggest the authorities took the decision due to “securityconcerns.” However, details behind the sudden relocation of the high-valueprisoner, who has been behind bars for seven years, remain vague.
The shift sparked speculation that Afridi may be released or handed over tothe US.
The doctor’s lawyer and cousin, Qamar Nadeem Afridi, interpreted thetransfer as a sign his client might be released soon. He said Afridi wouldcomplete a 10-year jail sentence on May 23 after official remissions weretaken into account.
Afridi was initially sentenced to 33 years in prison on four differentcounts, but his jail term was reduced to 23 years in 2014. Under Pakistanilaw, when a prisoner is awarded concurrent sentences, he can be releasedafter completion of his maximum sentence on one charge.