Dr Shakeel Afridi lawyer misses the date in the Applette Tribunal

Dr Shakeel Afridi lawyer misses the date in the Applette Tribunal

PESHAWAR: The lawyer of the Dr Shakeel Afridi, a Pakistani national who worked for American CIA to track down Al Qaeeda Chief Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, missed the hearing of the case against his client in the applette tribunal.

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas Tribunal on Wednesday adjourned to July 27 the hearing into Dr Shakil Afridi’s petition against the upholding of his conviction by an appellate forum for having links with militant outfits.

The hearing into the case had assumed importance over rumours about the possible shifting of Dr Shakil, who is suspected of helping the US CIA track down Al-Qaeda Chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, by Islamabad to Washington as part of a deal.

Qamar Nadeem, lawyer for Dr Shakil, informed the tribunal that the lead counsel in the case, Lateef Afridi, was unavailable for the hearing due to his hectic schedule at the Supreme Court and therefore, the case should be adjourned.

The tribunal, which is the third and final judicial forum available under the Frontier Crimes Regulation and consists of chairman Sange Marjan Khan and members Hussainzada Khan and Atif Nazir, adjourned the hearing observing that it will hear arguments on the next hearing.