Ted Poe asks Pak to free doc who traced Osama

Washington: A US lawmaker has asked Islamabad to free Shakil Afridi, the “hero” doctor who helped the CIA to trace out Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

“Pakistan claims to be United States’ number one counterterrorism ally, yet they hypocritically hold this hero in a Pakistani prison. Pakistan is no friend of the US,” Congressman Ted Poe said on the floor of the US House of Representatives.

“They are on the wrong side on the war on terror. Pakistan hid Osama bin Laden from the world,” the Congressman said in his remarks on Monday. 

The Republican lawmaker from Texas said Dr Afridi deserves a medal for aiding the elimination of Osama bin Laden, not life in prison. 

“Pakistan should free him, and it is time to declare Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism. And that is just the way it is,” Poe said. 

“Mr Speaker, the day that Osama bin Laden, the world’s number one terrorist, met his maker was a great day in the war on terror. But finding America’s most wanted terrorist hiding in Pakistan was no easy feat,” he said.     

Bin laden was killed on May 2, 2011 by US Navy SEALs during a raid in Pakistan’s Abbottabad. 

Mr Poe assured Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Pakistan Coord-ination Committee Convener Nadeem Nusrat that he will sit quiet and calm over these inhuman acts and would play his role to seek an end to these atrocities and injustices, which the Mohajirs are victims of, a media release said.

MQM Convener informed Poe in detail about multi-faceted agony of Mohajirs in Karachi, the alleged atrocities on them from Pakistan’s security forces under state repressive actions.