ISLAMABAD: Dismissed as a traitor in Pakistan but lauded as a hero by the United States, Shakeel Afridi is paying a heavy price for his role in bringing an end to Osama Bin Laden.
A decade after the Al-Qaeda chief was gunned down by a team of Navy Seals, there is no sign the doctor will be exonerated by Pakistan authorities for helping the CIA pinpoint Bin Laden’s location under the cloak of running a vaccination program.
Locked up in solitary confinement in Sahiwal Jail in Pakistan’s central Punjab province, Afridi now spends his time counting the days — with nothing to differentiate between them.
“He is being kept in prison now only to teach every Pakistani a lesson not to cooperate with a western intelligence agency,” Husain Haqqani, who was serving as Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington at the time of the raid, told AFP.
AFP pieced together the daily routine of the doctor through interviews with his brother and lawyer, as Afridi is barred from speaking to anyone apart from his family or legal team.
For exercise, he paces around his seven by eight foot cell and does occasional push-ups, according to his family.
He has a copy of the Qur’an, but is not allowed other books.
A couple of times a week he shaves in the presence of a guard, but contact with other inmates is also strictly prohibited.
Family members can visit just twice a month, but are separated by an iron grate and forbidden from conversing in their native Pashto tongue.
“The prison authorities have told us that we can’t discuss politics or talk about the situation inside the jail,” said the brother.
Hailing from Pakistan’s rugged tribal areas, the physician appeared to be an ideal asset for the CIA as the spy agency zeroed in on Bin Laden’s hideout in the city of Abbottabad.
All the Americans needed was a bit of proof that Bin Laden was there, so they had Afridi launch a vaccine campaign with the aim of extracting a DNA sample from inside his compound.
Just how instrumental Afridi was in identifying the Al-Qaeda boss is unclear, but the doctor was arrested by authorities weeks after the deadly assault on Bin Laden’s home.
He was never found guilty of anything linked to the raid, but convicted by a tribal court under an obscure colonial era law for providing money to an insurgent group and handed a 33-year sentence.
Successive US administrations have protested against his continued imprisonment — and over the years there has been talk of a prisoner exchange — but a deal to free Afridi has never materialized.
“Let’s be clear: Afridi has paid the highest price,” said Michael Kugelman, deputy South Asia director at the Wilson Center in Washington.
“He became the fall guy.”
The 10-year anniversary of the Bin Laden raid comes just weeks after President Joe Biden announced that the US’s long war in Afghanistan would be coming to an end.
In an address to the nation, Biden citied the killing of Bin Laden as proof that US forces had long ago accomplished their initial objectives for invading Afghanistan.
Unsurprisingly, the president made no mention of Afridi.
“The withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the downgrading of ties with Pakistan that this could entail, suggests that Afridi won’t be the hot button issue that it’s been in the past,” said Kugelman.
Few are sympathetic to Afridi’s ongoing plight in Pakistan, where the Bin Laden raid fanned anti-American sentiment after years of simmering distrust between the uneasy allies.
“Whenever someone works for a foreign intelligence agency it’s one of the most unforgivable crimes,” Asad Durrani, the former head of Pakistan’s formidable spy agency, told AFP, saying that Afridi’s arrest probably saved the doctor from being lynched.
But even as the US prepares to exit Afghanistan and memories of the Bin Laden saga fade, Afridi’s legacy continues to reverberate in Pakistan.
Faith in vaccine campaigns has been seriously undercut by the ruse, with families routinely refusing to have their children inoculated for curable diseases such as polio.
Insurgents have also attacked vaccine teams, with dozens of health workers gunned down in the past decade.
Meanwhile in prison, Afridi remains largely cut off from the outside world and passes his time pacing his cell and reciting daily prayers.
“He is not allowed to use a mobile, read a newspaper or a book,” said his brother Jamil Afridi. “He lives in isolation.”
The lonely life of the Pakistani doctor who helped pinpoint Bin Laden
https://arab.news/23kwp
The lonely life of the Pakistani doctor who helped pinpoint Bin Laden
- Shakeel Afridi was an ideal asset for CIA as the spy agency zeroed in on Bin Laden’s hideout in the city of Abbottabad
- Afridi was convicted by tribal court under a colonial era law for providing money to an insurgent group, handed a 33-year sentence
Saudi aid agency KSrelief distributes over 2,000 food parcels in Pakistan
- Food parcels in flood-affected Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions, benefiting 13,159 people
- Latest initiative forms part of this year’s Food Security Support Project in Pakistan by KSrelief
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief has distributed 2,028 food parcels in Pakistan’s flood-affected Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions, benefiting 13,159 people, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently.
Sunday’s initiative forms part of this year’s Food Security Support Project in Pakistan.
The aid reflects the Kingdom’s ongoing humanitarian efforts through KSrelief to assist needy individuals in Pakistan.
Pakistan to cut tariff for electric vehicle charging stations by 44%
- The government aims for 30% of vehicles to run on electricity by 2030
- It has announced a 15-day registration process for charging stations
KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a 44% reduction in electricity tariffs for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on Wednesday, cutting rates from Rs71 per unit to Rs39.70 per unit, the power division said in a statement.
Pakistan has actively promoted EV adoption to combat environmental challenges, reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels and improve urban air quality. Under its Electric Vehicle Policy 2019-2024, the government aims for 30 percent of vehicles to run on electricity by 2030.
However, inadequate charging infrastructure, frequent power outages and the high cost of EVs have hindered progress.
“The electricity tariff for charging stations has been reduced from Rs71 to Rs39.70 per unit, marking the first time in Pakistan’s history that EV-specific rates have been lowered by 44 percent,” the statement said.
“In addition, the country’s first-ever regulations for establishing EV charging stations and battery swapping points have been implemented under the National Energy Conservation Authority, with an official gazette notification issued,” it added.
The power division highlighted the economic benefits of these measures, saying that switching motorcycles to electric technology at an average cost of Rs50,000 could save $6 billion annually on fuel.
Similarly, electrifying three-wheeled rickshaws could significantly reduce urban travel costs and help combat air pollution.
The reduced EV charging costs are also expected to lower transportation expenses, positively impacting goods delivery and essential commodity prices.
The government has decided to support these initiatives through a one-window registration process for setting up charging stations and battery points, allowing approvals within 15 days.
Registration fees have been set at Rs50,000 to encourage local and foreign investment.
The power division informed the regulations included provisions for technology neutrality and safety standards, with regular monitoring and audits to ensure compliance.
Pakistani PM orders cooperation with Interpol against suspects running human trafficking schemes abroad
- Illegal immigration in spotlight in Pakistan since last month after five Pakistani nationals killed in boat capsize off Greek coast
- In 2023, hundreds, including 262 Pakistani nationals, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank off Greek coast
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday called on the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to work with international police organization Interpol for the extradition of suspects running the “heinous business of human trafficking abroad.”
The issue of illegal immigration has been in the spotlight in the South Asian nation since last month following the death of five Pakistanis when a migrant boat capsized off the southern Greek island of Gavdos.
The tragedy, which occurred on Dec. 14, underscored the perilous journeys many migrants undertake due to military or political conflicts in their home countries or in search of better financial prospects.
On Wednesday, Sharif presided over a review meeting to discuss progress on actions taken against human trafficking.
“Prime Minister instructed the FIA to seek cooperation from Interpol for the extradition of the most wanted smugglers running the heinous business of human trafficking abroad,” the PM’s office said in a statement.
“Ministry of Information and Broadcasting should run an effective awareness campaign about illegal foreign travel and human trafficking.”
Authorities told Sharif dozens of traffickers had been arrested in 2024 and several government officials who were found to be facilitating them had been dismissed and several more were facing disciplinary action.
“Punitive measures are being taken against government officials involved in human trafficking,” the statement added. “Assets worth over Rs 500 million of human traffickers have been seized and the process of confiscating more is underway rapidly … Special prosecutors have been appointed to prosecute human traffickers.”
In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel traveling from Libya capsized and sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek coastal town of Pylos.
Another round of talks between Imran Khan’s party, government expected tomorrow
- Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party held first round of talks with government on Dec. 23, second on Jan. 2
- Party is demanding the release of political prisoners, judicial commission to probe allegations it led violent protests
ISLAMABAD: The political party of Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan will hold another round of talks tomorrow, Thursday, with the government over the release of its leader and other political activists and the formation of a judicial commission to probe accusations the party led violent protests.
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in 2022 has plunged the country into long-term political crisis, particularly since the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was jailed in August last year on corruption and other charges, on which he remains behind bars. His party and supporters regularly hold protests calling for his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent, including one in November last year in which the government says four troops were killed and the PTI says 12 of its supporters died.
Khan had previously rejected talks with the government, saying his party would only speak to the ‘real powerbrokers’ in Pakistan, the all-powerful army, but last month he set up a negotiating committee of top party leaders to open dialogue with the government on two main demands: the release of political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate PTI-led protests on May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26, 2024, in which the government says his supporters engaged in violence and arson.
The first round of talks took place on Dec. 23 and the second on Jan. 2.
“We [government committee] told them [PTI] at the last meeting that if you want a judicial commission then what terms of reference do you want, do you have any conditions on who should head it, and similarly, can you give us a list of who you consider political prisoners and then we can answer whether these are political prisoners or not,” Rana Sanaullah, a senior leader of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s PML-N party, told Pakistan’s Geo News on Wednesday.
“Hopefully, at tomorrow’s [Thursday] meeting, they will give us this list and also their conditions on the judicial commission.”
Speaking outside a sessions court in the federal capital, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, who is also Khan’s lawyer, confirmed that another round of talks would be held with the government committee on Thursday.
“The third session of our negotiations with the government will take place tomorrow and we will submit our written demands,” he told reporters.
“If the government engages with sincerity and seriousness, solutions to these issues can be found. Democracy and political stability require the release and relief of political prisoners ... We hope this process will conclude soon and bring good news.”
The talks opened last month as Khan had threatened a civil dissidence movement and amid growing concerns he could face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9 protests.
The negotiations also began two days after 25 civilians were sentenced by a military court to periods of two to 10 years of “rigorous imprisonment” in connection with attacks on military facilities on May 9, 2023. Just days later on Dec. 26, another 60 civilians were sentenced by a military court to jail time ranging from 2 to 10 years in connection with the May 9 attacks.
Khan’s arrest in May 2023 in a land graft case sparked countrywide protests that saw his supporters attack and ransack military installations in an unprecedented backlash against Pakistan’s powerful army generals. Although Khan was released days later, he was rearrested in August that year after being convicted in a corruption case. He remains in prison and says all cases against him are politically motivated.
Pakistan smoking-related deaths surpass South Asia, global averages — survey
- Pakistan’s annual rate is 91.1 per 100,000 people, with 80% smokers expressing desire to quit
- Average death rate for South Asia is 78.1, while the global average is 72.6 per 100,000 people
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s annual smoking-related death rate of 91.1 per 100,000 people significantly exceeds both the South Asian and global averages, according to an analysis by Gallup Pakistan on Tuesday, based on the Global Burden of Disease 2024 report.
Smoking is often initiated at a young age in Pakistan, with many individuals beginning the habit during adolescence. Although laws exist to prevent the sale of cigarettes to anyone under 18 and prohibit sales near schools, enforcement remains weak.
The affordability of cigarettes further contributes to the easy accessibility of tobacco products for youth. Early initiation is additionally driven by peer pressure and the perceived glamor associated with smoking, despite restrictions on promotional activities.
“According to the Global Burden of Disease 2024, Pakistan reports an annual death rate from smoking of 91.1 per 100,000 people, notably higher than the averages for South Asia (78.1) and the rest of the world (72.6),” Gallup said.
“Between 1990 and 2021, Pakistan experienced a 35 percent relative decrease in smoking-related death rates, which is lower than the reductions achieved by India (37 percent), South Asia (38 percent), and the global average (42 percent),” it added.
Gallup also mentioned data from the World Health Organization, saying it showed that purchasing 100 packs of the most-sold cigarette brand requires 3.7 percent of the GDP per capita, significantly lower than India’s 9.8 percent and Bangladesh’s 4.2 percent.
However, cigarette affordability is still decreasing in the country, with the share of GDP per capita needed to buy 100 packs rising by 38 percent between 2012 and 2022 due to price increases.
Gallup also quoted its own 2022 opinion poll, saying 80 percent of smokers in the country expressed a desire to quit smoking.
