Dawn is the newspaper founded by Mohammed Ali Jinnah, who also founded Pakistan. When I filled out my little entry form last night, that's what I checked for my morning complementary paper. Glad I did, 'cause there's a bombshell of a top headline this morning: "Dr Afridi jailed for helping Khyber militants."
Shakil Afridi is the physician accused of helping the CIA run a fake hepatitis vaccine campaign in Abbottabad to try to figure out whether bin Laden was staying in the house where he was, in fact, found. The government arrested him, much to the ire of US diplomats and officials. All indications were that he'd been arrested for, essentially, treason ("anti state activities"). Helping a foreign military carry out an attack on your home soil qualifies, I think.
But now court documents have revealed that, "The four-member tribal court did not entertain evidence relating to Dr Shakil Afridi's involvement with the CIA, citing lack of jurisdiction as the main reason and recommended that he be produced before the relevant court for further proceedings under the law... However, he was sentenced...on the charge of having links with Manal Bagh." That is, he was involved with Lashkar-i-Islam, a militant group based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The court left open the option of trying him for treason but his trial and sentencing to date have had nothing to do with bin Laden or the CIA.
This is apparently as big a surprise to the Pakistani media as to anyone. It'll be interesting to see what people think today.
Shakil Afridi is the physician accused of helping the CIA run a fake hepatitis vaccine campaign in Abbottabad to try to figure out whether bin Laden was staying in the house where he was, in fact, found. The government arrested him, much to the ire of US diplomats and officials. All indications were that he'd been arrested for, essentially, treason ("anti state activities"). Helping a foreign military carry out an attack on your home soil qualifies, I think.
But now court documents have revealed that, "The four-member tribal court did not entertain evidence relating to Dr Shakil Afridi's involvement with the CIA, citing lack of jurisdiction as the main reason and recommended that he be produced before the relevant court for further proceedings under the law... However, he was sentenced...on the charge of having links with Manal Bagh." That is, he was involved with Lashkar-i-Islam, a militant group based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The court left open the option of trying him for treason but his trial and sentencing to date have had nothing to do with bin Laden or the CIA.
This is apparently as big a surprise to the Pakistani media as to anyone. It'll be interesting to see what people think today.
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