Former Finance Minister Miftah Ismail on Tuesday claimed US President Donald Trump has been asked to bring Shakil Afridi, a Pakistani physician convicted of espionage, to America.

 

Afridi was accused of assisting the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in obtaining DNA samples of former Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden through a fake vaccination campaign. Afridi was arrested near Peshawar, two weeks after Osama’s death.

 

Appearing on a private media outlet, the ex-Finance Minister said that former United States (US) Vice President Mike Pence had initially demanded of then Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi that Shakil Afridi be released. 

 

Following the demand, Miftah said that the matter was discussed in the National Security Council (NSC) meeting, adding that during the meeting, the release of Pakistani neuroscientist Dr. Aafia Siddiqui was also discussed.

 

Miftah said, “At one time, there was a consensus among all state institutions and political leaders that the prisoner [Shakil Afridi] should be sent to America,” adding that the release might give a psychological win to Trump, which doesn’t cost anything to Pakistan.

 

“You are pointing towards Shakil Afridi, who was involved in espionage in Pakistan. If we talk about him, we would have to talk about Dr. Aafia Siddiqui too,” said the programme host. In response, Miftah agreed with the host's suggestions, saying, “At one point, the government also had the same stance.”

 

In September 2010, Siddiqui was sentenced to 86 years of imprisonment by a US federal court in Manhattan after she was convicted of firing at US troops in Afghanistan while in their custody and six other charges brought against her.

 

Miftah maintained that Siddiqui could also be brought back to Pakistan on humanitarian grounds since she had been imprisoned for so long. “There is no harm in taking the first step if we have to save the country’s exports and jobs,” he opined while viewing the Trump tariff policy.

 

It merits a mention that two months ago, Siddiqui’s American lawyer Clive Smith had suggested the swap of the neuroscientist with Afridi. However, the federal government informed the court that the proposal was not feasible.

 

Additional Attorney General (AAG) Munawar Iqbal Duggal informed the court that there is no agreement between Pakistan and the US for the exchange of prisoners. He emphasized that both Afridi and Siddiqui were Pakistani citizens, and such an exchange would not be legally or diplomatically viable.