US presidential runner Donald Trump in his recent interview said that if he would be elected then he will free the Pakistani doctor Shakeel Afridi who is in jail in Pakistan serving a 23-year prison term for helping the US raid Osama bin Laden’s hideout in Abbottabad in 2011. Answering a question in the interview he said that he will get the doctor out from jail in two minutes.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Monday while reacting to the statement of Donald Trump said that fate of Shakeel Afridi will only be decided by Pakistani courts. He further rightly said that Pakistan is not a colony of the United States and Donald Trump should learn to treat sovereign countries with respect.
Dr. Afridi assisted US efforts in tracking down Osama bin Laden and being considered a hero in the United States. US in order to persuade Islamabad to release Dr. Shakeel Afridi considering cutting the financial assistance to Pakistan. In January 2014, President Barack Obama signed a bill that proposed to withhold $33 million from assistance to Pakistan over Dr Afridi’s detention.
Indeed Shakeel Afridi is a Pakistani citizen and state holds the right to decide his fate according to the law of the land. This statement of Trump should be considered ridiculous. In the recent past he has been condemned within United States and in many other countries regarding his highly controversial statements. Trump seems to be ignorant with the fact that Pakistan is an ally of US in war against terror and have rendered huge sacrifices while supporting American policies over the years.
Donald Trump should learn to treat sovereign countries with respect.
