Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) charged today that the Obama administration’s “quiet diplomacy” on behalf of jailed Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi is “not working” and that more aggressive measures should be taken.
“The U.S. Ambassador should be recalled and legislation should be passed to withhold foreign aid to Pakistan as long as they are doing the bidding of terrorists and persecuting the likes of Dr. Afridi,” Rep. Rohrabacher said.
Dr. Afridi is widely credited with helping the U.S. locate Osama bin Laden in Abottabad, Pakistan using a vaccination program to match the DNA of children from bin Laden’s compound with bin Laden’s DNA on file.
He was imprisoned shortly after the successful raid by Navy SEALs on the compound two years ago, and convicted by a tribal court in which he was not permitted legal representation or any form of defense. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison and has yet to meet with family or legal counsel as he prepares an appeal.
Violence in Pakistan prior to the country’s upcoming elections have forced the postponement of his appeal until June.
On Monday, Robert and Kira Reed Lorsch, who lead the Free Afridi campaign, appeared on Fox & Friends to discuss their efforts to raise awareness of Dr. Afridi’s plight, which they described as a nonpartisan campaign.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.