Pakistan hints willingness to bridge gap with US on Dr Shakil Afridi
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Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that Shakil Afridi, the doctor who helped the CIA trace Osama bin Laden, is viewed as a traitor in Pakistan.
“But he is viewed as a friend in the US,” Qureshi told Fox News. “So we have to bridge this gap.”
However, the foreign minister didn’t reveal if his government was in talks with the Trump Administration about Dr Afridi.
“We have a legal system and Afridi went through that legal process,” he added. “He was given a fair chance to plead his case.”
Dr Afridi was convicted and is serving a jail sentence, Qureshi said.
Before being elected president, Mr Trump made a promise that he would have Dr Afridi released in “two minutes”.
“I would tell them [Pakistan], ‘Let him out,’ and I’m sure they would let him out,” Trump told Fox News in 2016.
Pakistan and US have been at loggerheads after Washington accused Pakistan of aiding anti-America groups in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies this.
The Pakistan-US relationship went from bad to worse after Donald Trump became president.
The Trump Administration recently cut $300 million to Islamabad through the Coalition Support Fund, citing Pakistan’s “lack of decisive actions in support of the South Asia strategy”.
“When you are in a difficult situation you look for scapegoats,” Qureshi said, referring to US pressure on Pakistan.
“Pakistan is there to help and facilitate,” the foreign minister said, adding that a stable and peaceful Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s own interest.
Qureshi and Pompeo are meeting on October 2
Mr Qureshi will meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington on October 2.
According to Radio Pakistan, Qureshi would discuss the bilateral relationship and regional security. Pakistan and the US are trying to bridge the gap between two governments after Imran Khan became prime minister.
On September 5, Mr Pompeo held meetings with Khan, Army Chief General Bajwa and other Pakistani officials.
“We talked about their new government and their opportunity to reset the relationship,” Pompeo told reporters after his Pakistan visit.
The Pakistani foreign minister said Pakistan also wants to reset the relationship.
“I am here to fix a relationship that went sour – a relationship that has mutually benefited,” Qureshi told Fox News. “We have been allies for a long time and it is time to rebuild that powerful relationship.”
Article source: https://www.samaa.tv/news/2018/10/pakistan-hints-willingness-to-bridge-gap-with-us-on-dr-shakil-afridi/