Nawaz Sharif... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
was not quite prepared for. Reportedly, at a private meeting, American politicians minced no words in demanding the release of Dr Shakil Afridi, whose fake vaccination drive helped lead the Americans to the late Osama bin Laden
... who is now beyond all cares and woe...
's hideout in 2011. In a questionable trial, the doctor was sentenced to a lengthy prison term on charges unrelated to the dubious campaign or his links with the American secret agencies -- actions which officialdom in Pakistain had said amounted to treason. However,
a woman is only as old as she admits...
this kind of pressure for Afridi's release could well cause the right-wing lobby in Pakistain to step up its demand for the repatriation of
Aafia Siddiqui...American-educated Pak cognitive neuroscientist who was convicted of assault with intent to murder her U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan. In September 2010, she was sentenced to 86 years in jug after a three-ring trial. Siddiqui, using the alias Fahrem or Feriel Shahin, was one of six alleged al-Qaeda members who bought $19 million worth of blood diamonds in Liberia immediately prior to 9-11-01. Since her incarceration Paks have taken her to their heart and periodically erupt into demonstrations, while the government tries to find somebody to swap for her...
who was sentenced after being convicted in 2010 for assaulting and attempting to murder US nationals. Her trial was largely seen in Pakistain as lacking transparency.
The two cases are part of a larger debate on human rights
...not to be confused with
individual rights,mind you...
and access to a fair and free trial. But the latest barrage of criticism from Washington simply shows that the bigger picture -- and it is a terrifying one for both the US and Pakistain -- is being missed. Instead of firmly concentrating on joint cooperation and taking action against gunnies who are terrorising this region and beyond, the two countries continue to focus on misplaced priorities. Turning up the heat on Pakistain on the Afridi issue will not help if the US and Pakistain are to remain focused on the common goal of eliminating militancy. Pointing fingers is counterproductive to this goal which is becoming increasingly elusive as gunnies eye the post NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants...
withdrawal period as an opportunity to entrench themselves.