Pak efforts to swap Afia with Afridi come to naught

ISLAMABAD: Hectic efforts were made by the government during the last two weeks to get Dr Afia Siddiqi extradited to Pakistan through US Presidential pardon during the dying days of the Obama administration. 

However, Washington declined to do it even despite an offer made by Pakistan to swap Dr Afia Siddiqi with Dr Shakil Afridi. Some still hope that the Presidential pardon may come even now but informed sources see no chance of pardon or swap at this stage.

The Obama administration was keen to exchange Dr Afridi for another Pakistani, arrested in the US, but it was not acceptable to Islamabad. 

Informed sources said that not only Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke on this issue early this month but Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had a number of interactions with different US authorities to get a Presidential pardon for Afia Siddiqi during the last few weeks of President Obama’s rule.

These sources said that the initiative for the extradition of Dr Afia Siddiqi was taken by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who had also advised the prime minister to take up the matter with President Obama during the former’s official visit to Washington in October 2015.

In 2015, President Obama said “No” to the prime minister. Keeping in view the past practices where some of the US presidents have been generously exercising Presidential power to pardon, the finance minister early this month discussed the matter with the prime minister.

According to the sources, the premier asked to pursue the matter. Dar initially took up the issue with the top US embassy officials, who were asked to immediately raise the issue with the State Department. Within a couple of days, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif received a phone call from John Kerry.

The premier told Kerry that Pakistan seeks Presidential pardon for Dr Afia Siddiqi so that she could return to her homeland. Kerry was told that this would improve Washington's image in Pakistan.

Kerry, the sources said, told the premier that it is not possible because of the nature of Dr Afia’s “crime” and her connections. On this, the prime minister told Kerry that Pakistan could even consider a pardon for Dr Afridi and handing him over to the US in exchange for Dr Afia. But the US Secretary of State said that instead of Dr Afia, Washington could exchange a male Pakistani prisoner in the US. The second option was rejected by the prime minister.

Later, Ishaq Dar had detailed interaction with Deputy Secretary Tony Blinken, who pressed Washington’s wish to get Dr Shakil Afridi pardoned and shifted to the US or any third country in exchange for a male Pakistani prisoner in the US. Dar, however, insisted that the swap was only possible in the case of Dr Afia Siddiqi.

Blinkin was told that Dr Afia was unfairly tried and convicted and was now ailing. He said that the lady should be pardoned and repatriated to Pakistan. Dar assured that the government would ensure that she kept a low profile in Pakistan.

For the Obama administration, the option of Dr Afia’s handing over to Pakistan was a “no-starter”. In the case of Pakistan too, except for Dr Afia, any other swap of prisoner from Washington in exchange of Dr Shakil Afridi was a “non-starter”. Dar told Blinken that in case Obama administration does not agree to swap Dr Afia with Dr Shakil, Islamabad would take up the matter with the new administration.

During these high-level interactions, Dar also conveyed to Washington that Raymond Davis was handed over to the US with the understanding that he would be tried in US courts for killing two Pakistanis but it was never done.

The sources explained that Pakistan’s offer of swap was subject to the law of the land. It is explained that Pakistan told Washington that in return to US Presidential pardon for Dr Afia, the Pakistani president will be requested by the government to do the same in the case of Dr Shakil Afridi.