Dr Afridi to be released by May, US media claims

Says backroom dealings under way

LAHORE: Negotiations to release Dr Shakil Afridi, who helped the CIA pinpoint Osama bin Laden, have gained momentum during the last few weeks and he could be released as early as May, US media reported quoting multiple sources.

The news report, which cited an Islamabad official, says the possible release gained steam toward the end of last year and there has been a renewed willingness to figure out an appropriate time and means to have the doctor – who is said to be declining in health – discharged.

Another well-placed source, a US intelligence government contractor, said there was a lot of “backroom dealing”. The two parties were negotiating concessions, with a release possible in around three to four months.

US officials have repeatedly condemned Dr Shakil’s imprisonment and expressed regret for exposing his identity by making details of the raid public.

The Pakistan embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. 

Dr Shakil’s fate is expected to be at the forefront of President Donald Trump’s dialogue with Pakistan. While on the campaign circuit last May, the then-GOP frontrunner insisted that, if elected, he would secure his freedom “in two minutes”.

A high-ranking Pentagon official, previously involved in negotiations to have Dr Shakil released, said exhaustive efforts were made to establish some kind of “prisoner swap”.

However, it was ultimately rejected because Pakistani officials didn’t want anything in return and did not want to appear “weak” by caving in to public pressure from the United States.

“This left the CIA paralysed,” the insider said. But the US was assured that Afridi would be released once the press about him calmed down.

If released, it remains unclear where Afridi and his family will reside since Pakistan is considered unsafe for them. Most of his immediate family remains in hiding and his former lawyer was shot dead in 2015 by a member of a Taliban faction.

“I assume he and his extended family will live and come here,” the Pentagon source added. “But it could also be a third country to save Pakistan from embarrassment.”