Pakistan has condemned US Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump’s remark that he would ensure Pakistani physician Shakil Afridi, who has helped the US kill Osama bin Laden, is freed from jail within two minutes.
Dr. Afridi, who is known in Pakistan as a CIA doctor and has been described as a hero in the US, is serving a 33-year-long imprisonment for treason.
Mr. Trump on Monday in an interview with
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Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Monday said Dr. Afridi’s fate will be decided by Islamabad and not by Mr. Trump even if he becomes the US president.
“Shakil Afridi is a Pakistani citizen and nobody else has the right to dictate us about his future,” Mr. Khan said.
Mr. Khan said it was not only about Dr. Afridi but Mr. Trump’s perception and comments about Pakistan were highly misplaced and unwarranted.
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“Contrary to Trump’s misconception, Pakistan is not a colony of the US. He should learn to treat sovereign countries with respect. Trump seems to be ignorant, historically, of the huge sacrifices Pakistan have made in standing with or supporting US policies over the years.”
Mr. Trump also said he plans to leverage US aid “because we give a lot of aid to Pakistan. We give a lot of money to Pakistan.”
Mr. Khan said the “peanuts” that the U.S. gave to Pakistan in return should not be used to threaten or browbeat the country into following Mr. Trump’s misguided vision of foreign policy.
Mr. Khan said the cost Pakistan had to pay in supporting US over the years was mind-boggling.
Mr. Trump’s statement shows not only his insensitivity but also his ignorance about Pakistan, he said.