A hero to some, a traitor to others.
Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi, who helped the CIA hunt down Osama Bin Laden, was convicted of treason yesterday by a tribal court in northwestern Pakistan. He has been sentenced to 33 years in prison.
Dr. Afridi ran a vaccination program for the CIA in Abbottabad in an effort to verify the Al Qaeda leader’s presence at the compound he was killed in last May. U.S. officials and lawmakers have roundly criticized Dr. Afridi’s detention and have lobbied with the Pakistani government to gain his release. The sentencing is sure to add new strains to an already troubled U.S.-Pakistan relationship. Hassan Abbas, a Bernard Schwartz Fellow at the Asia Society, joins us to discuss. Hassan is a former Pakistani government official, serving in the administrations of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and President Pervez Musharraf. Former Department of State spokesperson P.J. Crowley also joins. He is currently the Omar Bradley Chair in Strategic Leadership at the Penn State Dickinson School of Law and School of International Affairs.
Former Department of State spokesperson PJ Crowley also joins us. He is currently the Omar Bradley Chair in Strategic Leadership at Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law. Former Department of State spokesperson PJ Crowley also joins us. He is currently the Omar Bradley Chair in Strategic Leadership at Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law.
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