PESHAWAR: The “distressed” family of Dr Shakil Afridi is in disbelief that he had work for the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to help track down Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad before May 2 operation without informing civil and military leadership in Islamabad. 

“He is not that sort of person. I am surprised how he could do this, if it is true,” the wife of Khyber Agency surgeon Dr Afridi, shaken by a British newspaper’s report, told Daily Times on Tuesday. Guardian newspaper said the American CIA “recruited” Dr Shakil Afridi, resident of Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency where he was the top health official also, to run “fake vaccination drive” in Abbottabad to try to get DNA samples from the family members of Osama bin Laden.

Dr Afridi was “kidnapped” from Karkhano Market close to border with Khyber Agency in May, his family said. The US government was also furious at Islamabad for arresting the “CIA agents” who helped track down Osama bin Laden. Pakistan had admitted to having arrested some of these agents. “He is a simple person,” the wife said. Dr Afridi was removed from the post of surgeon on “corruption charges” last year, but was reinstated after he had won a legal battle early this year.

Former FATA security chief Brig (r) Mehmood Shah said it was likely that the CIA “recruited” Dr Afridi to work as an “agent” and the American CIA was “looking for soft people and (it) enrolled many as its agents.” “Dr Shakil could be one of these CIA agents,” Mehmood Shah told Daily Times.

“When he disappeared we had a feeling he might have been kidnapped by Taliban or professional kidnappers or the government. But this report at least let us know who is holding him,” the alleged “CIA agent’s” wife went on to say. She said no government agency approached the missing agency surgeon’s family since his disappearance and said the family lodged a complaint with police station but it was not yet turned into an FIR.

I think it should be investigated if the US played a role in winning him his legal battle against corruption.

Shakil Afridi, must pay for his treachery against Pakistan.