Arrangements finalised to shift Shakil Afridi to Mardan jail

Published November 21, 2014
Dr Shakil Afridi. — AFP/File photo
Dr Shakil Afridi. — AFP/File photo

PESHAWAR: Authorities in Peshawar have finalised arrangements to transfer high profile prisoners, including Dr Shakil Afridi, from Central Prison to a high security prison in Mardan.

Well-placed sources told Dawn that arrangements had been finalised for shifting another high-profile prisoner Niaz Muhammad, who is currently held in Haripur jail, to the prison in Mardan which is bomb-proof and has been built on modern lines.

The earlier request of the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to shift Dr Afridi from Peshawar jail to a safer place fell on deaf ears.

Dr Afridi had allegedly helped the CIA by running a fake vaccination campaign in Abbottabad a month before the US forces raid on a compound that killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011.

He was sentenced to 33 years in prison and fined Rs320,000 on charges of colluding with Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) and its chief Mangal Bagh in 2012.

However, the tribal court had not entertained evidence relating to Afridi’s involvement with the CIA, citing lack of jurisdiction.

His sentence was overturned last year in August and a retrial was ordered. Earlier this year in March, the Commissioner of Frontier Crimes Regulation reduced his conviction by 10 years and also reduced the fine by Rs 1 million.

Explore: Shakil Afridi case: Commissioner FCR reduces sentence by 10 years

Opinion

Editorial

General malfeasance
Updated 12 Dec, 2024

General malfeasance

Will Gen Faiz Hameed's trial prove to be a long overdue comeuppance or just another smokescreen?
Electricity rates
12 Dec, 2024

Electricity rates

THE government is renegotiating power purchase agreements with private power producers to slash their capacity...
Aggression in Syria
12 Dec, 2024

Aggression in Syria

TAKING advantage of the chaos in post-Assad Syria, Israel has proceeded to grab more of the Arab state’s land,...
Madressah politics
Updated 11 Dec, 2024

Madressah politics

The curriculum taught must be free of hate and prejudice, while madressah students need to be taught life skills to later contribute to economy.
Targeting travellers
11 Dec, 2024

Targeting travellers

THE country’s top tax authority seems to have run out of good ideas. According to news reports, the Federal Board...
Grieving elephants
11 Dec, 2024

Grieving elephants

FOR most, the news will perhaps not even register. Another elephant has died in captivity in Pakistan. The death is...