Pakistan tribunal seeks record of Dr Shakil Afridi who tipped CIA on Osama bin Laden

PESHAWAR: A tribunal in Pakistan's tribal area today directed authorities to produce records of the case of Dr Shakil Afridi who tipped the CIA to trace Osama bin Laden in the country in 2011.

Afridi, who helped the American spy agency in tracing the then al-Qaeda chief bin Laden through a fake vaccine programme in the Pakistani garrison city of Abbottabad, has challenged the upholding of his conviction by an appellate forum of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) commissioner for links with a banned militant outfit.

Qamar Nadeem Afridi, lawyer appearing for Afridi, said the FCR commissioner had ignored several vital facts while upholding the conviction of his client.

He said his client was denied the right to fair trial and was convicted by the assistant political agent on 'flimsy grounds'.

The three-member tribunal adjourned hearing into the petition of Afridi until October 23 and asked the FCR commissioner to produce the record on next hearing.

In March, the FCR commissioner had upheld the conviction of Afridi for his links with a banned militant organisation of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency but reduced his jail term given by the assistant political agent's court from 33 to 23 years and fine from $3114 to $2141.

In June, the tribunal had ordered the production of the record pertaining to the case. However, when the hearing began, it was informed to the tribunal that the relevant authorities had failed to send the record.

Afridi was arrested in May 2011 days after the deadly raid on bin Laden's residence.