While Past Administrations Have Achieved Release of Political Prisoners, Afridi Remains Imprisoned

With the Obama administration currently doing little to free Dr. Shakil Afridi, the source who helped American forces find and target Osama Bin Laden, it is obvious that their concerns lie elsewhere.

Past administrations have achieved freedom for American-allied political prisoners elsewhere in the world. In 2009, thanks to American pressure, including pressure from the Obama administration, Egypt freed Ayman Nour, a liberal reformer who challenged former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak in 2005 in the election. In 2010, former president Jimmy Carter traveled to North Korea to achieve the release of English teacher Aijalon Gomes, who had been imprisoned after crossing the border into North Korea.

Why won’t the Obama administration apply the same pressure to Pakistan? The answer remains unclear. Meanwhile, Afridi continues to rot in a Pakistani prison for having the temerity to help the United States find and kill the world’s most notorious terrorist.