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Osama doc conviction leaves Pak 'isolated' in corridors of power in Washington | The Obama administration has joined
lawmakers in condemning the conviction of Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi, who
helped the CIA trace Osama Bin Laden, leaving Pakistan isolated in the corridors
of power in the U.S. capital. America 's top two " Pakistan friendly" foreign
policy makers - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator John Kerry - have
also denounced a tribal court's decision to jail Dr Shakil Afridi for 33 years,
reports The Dawn. Clinton called the judgment "unjust and unwarranted" and Senator
Kerry said even though he believed in "the importance of the U.S.-Pakistan strategic
relationship, realities like these make that effort more difficult". "We regret
both the fact that he was convicted and the severity of his sentence. We are raising
his case and we will continue to do so because we think that his treatment is
unjust and unwarranted," Clinton said. She pointed out that Dr Afridi "was instrumental
in taking down one of the world's most wanted murderers. That was clearly in Pakistan
's interest, as well as ours and the rest of the world's". Senator Kerry said,
"The irony is, the only person being punished is the person who helped the United
States achieve justice for the murder of thousands of Americans." A senate panel
has deducted 33 million dollars from a proposed assistance to Pakistan - 1 million
dollars for each year Dr Afridi will spend in jail. A senior Pakistani diplomat
who spent a day in the Congress House noted that wherever he went, he confronted
a "bipartisan anger at Pakistan from very angry congressmen and women". The U.S.
lawmakers, he pointed out, "are not interested in our arguments, even though we
tried to argue that no country allows foreign governments, even if friendly, to
engage spies". Other diplomats also noted that no friends in the House were willing
to speak for Pakistan . "Isolate Pakistan seems to be the new plan. U.S.-Pakistan
relationship is entering a very bad phase," said one of them.
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