LONDON: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that the issue of Dr Shakil Afridi, the man who helped the CIA track down former Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, is sub judice and the court would give its ruling, adding that the government will not take any extra judicial step in this regard.
“In Dr Afridi’s case the court’s verdict would be the final thing for the government of Pakistan. It will not venture into anything that is above the ‘law of the land’ or extrajudicial”, the premier said while talking to media after arriving in the United Kingdom on a three-day visit to participate in the 9th meeting of World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF).
The prime minister said that Pakistan being a sovereign country is free to take decisions in its own national interest. “We must exercise this prerogative according to what was in the best interest of Pakistan and not others.”
Sharif said that he had a candid and open discussion with US President Barack Obama on the issue of drone attacks as these are against Pakistan’s sovereignty.
The prime minister further said that it is Pakistan’s policy to support a peaceful Afghanistan and he would be holding a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai during scheduled trilateral talks.