US Cuts Pakistan Aid over Jailing of 'Bin Laden Doctor'
BBC 25 May 2012
Dr Shakil Afridi
A US Senate panel has cut $33m (£21m) in aid to Pakistan in response to the jailing of a Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA find Osama Bin Laden.
The Senate Appropriations Committee has said it will cut US aid by $1m for each year of Shakil Afridi's sentence.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said his term was "unjust and unwarranted".
Dr Afridi was tried for treason under a tribal justice system for running a fake vaccination programme to gather information for US intelligence.
Bin Laden was killed by US forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in May 2011.
The move from the Senate panel follows earlier cuts to the White House's budget request for Pakistan. The cuts would be part of a bill that would send $1bn in aid to Pakistan in the next financial year.
"We need Pakistan, Pakistan needs us, but we don't need Pakistan double-dealing and not seeing the justice in bringing Osama Bin Laden to an end," said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, calling Pakistan "a schizophrenic ally".
Meanwhile Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy said: "It's Alice in Wonderland at best. If this is co-operation, I'd hate like hell to see opposition."
Hillary Clinton: ''We regret both the fact that he was convicted and the severity of his sentence''
Correspondents say the cuts reflect mounting frustration in Congress over Pakistan's role in fighting terrorism on its soil.
Absent from court Meanwhile, Mrs Clinton spoke out against Dr Afridi's sentence.
"The United States does not believe there is any basis for holding Dr [Shakil] Afridi. We regret the fact that he was convicted and the severity of his sentence," Mrs Clinton told reporters on Thursday.
She added that she would continue to pursue the issue with the authorities in Pakistan.
The killing triggered a rift between the US and Pakistan, whose government was seriously embarrassed as it emerged Bin Laden had been living in Pakistan.
Islamabad felt the covert US operation was a violation of its sovereignty.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Osama Bin Laden's death: How it happened
- 1
Helicopter-borne US Navy Seals fly from Afghanistan to Osama Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, arriving at
around 0030 Monday (0930GMT Sunday).
- 2
Two Black Hawk helicopters set down at the compound after one develops problems. A team of 25 Seals breaches at least three walls to reach the main building.
- 3
As they go through the compound one person fires on the commandos. Three men and a woman are killed by the US Navy Seals. There are no
US casualties.
- 4
On the second floor US commandos find Osama Bin Laden in a room with his wife. She is shot in the leg. Bin Laden, who is unarmed, is shot twice
and killed.
- 5
Computer hard drives and other evidence is taken from the compound, along with Bin Laden's body. The US team departs after destroying the damaged aircraft.
Tension in the White House situation room
President Barack Obama followed the raid on Bin Laden's compound from the White House situation room - a secure space used to monitor and manage crises. For 40 minutes, the president and his senior aides were kept updated of the progress of the operation. "The minutes passed like days," said White House counter-terrorism chief John Brennan. On hearing of Bin Laden's death, Mr Obama declared: "We got him."
1. Joe Biden
Vice president of the United States
2. Barack Obama
President of the United States
3. Brigadier General Marshall B "Brad" Webb
Joint special operations command
4. Denis McDonough
Deputy national security adviser
5. Hillary Clinton
Secretary of state
6. Robert Gates
Secretary of defense
7. Admiral Mike Mullen
Chairman of the joint chiefs of staff
8. Tom Donilon
National security adviser
9. Bill Daley
Chief of staff
10. Tony Blinken
National security adviser to the vice president
11. Audrey Tomason
Director for counter-terrorism
12. John Brennan
Assistant to the president for
homeland security and counter-terrorism
13. James Clapper
Director of national intelligence
Crashed Helicopter
One of the helicopters used in the operation failed and was destroyed by the special forces before they left.
The Compound
The fortified compound was built on the edge of the hill town of Abbottabad, with no phone or internet connections.
Osama Bin Laden's Compound: How it evolved over time
The Pentagon released satellite images dating back several years of the compound where Osama Bin Laden was discovered. They clearly show how it was extended over the years.
By Adrian Brown BBC News
.