A Pakistani court says the doctor who helped the United States find Osama bin Laden was imprisoned for aiding Islamic militants, not because of his links to the CIA.
Last week, a court in the Khyber tribal region found Shakil Afridi guilty of treason and sentenced him to 33 years in prison.
Pakistani officials said then that Afridi was jailed for helping the Central Intelligence Agency find the Al-Qaeda leader, who was killed in a U.S. raid in Pakistan in May 2011.
However, court documents made public on May 30 said Afridi was jailed because of his ties to a banned militant group, Lashkar-e Islam.
The Afridi case has further complicated already strained U.S.-Pakistani relations, with U.S. lawmakers threatening a reduction in American aid to Islamabad.
Last week, a court in the Khyber tribal region found Shakil Afridi guilty of treason and sentenced him to 33 years in prison.
Pakistani officials said then that Afridi was jailed for helping the Central Intelligence Agency find the Al-Qaeda leader, who was killed in a U.S. raid in Pakistan in May 2011.
However, court documents made public on May 30 said Afridi was jailed because of his ties to a banned militant group, Lashkar-e Islam.
The Afridi case has further complicated already strained U.S.-Pakistani relations, with U.S. lawmakers threatening a reduction in American aid to Islamabad.
