Pakistan evicts Save the Children foreign staff
A Pakistani child is being vaccinated against polio by a district health team worker outside a children’s hospital in Peshawar. — File photo by AP
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has ordered all Save the Children’s foreign staff to leave the country within four weeks in the wake of accusations linking the aid agency to a fake vaccination programme used in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.
Save the Children said it had received no explanation for the order, under which the charity’s six expatriate staff have been told to leave within four weeks.
But a Pakistan intelligence report has linked the aid agency to Pakistani doctor Shakeel Afridi who the CIA allegedly used to carry out a fake vaccination programme as they searched for the Al-Qaeda chief.
“Earlier this week we got a call from special branch instructing us to send back all expatriate staff,” Save the Children spokesman Ghulam Qadir told AFP.
“There were no reasons given. We are working with the government to comply with the instructions.”He said the agency would continue to operate in Pakistan where it has 2,000 staff, serving more than seven million children.
And he strongly denied allegations that Afridi was introduced to the CIA through Save the Children.
“On Shakeel Afridi, our stand is very clear that there is absolutely no truth in it. There is no concrete proof to these allegations,” Qadir said.
No government official was immediately available to comment.
Richard Hoagland, the US deputy ambassador to Pakistan, reacted to news of the expulsion by saying Save the Children had nothing to do with the discovery of bin Laden, who was living in the garrison town of Abbottabad, north of Islamabad.
“Save the Children’ were in no way involved with Abbottabad – I repeat, no way. A very sad and misguided over-reaction,” he wrote on Twitter.
Afridi allegedly worked for the CIA collecting DNA in a bid to verify bin Laden’s presence in the town, where US Navy SEALS killed the Al-Qaeda leader in a raid on his compound in May 2011.
Pakistan reacted with fury to the raid, which it branded a violation of sovereignty.
An official report prepared jointly by Pakistan civil and military intelligence blamed a former Save the children director for introducing Afridi to the Americans.
The report, obtained by AFP, said Afridi went to Peshawar in November 2008 to participate in a workshop organised by Save The Children, where he met the charity’s country director, who later invited him to come to Islamabad.
Afridi met him at a book stall in Islamabad and was introduced to a western woman, the report said. Afridi and the woman met regularly afterwards in various locations in the capital.
In May Afridi was sentenced to 33 years in jail for treason after being convicted over alleged ties to militant group Lashkar-e-Islam, not for working for the CIA, for which the court said it did not have jurisdiction.
The United States was enraged by Afridi’s sentencing and the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to cut aid to Pakistan by a symbolic $33 million.
People in pakistan are not understanding how US govt is sending it’s agents to destabilize Pakistan by sending NGOs and contractors. The recent Washington post report should make Pakistani agencies more cautious about all the foreigners who are entering Pakistan. A very good and bold step by Pakistan. there are lakhs of such agents inside Pakistan, it will take months and years to cleanse Pakistan from these agents.
O please dont give a single critical comment.
US or anyone should had Never Ever used a vaccination programme or anything near to it for such investigations… .NO MATTER WHAT… period.
Anyone even slightly related to the allegedly involved agencies have instantly lost trust of masses. How about getting your child vaccinated by somebody collecting biological samples. this time it was to find OBL next time something else, perhaps one day testing out some new drug… without consent..
Pakistan govt. has been very linient, should keep a close check/control on all foriegn or local supposedly AID agencies…. after such incidents one wonders who are these agencies really AIDING
Pakistani needs to focus on the core issues that are not allowing its economy to take off. Rule of law, accountability, free choice and protection of an individual’s civil rights.
Save the Children is o e of the best charities in any country for children. the Pak govt needs to stop using the past to punish the future – so many of these kids would not be able to access basic healthcare and education needs w/o such NGOs – feel for the poor women and children of Pakistan – when will its educated middle upper class rise up to protect the rights of those who have no voice and nothing to bargain with.
a good step taken very late
They don’t want the children saved.
They keep asking for donations in western world and its a shame they also carry out espionage in name of a noble cause! Charities like this that alows such activites should be banned in all countries.
Has Pakistan raised its true colors???
Like Russia, pass a legislation and henceforth call them as “Foreign Agents”.
goood point.. agreed