Dr Shakil Afridi has the right to defend himself: PM Gilani

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said according to the law in Pakistan Dr. Shakil Afridi has the right to defend himself and should be granted access to higher courts. Prime Minister Gilani was speaking to Geo News anchor Hamid Mir during a special interview on Capital Talk.

Dr. Afridi a Pakistani physician recruited by the CIA to help find Osama bin Laden was sentenced to 33 years by a tribal court in Khyber Agency.

Prime Minister Gilani further said that talks regarding the NATO supply were ongoing with the United States. Pakistan had stopped NATO from using its territory to send supplies to Afghanistan following the Salala attack in which 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed.

When asked about the issue of dual nationals becoming members of the National Assembly, the prime minister replied that there was no restriction on this in the constitution. Prime Minister Gilani questioned what would happen if the UK canceled the citizenship of Lord Nazir Ahmed.

"Pakistanis all over the world have the right to dual nationality," Gilani said.

The Supreme Court during the hearing of the dual-nationality case had suspended the membership of Farahnaz Ispahani because she was a US citizen and had given Interior Minister Rehman Malik till May 30 to present a certificate forfeiting his British citizenship.

Prime Minister Gilani’s interview on Capital Talk will be broadcast on Monday (May 28, 2012) at 8:03PM