ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said that the fate of Dr Shakeel Afridi is going to be decided by the Pakistani courts and the Government of Pakistan and not by US presidential candidate Donald Trump even if he becomes the President of United States.

The Interior Minister was reacting to Trump’s interview broadcast by Fox News. “Shakeel Afridi is a Pakistani citizen and nobody else has the right to dictate to us about his future,” commented the Interior Minister. Khan said that it is not only about Shakeel Afridi but Trump’s perception and the comments about Pakistan in his interview are highly misplaced and unwarranted.

The Interior Minister said that contrary to Trump’s misconception, “Pakistan is not a colony of the United States of America.” He should learn to treat sovereign countries with respect. Donald Trump also seems to be ignorant, historically, of the huge scarifies Pakistan and its people have made while standing with or supporting US policies over the years. “The “peanuts” that US has given us in return should not be used to threaten or browbeat us into following Trump’s misguided vision of foreign policy,” he said.

He said that Trump’s statement only serves to show not only his insensitivity but also his ignorance about Pakistan.