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Thread: Pakistan's Musharraf Has Been Accused Of Knowing Osama Bin Laden's Hideout

  1. #11
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    ISI accused of manipulating Osama probe

    http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/NH14Df01.html

    By Malik Ayub Sumbal
    8/13/2012

    ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's top spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has been accused of harassing witnesses appearing at the country's investigation into the United States military raid that last year killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

    Witnesses at the Abbottabad Commission have come forward to say that the ISI would has been picking them up while traveling to and leaving the probe, often "briefing" them on what to say and grilling them afterwards on the proceedings.

    Abbottabad Commission Head Justice Javed Iqbal has expressed anger at the alleged interference, describing it as meddling and establishing a committee of military officials to investigate the apparent harassment.

    The matter first came to light when a witness from the neighborhood of Bin Laden's complex in Abbottabad was late for giving testimony. When the court demanded an explanation, he said that on his way to Islamabad, some ISI personnel stopped him and told him what to tell the commission.

    Several other witnesses have now also alleged they were harassed by the ISI, both before and after recording their statements. The witnesses say while they wished to remain impartial in their statements, they also feared ISI reprisals.

    Established on May 30, 2011 - just 28 days after the US raid - the Abbottabad Commission has quizzed hundreds of people on the events leading up to the operation, including civil and military officials. It is now compiling its final report

    However, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, had voiced serious misgivings about the commission's mandate, saying it was just formed to please the government and will produce no important findings.

    In Pakistan's recent history, there have been numerous such commissions formed to investigate different incidents, but they rarely produce conclusive results.

    A commission was formed to investigate the murder in March 2011 of Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief Syed Saleem Shahzad, but it has so far produced no results, with no findings being made public.

    A similar inquiry was formed in August 2011 to probe allegations that law enforcement authorities were involved in enforced disappearances in Balochistan. While the Supreme Court decreed in July that the disappearances should immediately stop and action taken against the culprits, there has been no evidence of this being implemented.

    Critics say the Abbottabad Commission is equally unlikely to make major progress on the Bin Laden case.

    A broader question raised by the ISI's alleged grilling of witnesses, is why the intelligence agency was seemingly so concerned with influencing its outcome.

    There have been numerous reports since 9/11 claiming that the ISI helped hide Bin Laden, who was for over a decade the world's most wanted man. This was why the US special forces raid was launched without consulting Islamabad.

    The complex where Bin Laden was found was located in close proximity to the Pakistan Military Academy, suggesting he was benefiting from close contacts with members of the army intelligence.

    The ISI's international image has plummeted in recent months over the Bin Laden affair and its alleged links with the Afghan Taliban. By "briefing" witnesses in the Abbottabad Commission, the ISI likely sought to avoid the investigation implicating it in way - however an unlikely outcome that may be.

    Malik Ayub Sumbal is an investigative journalist based in Islamabad, Pakistan. He has worked for more than nine years for a number of national and international newspapers, magazines, journals, wire services and television channels. He can be contacted at ayubsumbal@gmail.com
    No One Knows Everything. Only Together May We Find The Truth JG


  2. #12
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    'Pakistan was well aware of Osama’s whereabouts'

    http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/...ts_797471.html

    Last Updated: Monday, September 03, 2012, 16:10

    `Pakistan was well aware of Osama’s whereabouts` Islamabad: A recently-published book on Osama bin Laden has claimed that a top US official, who had briefed President Barack Obama, was certain that Pakistan was well aware of the al Qaeda chief’s whereabouts.

    The book, by Peter Bergen, titled 'Manhunt: From 9/11 to Abbottabad - The Ten Year Search for Osama Bin Laden', reveals secret deliberations of the top US intelligence official with Obama. However, when approached by the media, not a single Pakistani official was ready comment on the book's claims.

    Bergen claims in the book that the US military leadership had hinted at unilateral action against Osama or Ayman al Zawahiri, the current leader of al Qaeda, to Pakistan's Army chief, reports The Express Tribune.

    "If bin Laden was dwelling in the midst of a well-policed city, how could the Pakistanis not know?," asked Robert Cardillo, a veteran intelligence official who briefed President Obama three days a week about national security developments around the world, as saying.

    "Furthermore, if his compound was just a kilometre away from the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul, it was 'nuts' that he hadn't relocated in six years, the official said - inviting murmurs that it was being guarded by the Pakistan military," he said.

    US Admiral Mike Mullen repeatedly told his counterpart General Kayani, "If we know we can find Number One or Number Two, we are going to get them. Period. And we are going to get them unilaterally. Period."

    There seemed to be certain downsides of involving Pakistan. Intelligence officials claimed that doing so might lead to mishandling of crucial information. The Abbottabad operation was hence carried out in complete secrecy, with not more than a dozen military men privy to its developments, the paper said.

    According to the book, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made it clear that preserving Pakistan-US amity was not a priority when it came to eliminating bin Laden.

    "And I remember at one point, one of the briefers said the raid will be considered a gross violation of the Pakistanis' national honour, and I exploded at the moment and said, what about our national honour. And what about going after a man who killed three thousand innocent people?" she said.
    No One Knows Everything. Only Together May We Find The Truth JG


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