WASHINGTON: US has refuted claims by Pakistani-American businessman, Mansoor Ijaz that Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari, and former Ambassador Husain Haqqani had advance knowledge of a covert raid deep into Pakistan to capture or kill Osama bin Laden.
White House spokesperson Caitlin Hayden said: "There is no truth to the reports that Ambassador Haqqani or President Zardari had advance knowledge of the May 2 Abbottabad operation.”
Hayden maintained that no one in Pakistan, or any other government was intimated in advance about a raid with stealth helicopters to kill the world’s most wanted man. “As we've said repeatedly, given the sensitivity of the operation, to protect our operators we did not inform the Pakistani government, or any other government, in advance."
Earlier on Saturday, The Daily Beast, Newsweek’s online partner, published an ‘analysis’ piece from Mansoor Ijaz in which the Pakistani-American businessman claimed that the memo – for which Husain Haqqani had selected him for delivering to Admiral Mike Mullen, was part of a larger plan by Zardari and Haqqani. This plan, Ijaz asserted, included Zardari and Haqqani having prior knowledge of a team of US special commandos infiltrating into Pakistan, killing Osama Bin Laden, and withdrawing with his body back to Afghanistan.
Ijaz further alleged that since Haqqani knew of the raid before hand, he orchestrated a trip to London to coincide with the time of the raid so as to escape suspicion.
Husain Haqqani, who had resigned from his post as Ambassador after being summoned by Zardari, in a subsequent letter to Tina Brown, the editor of The Daily Beast, that the claims were a fabrication and no one in Pakistan had any prior knowledge of OBL raid. Haqqani added that he had traveled to England before the raid and returned from the air port upon hearing news of the raid.
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@asim: "zardari knew of the raid? wow."
This is what you took from this article? Seriously? I am pretty sure that the entire article is saying the opposite of that.
@Arjun: You are right. If by any chance MI were informed about OBL's presence in Pakistan by one of the few Americans who knew about the operation, they would have been arrested for treason. The US govt officials and national security do not discuss these issues even with their families. How can they share this info with a questionable double agent? Regards, Mirza
There is absolutely no way MI was in the loop on the UBL raid.
@sajid: The comment was on a Lighter note... Even then the logic holds since it has been alleged that he was informed by the Americans beforehand about the OBL raid. So it makes sense for him to be anywhere, but in the USA at that moment....
It is amazing that we have started believing in at least one person with supposedly Qadiani pedigree. Bravo!!! The ghairatmands.
Blatant lie as was done in Raymond's case that he was a diplomat which he was not.
@j. von hettlingen: This entire incident cannot be considered in an isolated mode but must be looked on as a part of a series of occurences. All timed at intervals for maximum confusion and benefit to the originator of this sinidter design.
It is cryptic and esoteric. Peace to a better world.
If you read Mansoor Ejaz articles both in News Week and Financial times. Its clear he had a personal grudge against our conniving ambassador and has decided to take him down. His evidence is pretty solid, and he has done his homework pretty thoroughly. His time line matches other circumstantial evidence completely. I am incline to believe him as he has and is providing shovel worth of evidence. He has been also pretty consistent about his views regarding Pakistan but as he has explained in the article he does not like to be taken for a ride by an over smart "slum dog" either,to use the ambassadors own words. Our new "liberal" martyr of an ambassador on the other hand only defence is that mansoor Ijaz has a shady past(So does the ambassador), and some eloquent yet hollow pronunciation on twitter. Sorry buddy you seem to have messed with the wrong person. All your neocon and AIPAC buddies cant spring you out of this one...
What does Mansoor Ijaz benefit from telling the whole world "that Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari and former Ambassador Husain Haqqani had advance knowledge of a covert raid deep into Pakistan to capture or kill Osama bin Laden"? If it were the case, why did they display all these fuss and fury in the aftermath of the incident?
@tehreek-insaf-FATA Haqqani was an ambassador if he wasn't in England he wouldv'e been in America so this logic is stupid.
http://707monty.blogspot.com/2011/12/israel-will-not-attack-at-iran-until.html
@zaid hamid: Dude, I like your blog :-)
"Gadha-e-Hind" Awesome!!!
The headline says "Neither Pakistan nor any Government informed of OBL Raid". It does not say whether any individuals were informed in their personal capacity.....! Interesting...
Not "SOMETHING" but the "Whole Thing" seems to be fishy... Haqqani going to England on the precise time of OBL raid reminds of a "familiar scene of Indo-Pak movies", in which the "DON" always proves his innocence in the court by saying, "Look I was with this and that friends on the day this CRIME happened - hundreds or thousands of Kilometers away... and here are my WITNESSES".... Period...
Zardari knew about the operation same way shaikh rashid knew about osamas presence in pakistan.
Its a well orchestrated campaign by Pakistani Army to slander the civilian government through Mansoor Ijaz. It wants to divert the general public's attention from its own deficiencies.
Mr. Haqqani was termed guilty even before any judicial trial and was denied fair chance to say his side of the story. But nobody in Pakistan seems to care about it.
A govt. change with the blessings from Army seems to be in the offing. I think they want a more pliant govt. perhaps Imran Khan will be more suited to them.
that was a good decision
@Akhtar:
The world is full of conspiracies my dear...and its real...denying this means that you are constantly living in denial mode.
Mansoor Ejaz is bent upon breaking the left over Pakistan and wants to take the credit of that.
After hearing and reading about the memo gate issue, I am of the opinion that there must be some personal grudge on certain issues between Mansoor Ejaz and Ambassador Hussain Haqqani and that started the war in the print and electronic that led to the resignation of Hussain Haqqani.
Mansoor Ejaz claims that about the OBL operation, the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and Ambassador Hussain Haqqani have advance knowledge.
Yet it is another effort of Mansoor Ejaz to create chaos between the armed forces and the democratic set up.
At this point, the question arises: did Mansoor Ejaz know about the May 02, 2011 OBL operation in Pakistan?
Had he known earlier about this operation he would have been one of the member of the secret team and his photograph and the video would have also been published in the print and electronic media along with US President and Hillary Clinton with other selected members of the operation team that witnessed the live operation against the OBL on May 02, 2011 (which was May 01, 2011 in US) at the White House.
After disclosing the fact by Mansoor Ijaz that President Zardari and Hussain Haqqani had advance information about the OBL operation of May 02, 2011 and the clarification made by the White House spokesperson Caitlin Hayden, US government should initiate an inquiry about the allegations of Mansoor Ijaz and should take legal action by instituting a case in the US court of law againt Mansoor Ijaz as why he has given such a irresponsible that is raising questions about the working of the US top secret mission.
Had such an allegation made by any Pakistani against the US President Barack Obama and US Ambassador in Pakistan, by now the guy would have been put behind the bars.
Mansoor Ijaz does not know about the slightest working of any governments’ covert operation and is trying to become over smart by creating confusion in Pakistan in which he will never succeed.
There is a complete unity and harmony among the politically elected government and the armed forces and Mansoor Ijaz will never ever be able put any crack in Pakistan.
In my opinion, the Pakistani media is giving undue publicity to Mansoor Ijaz which should be stopped at once. If from tomorrow, media will stop covering Mansoor Ijaz, he wont be able to further malign Pakistani authorities or Pakistan.
Not "SOMETHING" but the "Whole Thing" seems to be fishy... Haqqani going to England on the precise time of OBL raid reminds of a "familiar scene of Indo-Pak movies", in which the "DON" always proves his innocence in the court by saying, "Look I was with this and that friends on the day this CRIME happened - hundreds or thousands of Kilometers away... and here are my WITNESSES".... Period
The OBL raid would not be successful if the US would have shared this info with anybody in Pakistani govt or army. They have had bad experiences and did not want his protectors to move him out of the safe house on the eleventh hour. It is a matter of common sense and not a rocket science. The sad thing is Pakistani army never admitted that OBL was living in their base for over 5 years. But thanks to memogate, it would backfire on them. The question needs to be answered is "what was OBL doing in army base for that long and why is Pakistani army and its supporters so upset over his killing?"
Our lives begin & end in conspiracy theories.
It,s very amazing about the operation at abbottabad was very astonishing & same passion is needed and who says that we have not informed each knows benching here but no one commented the world of condolence
I dont know what this man Mansoor Ijaz is after and what are his intentions. Although one thing is very clear that his loyalities are only for the United States,as he stated himself in Kamran Khan's program.
zardari knew of the raid? wow .
psychological point of view is that an explicit denial points towards the state of being careful and the culprit is more careful than innocent. the news that Pakistan government was told about the the operation has not become a widespread opinion in Pakistan. yet but USA has thought of Nipping it in the bud. USA is being careful and u know what it means......
I do not think that americans would be so stupid to share such vital information with any pakistani civilian or military prior hand.
I think this is an instance of plausible deniability.
According to a Wikipedia entry, "the term (plausible deniability) most often refers to the denial of blame in (formal or informal) chains of command, where upper rungs quarantine the blame to the lower rungs, and the lower rungs are often inaccessible, meaning confirming responsibility for the action is nearly impossible. In the case that illegal or otherwise disreputable and unpopular activities become public, high-ranking officials may deny any awareness of such act or any connection to the agents used to carry out such acts".
http://www.riazhaq.com/2011/11/blackberry-transcripts-sealed-haqqanis.html
Habitual liar on the loose!
Sure, things there was no official communication but a friendly wisper into fellow american citizen( HH) then wink wink to keep it as our secret. Sure they new it and memo was planned to take advantage of this hoping USA pressure will force ARMY to unravel.
Had they inform us before ... they could still have the reason to continue the war on terror
The more Ijaz talks the less credibility he has.
Ijazleak is going well keep it up hahaah
Which was rather arrogant of the Americans, if they say we're all in this together, they should mean it too.
We will know the truth about this raid (who knew what, when, etc) a hundred years from now, when these files will be officially de-classified by the State Dept. of the USA. Until then, all we will get from official US sources are lies and more lies. . It's their job description, to lie about such things. Like they lied about Iran Contra, Panama, Watergate, Gulf of Tonkin, Tuskegee Study, Pearl Harbor (FDR knew the Japanese were coming to attack Pearl Harbor through an intercepted cable), etc, etc. . But even the invisible man leaves footprints in the sand.
Something smelled fishy here for sure :) Wait and see
So now Mr Mansoor starts opening american secrets too no wonders man hahahahahahahah