Pakistan

Embassy receiving threats after Bin Laden raid: Haqqani

Ambassador to the US says Pakistan would be conducting an inquiry into how such an intelligence lapse occurred.

Express May 05, 2011

WASHINGTON: Pakistan's ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani said that he and his embassy were receiving threatening phone calls and emails since the US raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in the garrison town of Abbottabad on Sunday.

Haqqani was speaking during an interview on the US television channel ABC news with Charlie Rose. He said that the threats proved Pakistan's contribution to the war on terror, adding however that it was unfortunate that Pakistan's contributions were ignored but only the failures were highlighted.

"I'm getting threatening phone calls. My embassy is getting threatening phone calls...Instead of recognising what Pakistan has contributed, the failure is being pointed out," Haqqani said.

Haqqani emphasised that Pakistan would be conducting an inquiry into how such an intelligence lapse occurred. He said that it was important to reassure people that Pakistan did not look upon Bin Laden favourably.

The ambassador said that if the US has intelligence that Mullah Omar is in Pakistan, then Pakistan has to take it seriously and work with the US to locate him and everyone else connected to global terrorism.

Haqqani admitted that there was a mistrust between Pakistani and US intelligence agencies and that both countries were working very hard to dispel that. On the issue of sovereignty, Haqqani said that that Bin Laden had also been infringing on the country's sovereignty and that it was time for Pakistanis to wake up and stop making excuses.

COMMENTS (27)

Sadia | 13 years ago | Reply well, didn't Mr. Haqqani issued thousands of visas without intelligence approval? Serves him best!

Ain | 13 years ago | Reply @Raja: Don't try to be so innocent Mr.Raja. You all know very well about what you have benifited from all of this chaos going on in Pakistan. If you don't know then better know that your so called Intelligence agency RAW has most of the times got caught in bomb attacks and other fatal plans against Pakistan. There had been proves for it. What about attack on Srilankan team and then the propaganda to prove Pakistan not a safe country to play cricket in just to destroy it's economy. There are hundreds and thousands of such examples against you people since Pakistan came into beginning. Look before you speak.

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Ain | 13 years ago | Reply @Hedgefunder: First your government creates a drama and then you people start following it like foolish sheep. If you have the guts then question your goovernment first. What they are doing to Pakistan and all the Islamic world on the name of terrorism. You Americans are the biggest script writers in the world. You can't face the truths and then start planning to stab from behind thorugh playing dirty politics.

Verboten | 13 years ago | Reply This was broadcast in the US on TV, and made available to all worldwide on the web... 2 days after OBL's killing... http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/fighting-for-bin-laden/?utmcampaign=fightingforbinladen&utmmedium=googlead&utm_source=alqaeda

hamza khan | 13 years ago | Reply @Hedgefunder: stop trolling our websites veggie boy.

Musthaq Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply @Atif: Dear Atif, This is the flaw. Why bother about Indians when we are dealing with our own dirty game ? Two wrongs never make a right. We stand exposed in the world as never before.

optimist | 13 years ago | Reply @ Atif Indian Angels are also helping the worst dictators (Burmese Junta) against democrat Aung Sung Kyi. Indian Angels have also interfered in Nepal (Blockade that brought it down to its knees) when it dared to have independent foreign policy towards China! What threat small Nepal posed to India?? We are alert, our Prime Minister will never have to cry like other neighbours of India (Sri Lankan Prime Minister cried in the UN to urge its members to stop India). Nor we will cry like Lebanese Prime Minister against Israel. We know our enemy too well and will never let India bully us like other neighbours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Babloo | 13 years ago | Reply Mr Bashir can be sacked any time by the ISI/Army. The civilian government has no authority to investigate the army/isi.

Hedgefunder | 13 years ago | Reply How can you actually have a person who is American Citizen, being Pakistani Ambassador to the very Country he Owes his Allegiance to??? This is Sick or Serious Faw, With FO in Islamabad ! No Doubt Americans are not likely to complain as its their man in the seat!!!

ba ha | 13 years ago | Reply Pakistan does not have an embassy in USA only donation centers. Why would anyone threaten a beggar

Atif | 13 years ago | Reply For All the Angel Indians, Lets admit we have our strategic assets but we have learnt a lot from our dearest neighbors who have much bigger aims like Dalai Lama, Sheikh Mujheeb Ur Rehman (remember bangladesh) Vellupillai Prabhakaran (remember tamil movement), Baloch Rebels (remember bugti tribes) assets from almost all of your neighbors. So why do you guys blame us when you are yourself in this dirty game, come on guys, this is not fair, lets be honest to ourselves

Ali Nawaz | 13 years ago | Reply Why you're afraid of threats Mr. Haqqani? You're an American ambassador in Pakistani Embassy in US. You never seem to be Pakistani ambassador by your words or acts.

saadat | 13 years ago | Reply well pakistan is in a disastrous way becoz americans want to destablise the pakistan by taking such steps ....catstrophe

Raja | 13 years ago | Reply highest economy effected = Pakistani highest law and order effected = Pakistan highest gainer = India == What has India anything to do with all of this?? Funny. Is there any limit to your megalomania, and petty self-entitlement mentality? You cut your nose, and if India "gains" what is India supposed to?

Aryabhat | 13 years ago | Reply So what did Mr Haqqani expected from Americans, after Americans wake up one fine morning to knwo that the guy who butchered 3000 innocent citizens of their country was living happily for last 5 years next door to Pakistan's elite Army Academy? Send him Rose Petals?

Amer Khan | 13 years ago | Reply Ok, highest number of nationalities who have died = Pakistani highest economy effected = Pakistani highest law and order effected = Pakistan highest gainer = India all said, try to understand that this is the end game both US and PK were talking about. In the last 2 months or so Saudi, Pak and US have agreed to give a successful exit to the US and US leaves Afghanistan in the hands of PK and Saudi All of them knew about the presence of OBL in Abbottabad since last 2 years + - and they were all wiating for the right time to come... We are the public and we are told to think like one but this world is run by agencies like CIA and ISI and others

A R Khan Yusufzai | 13 years ago | Reply He seems to be US Ambassador to Pakistan and not the other way round.

G. Din | 13 years ago | Reply @M Khan: "OR are you being totally ignorant just like the US & Co." You have got to be kidding! Mr. Khan, Pakistan has been playing both sides of the street for a long time. It may be hard for your warped sense of morality to admit that It is immoral when you are, on the one hand calling yourself the strategic partner of America in fighting terror and milking it of billions of dollars and on the other hand developing and protecting your strategic assets like Jaish-e-Mohammed, LET, HeM and God knows what other trash. It now turns out that the mansion that low-life ObL was enjoying his life in is actually owned by HeM, your strategic asset you are using against India in Kashmir. Are you aware that patwaaris of that area were summoned to be warned not to disclose the ownership of that mansion to any one. Why do that, if you are honest which of course you are not! It also turns out that the Great Commando, General Musharraf, the former CEO of Pakistan used to jog past this mansion every morning who understandably blinded himself to the extraordinarily protective measures that were provided on this mansion in contrast with every other residence around it and did not ask questions. He did not become curious because he knew what scoundrel was living in it. Every so often, you arrested a foot soldier here or there and handed him over to America to keep the trust of America to keep billions of dollars coming in. How low can Pakistan get? You have lost all credibility as any third rate crook does eventually. We are thankful, though, that you have, by your unsavory shenanigans shut the mouths of the "bhai-bhai" crowd in India.

Khalid Javed | 13 years ago | Reply December 1941 Pearl Harbor American failure resulting in U.S. losing 200 airplanes & over 2,000 personnel, Operation Barbarossa in 1941 with German invasion of Russia & subsequent success of the former because of its secret execution, 9/11 event, Mumbai Attacks which caused more than 250 innocent civilians, high profile assassinations like that of John Kennedy, failure of intelligence community’s performance in assessing Iraq’s pre-war weapons of mass destruction programs etc. are some of the numerous intelligence failures of some of the most equipped, well-resourced intelligence agencies of the world like CIA, RAW, KGB. Contributions of Pakistan in this war on terror are substantial. With a few exceptions, all the major terrorists targets like Ramzi, Khalid Shaikh etc. were arrested because of lead initiated by Pak Agencies. It was the same agency (ISI) which was instrumental in dismembering the ex-Soviet Union. Then why so much censure & criticism of Pakistan for the supposed failure of its agencies? Why it is not being viewed as another intelligence failure? Why it is being misread as an indication of Pakistan’s non-willingness rather complicity in this matter? Allies of troubled times & strenuous struggles should be trusted & respected not maligned as West & those having vested interests have just started. Was Osama Death Saga real or orchestrated & the real purpose was to unleash this spate of criticism?

Dingo | 13 years ago | Reply Please don't make Pakistanis fool anymore mr haqqani... You have already done lot against us....

Hammad | 13 years ago | Reply @Hedgefunder And perhaps my friend also forgot thousands of lives, thousands of precious lives, we lost. where is American contribution in this regard?

Zai | 13 years ago | Reply forget about our mistakes. armed gangs moved into mumbai a couple of years ago and it took the indians hours to realise what was going on. now thats what the indians should worry about.

J.Oberoi | 13 years ago | Reply The same SEAL Team 6 planned a raid into Pakistan in 2009 and on that occasion, they informed the ISI about it. When they reached the target zone, the terrorists had already fled. How the terrorists came to know about this top-secret operation is still a mystery !!

Arshad | 13 years ago | Reply Haqqani emphasised that Pakistan would be conducting an inquiry into how such an intelligence lapse occurred Lapse occured due to your ISI and Army were protecting and sheltering osama. Accept the truth. Now there is no chance to save your face. Very shameful.

M Khan | 13 years ago | Reply @Hedgefunder: Do you seriously don't know what contributions ? OR are you being totally ignorant just like the US & Co. Didn't Pakistan just arrested one of their guy just a week ago and what about all the other people that are in the US custody the number 3 number 4 etc in the hierarchy?. I have no knowledge if GoP knew about his location or not but I do know its possible to hide next to an army cantonment as all over the country outside their gates are civilians towns and the army always guard their areas .. in other words they don't look outside who is living in their neighborhood .. Rationally speaking if you have a family of dozen people and one person lives inside and never is coming out you will never know he/she is there even and having high walls is common too when you build a house in a place where there are empty plots, to secure it from thieves.

rashid Nadeem | 13 years ago | Reply mr haqqani you are an American citizen don't worry America is there to protect you

Hedgefunder | 13 years ago | Reply What exactly has Pakistan contributed in this quest?? Apart from being hinderance at times and providing shelter and harbouring other such known personalities in the Country!!! Incidently he is talking about inquiry in to the lapse of intel, but I don't see any such comments coming from Islamabad yet!!! Perhaps thay shoild consider Judicial Inquiry, in the mechanism of how the Army and ISI operate and reporting structure in place for the Govt and GA to be advised as to such actions too!

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