'Osama bin Laden supported, funded Nawaz Sharif'

Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States Abida Hussain on Saturday revealed that slain al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden had supported and funded former Prime Minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif.

“Yes, he (Osama bin Laden) supported Mian Nawaz Sharif at one time. However, that is a complicated story. He (Osama) used to extend financial assistance [to Nawaz Sharif],” she said in an interview with a private television channel.

Abida, also an ex-cabinet member of Nawaz Sharif’s government, recalled that at one time bin Laden was popular and liked by everyone including the Americans but at a later stage, he was treated as a ‘stranger’.

The former diplomat said that she was appointed as an ambassador during the first premiership of Nawaz Sharif after she lost the election.

She said during her stint as an envoy to the US, most of her communication used to be with the then president Ghulam Ishaq Khan as he had tasked her to keep the Americans engaged in talks till Pakistan completes its nuclear programme in 18 months.

She said the US administration including the diplomats, senators and congressmen used to advise Pakistan against the execution of nuclear tests.

To a question, Abida said that though she used to be spied in the US, she had no such suspicious activity which could be used against her by the intelligence agencies.

Asked about the source of communication between her and Ishaq Khan in absence of modern tools, she said that during 18 months, she visited Pakistan five times for briefing from the president. However, she used to avoid using phone knowing that it could be tapped.

As the nuclear programme was under the purview of the president, she said that most of her conversation used to be with him, not the prime minister. "This is also because Ghulam Ishaq Khan did not trust anyone," she added.

When asked about whether Nawaz Sharif felt bad about her bypassing him and directly communicating with the president, Abida said, “He never expressed it.”

Abida Hussain said though Pakistan had started its nuclear programme in 1983 during Ziaul Haq regime but it was completed in 1992.

She also revealed that she was made the ambassador on the president’s recommendation.