Abbottabad commission: Javed Iqbal calls ‘unusual’ press conference

Briefing comes amid reports that OBL’s family may be leaving for Saudi Arabia.

ISLAMABAD:

As speculations regarding Osama bin Laden’s family leaving for Saudi Arabia circulate in the media, Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal, head of the Abbottabbad Commission, has called for what is being termed an “unusual” press conference on Thursday (today).

It was not specified whether all members of the commission would accompany Justice (retd) Iqbal during the press conference that is scheduled for 3pm at the Press Information Department.

The commission which was formed by the government to probe the Abbottabad raid on May 2 that killed the former al Qaeda leader, has interviewed Bin Laden’s family several times over the past few months and had issued firm directives for authorities to bar the family from leaving the country without the commission’s permission.

All proceedings of the commission have so far taken place behind closed doors.

The government had promised that it would make all findings of the commission public after the probe was complete.

Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani was also scheduled to brief the panel on December 14, with the National Defence University president in attendance.

The commission was formed to ascertain facts regarding Bin Laden’s presence in Pakistan, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the US operation, to determine the nature, background and the security lapse on part of the authorities, if any, and to make consequential recommendations.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2011.