No news about Bin Laden family deportation: Interior Secretary

Counsel for Bin Laden family says officials from Pakistan, Saudi still considering when to deport them.

ISLAMABAD: Interior Secretary Siddiq Akbar said on Friday that there were no developments on the deportation of former al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden’s family.

The counsel for Bin Laden’s family, Muhammad Aamir Khalil also did not see any development on the issue. “Something significant will likely happen after Friday prayers,” he said while talking to The Express Tribune.

Khalil added that officials from both sides were still considering when to deport Bin Laden’s family members back to their homeland.

Earlier, Saudi authorities had refused to accept the widows and children of the slain al Qaeda chief directly from Pakistan. Unveiling the mystery behind the delay in the deportation of the family, top officials said that the Saudis wanted Islamabad to re-route them through a third country.

Pakistan had announced the deportation of Bin Laden’s three widows on Wednesday following a court order two weeks ago directing that they be sent to the countries of their origin. The move was delayed with much confusion regarding its cause.

However, Interior Ministry officials had told The Express Tribune on Thursday that Saudi officials in Islamabad had indicated that their government could not accept Osama Bin Laden’s family directly.

Officials familiar with the latest developments said the Saudi Embassy had informed them they are yet to get formal directives from the Saudi Home Ministry to take Bin Laden’s family members into their custody.