While Osama bin Laden’s ghost continues to haunt many after the May 2, 2011 raid, an independent commission has found that the government and security establishment did not know about the al Qaeda kingpin’s presence in the country.
The five-member Judicial Commission set up by the apex court to probe the Abbottabad raid has spent the past year and a half questioning military officers, Bin Laden’s wives and residents of Abbottabad. The commission submitted its final report to the government last week.
No one else in the town knew that the world’s most wanted man had taken up residence in Abbottabad, a senior Pakistani official privy to the report told The Daily Telegraph.
“It [the report] clears Pakistan’s government and military establishment of involvement, a verdict that will prompt accusations of a cover-up and infuriate Western diplomats,” he said.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the investigation describes how the daughter of one of Bin Laden’s two couriers, who lived with their families in separate buildings inside the high-walled compound, saw the al Qaeda leader as she climbed the stairs in his private area for a Holy Quran lesson with one of his wives.
According to a Pakistani source, the report reads, she was oblivious to his identity until she saw his picture on television some days later.
“This prompted a hurried security conference inside the compound, which ended with Bin Laden giving up his exercise routine in a covered part of the courtyard,” the report reads.
On May 2 last year, the al Qaeda kingpin was killed by US Navy Seals. Critics in the US and within the country wasted no time and accused Pakistani officials of knowing more about Bin Laden’s presence than they were letting on.
The report quotes a senior government source as saying that they would find few answers in the commission’s report.
“At the end of the day it really doesn’t tell us much more than we already knew,” the official told The Daily Telegraph.
“It’s a disappointment for those who thought this episode might represent a turning point for Pakistan’s relationship with extremist groups.”
Christine Fair – of the Georgetown University – while talking to The Daily Telegraph said that although leaders of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) may not have known about Bin Laden’s presence, someone among the country’s retired generals, Military Intelligence (MI) or local police must have known something.
What report?
Meanwhile, US State Department spokesperson Mark Toner has said that the US has still not viewed the commission report, but believes it is important for the Pakistani and American public to see it.
In response to a question at a daily press briefing, Toner said that they had only seen reports in the Pakistani press about the report by the Abbottabad commission.
“We share a profound interest in what kind of support networks Bin Laden may have had,” he said.
The spokesperson added that when such a report does get finalised and is made public, it would be important for the American and Pakistani people to know about the results.
(WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY HUMA IMTIAZ FROM WASHINGTON )
Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2012.
COMMENTS (35)
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If the investigation was honest, it would have led to the highest office in the only power center in Pakistan. The holder of that office was the person in charge of the shadowy agencies when all this was happening. Given these circumstances, is it any surprise that the commission dished out what it did?
@Aijaz Haider: Always welcome, brother!!!
The cover up has been complete with a report whose conclusions can not be otherwise. How could it be that nobody was at fault and still the Bin Laden hiding and killing had taken place? The only problem was that the 'arm' of the govt agency that was responsible for hiding Laden had been complacent! If giving refuge to the man US wanted was not itself a crime, then nobody was at fault. That was why a doctor who had given information on the hide out was punished, which means the authorities in charge (whoever/whichever it was) had given Laden shelter. Pakistan as a state is like a human body which has hands and limbs acting independently of the person's will quite often harming itself!
@Umer, can you show me where military officers have said they are not responsible for Pakistans security? Responsibility is not the issue here anyways, what I'm saying is that some conspiracy nutters know for a fact that Pakistan was delibrately hiding Osama but this commission report clearly says otherwise and now those conspiracy nutters have hard time admitting it.
@Umer: Its not the job of General Kayani to find him. His job was to hunt him. Its was your government's responsibility to track OBL
Thanks to this Abbottabad Report +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Now all Pakistanis can hold their head high....no one in Pakistan knew anything about OBLs stay in there.
In related news the same committee also gave a clean chit to Osama Bin Laden stating that even he did not know that he was in Abbottabad. Apparently he believed that he was in Planet Mars.
Face saving
Lets give more plots. Clean bill on Osama, and the fall of Dacca.
@Aijaz Haider: "Why are we spending billions of rupees on the government and security establishment when the same cannot even see what is happening under the nose.? This is not a clean bill; rather it proves that the government and security establishment is unclean, irresponsible and guilty of not doing what it should. A sleeping the government and security establishment is redundant like a sleeping securty guard and should be replaced with an efficient one."
Agreed 100%. I second it !!!
@Pakboy:
Why blame PPP? Are they running Pakistan Military Academy and Abbottabad Cantonment? What were General Kiyani and Pasha being paid for?
All hail to rehman malik. who knows everything yet wont do any action!
Hahahahahaha!!!!
@Stewart Alex: What are you talking about? The only exit is going to be partial and it will happen in 2014. Pakistan doesn't have any influence over it even slightly. Come time, Pakistan is irrelevant. That's also quite the joke of an accusation as well considering both candidates for election have the same opinion in regard to that 2014 partial withdrawal so it leaves voters indifferent on the topic and hardly worth concentrating on. The only role Pakistan could possibly play that anyone would care about during elections would be officially claiming Pakistan to be an enemy instead of continuing to play dumb about the obvious. Pakistan is only a financial blackhole and liability preventing progress. Friendly relations with Pakistan is about as counter productive as it can get. The only thing people can ever use as a defense for keeping things friendly are Pakistan's nukes and track record of nearly non-existent competent national security within its borders. Nobody cares about being friendly with Pakistan at this point. It's far more trouble than it's worth.
''and suddenly the mild natured terrorist one day thought to locate to some safe place,and after much deliberation he finally settled for Abottabad,at the doorstep of Pakistan Military Academy.and then without any internal or external help he came to the place with his huge family,purchased the land and supervised the construction of palatial home.he admitted his wife to a local Hospital when she was to deliver his babies,without being recognized.he and his couriers never interacted with anyone. Military Provost never cared who lives in their vicinity....'' excerpts from the report....i mean investigation report.
Just like "foreign policy" is what OTHERS think it is and not what you think it is; this bin laden affair is what others think it is and all the clean bills will not help now
@Mohinder sandhu: Ofcourse as this report by judicial commissoon is not as desired by Indians, Americans or our sofa-intellectuals. now the credibility is in question Why didn't you raised your voice when the commission was formed
@Umer: Why don't you blame your PPP government for their incompetency?
Someone must have known his presence. Who is or was that someone? CIA trusted Afridi more than ISI. Who helped CIA to get hold of Afridi.
"While Osama bin Laden’s ghost continues to haunt many after the May 2, 2011 raid, an independent commission has found that the government and security establishment did not know about the al Qaeda kingpin’s presence in the country." Why are we spending billions of rupees on the government and security establishment when the same cannot even see what is happening under the nose.? This is not a clean bill; rather it proves that the government and security establishment is unclean, irresponsible and guilty of not doing what it should. A sleeping the government and security establishment is redundant like a sleeping securty guard and should be replaced with an efficient one. Regards.
Let me guess what the citizens of the self proclaimed islamic leader ( Pakistan) would say Zionist, Amreeka, Israel, Mossad bla bla bla and bla.
Pakistan reminds me of what Germany was before WW2, when they came to their senses it was too late.
Maybe the Pakistani newsman will ask why the govt is leaking the information to foreign press rather than distributing it to Pakistani people.
The report would have been complete and gospel, had it given complete clean chit to US also for its raid and killing of OBL. What a report !!!!!!
US election compaign must be picking up pace, Obama administration is ready to accept any demand from pakistani military to reach an agreement for exit strategy and afghan end game, clearing Pakistani military name from OBL drama is one of it. Its a win win.
And then they lived happily ever after. It all ended like a fairly tale.
Do this commission has any credibility?
@Roflcopter:
When commission had several military officers included who openly expressed that military/ISI were not responsible even before the proceeding of the commission began then what doubt there was of the outcome? If military/ISI are not responsible for country’s security then who is? Why do military/ISI take so much budget if they are not responsible? Even a blind can see where the responsibility lies but not the commission.
@Umer, yes some silly conspiracy theorists were expecting different news.
Of course it did. Were we expecting anything different?
Why have we wasted so much time and resources to reach this 'obvious' conclusion!? LOL!