Abbottabad Commission report: Save the Children denies involvement in Bin Laden raid
Denies the organisation ever ran a vaccination campaign in Abbottabad.
Osama Bin Laden. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
The chief executive officer (CEO) of Save the Children has categorically denied involvement in the May 2 Abbottabad raid.
The NGO’s global president and CEO, Carolyn Miles, held a meeting with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on Wednesday in this regard. The organisation has faced tremendous criticism after the Abbottabad Commission linked it to the hunt for bin Laden and other espionage activities in the country.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Miles said that although Dr Shakil Afridi attended two workshops conducted by Save the Children, he was never a direct employee of the organisation. She added that the NGO never ran a vaccination campaign in Abbottabad as well.
Categorically rejecting the findings of the Abbottabad Commission report linking Save the Children with the raid on al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s compound, Miles said Dr Afridi falsely used the name of the organisation to run a fake vaccination campaign.
“We condemn the use of public health programmes [for ulterior aims]” she added.
Miles, meanwhile, rejected claims that the organisation’s fund was unaccounted for, saying Save the Children was working in 120 countries across the globe with the Australian and Dutch governments as its biggest donors.
“We share all our reports with the government as well as donors who are very serious in terms of accountability” she said.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 22nd, 2013.
The chief executive officer (CEO) of Save the Children has categorically denied involvement in the May 2 Abbottabad raid.
The NGO’s global president and CEO, Carolyn Miles, held a meeting with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on Wednesday in this regard. The organisation has faced tremendous criticism after the Abbottabad Commission linked it to the hunt for bin Laden and other espionage activities in the country.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Miles said that although Dr Shakil Afridi attended two workshops conducted by Save the Children, he was never a direct employee of the organisation. She added that the NGO never ran a vaccination campaign in Abbottabad as well.
Categorically rejecting the findings of the Abbottabad Commission report linking Save the Children with the raid on al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s compound, Miles said Dr Afridi falsely used the name of the organisation to run a fake vaccination campaign.
“We condemn the use of public health programmes [for ulterior aims]” she added.
Miles, meanwhile, rejected claims that the organisation’s fund was unaccounted for, saying Save the Children was working in 120 countries across the globe with the Australian and Dutch governments as its biggest donors.
“We share all our reports with the government as well as donors who are very serious in terms of accountability” she said.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 22nd, 2013.