"Allegations in the story of Carlotta Gal, NYT of 19 Mar baseless, ridiculous.Nothing new/credible, all speculations already proven false," Maj-Gen Asim Bajwa.
The military and the foreign office both dismissed the New York Times article that claimed some Pakistani officials had knowledge of Osama bin Laden's whereabouts leading up to the May 2, 2011 attack.
The Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj-Gen Asim Bajwa termed the allegations made in the article as "baseless" and "ridiculous" in a tweet.
Allegations in the story of Carlotta Gal,NYT of 19 Mar baseless, ridiculous.Nothing new/credible, all speculations already proven false
— Gen(R) Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) March 20, 2014
Later, the foreign office, during its weekly briefing, reiterated Maj-Gen Bajwa's comments on the story to term it as unfounded and baseless. "I may add here that there are many inconsistencies in the article. The author herself talks about suppositions from sources with no direct knowledge."
Earlier in the day, former Pakistan Air Force chief Rao Qamar Suleman said that the facts in The New York Times article 'What Pakistan Knew About Bin Laden' were distorted, Express News reported on Thursday.
Pakistani intelligence officials had also rebuffed the NYT story. “It is a totally baseless story. There is no truth in it,” one official had said. “Nobody in Pakistan knew about Osama bin Laden’s presence.”
According to the article, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha knew where the late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was hiding.
The newspaper quoted a Pakistani official as saying that the US had direct evidence about the ISI chief knowing Bin Laden’s whereabouts at the time.
“He knew of Osama’s whereabouts, yes,” the official said.
According to an inside source of the paper, there was a special desk for the Bin Laden case at the ISI. The desk worked independently and was led by an officer who did not report to any higher authorities.
The New York Times also reported that the Pakistan government was providing a haven to the Taliban. Further, the newspaper alleged that former president Pervez Musharraf was involved in the conspiracy to remove Benazir Bhutto from power.
The paper also alleged that a former ISI chief and retired general, Ziaddun Butt said that he thought that former President Pervez Musharraf had arranged to hide Bin Laden in Abbottabad. However, he did not have any proof.
COMMENTS (14)
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@Ch. Allah Daad: always joking.......!!!!
I guess Carlotta Gal will now be declared as a person non grata by the Pakistan Government? She is a truble making propagandist!
Rex Minor.
Yeh...you said it and we believe it. Please start fearing God
I am not sure what the TRUTH is but it is so sad to see Pakistan military officials "leaking" politically motivated statements to score political points without considering that one day this country might not exist for them to take the power.
@Ashraf P: Of course, his wives who were with him in that compound are also lying that the Americans came and killed him.
The Air Foce Chief must be saying truth as per his own knowledge. Any way Pakistan Army never cares much for Pak AF and Navy.
@Ashraf P: You are a true defender of theory of denials that has now become the very foundation of your foreign policy. Good job. You must be aware "faith can move a mountain" and that is how it works for you.
Musharraf was involved in overthrowing Benazir in 1996?! Looks like a dumb blonde wrote this article.
A country with 26 agencies can not know about Ahrarul Hind, let alone the worlds most wanted terrorist.
Not only are the charges baseless, Osama was never in Pakistan at all. The US didn't snatch or kill anybody that day. They just planted a piece of wreckage of a chopper as "proof" that they were there. They could then claim that they got Osama and thus end their campaign in Afghanistan. Pakistanis cannot lie.
Our distinguished military leaders are right. Nobody in Pakistan knew that OBL was in Pakistan. Even OBL did not know that he was in Pakistan.
If this man, Gen. Pasha did not know that OBL was hiding in Abbottabad, then he, Pasha was doing a lousy job. He was chief of ISI. after all. Not a chowkidar.
Didn't the Late Benazir Bhutto once say that OBL was hidden/being hidden under Musharaf's bed? never were truer words spoken in jest..