PAKISTAN has countered CIA claims that it could not be trusted with the secret details of the Osama bin Laden raid by stating it alerted America to its suspicions about his residence in Pakistan two years ago.
Salman Bashir, the country’s Foreign Secretary, said CIA director Leon Panetta’s concerns were “misplaced”. He also insisted Pakistan had extended “every co-operation” to the US and played a “pivotal role” in the fight against terror.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Usuf Raza Giliani also blamed worldwide intelligence lapses for a failure to detect bin Laden living near its capital, while Washington worked to establish whether its ally had sheltered the al Qaeda leader.
Officials in the capital Islamabad are smarting over the decision not to inform them in advance of the audacious special forces raid. It led to the killing of the al Qaeda leader in a city that is home to Pakistan’s elite officer training college. Pakistan vehemently denies it sheltered bin Laden.
On Tuesday, Mr Panetta said Pakistani authorities were not told in advance because of fears the information would be leaked, allowing the terrorist mastermind the opportunity to flee.
“It was decided any effort to work with the Pakistanis could jeopardise the mission -- they might alert the targets,” Mr Panetta said.
Prime Minister David Cameron also said Islamabad had some “searching questions” to answer because it appeared bin Laden had an “extensive support network” in Pakistan.
Mr Bashir said the CIA chief’s comments about Pakistan were “disquieting”.
“Mr Panetta, of course, is entitled to his views, but I know for sure we have extended every co-operation to the US, including the CIA, as well as to other countries in so far as the campaign against terror is concerned,” he said.
“Of all the al Qaeda key people who were picked up or arrested, it was done by the ISI -- by our intelligence. All the significant people who were picked up were picked up in Pakistani cities and towns, and it is worth remembering that.
“This particular location was pointed out by our intelligence quite some time ago to the US intelligence. Of course, they have much more sophisticated equipment to evaluate and to assess ...
“In what is called global anti-terror, Pakistan has played a pivotal role, so it is disquieting when we hear comments like this.”
Mr Bashir said the search for bin Laden was “a priority for everyone, including Pakistani intelligence”.
Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, north of Islamabad, was identified to the US as a location of interest in 2009. However, Mr Bashir, said at that point it was not known bin Laden was there. It was among “millions” of possible locations on both sides of the Pakistan/Afghanistan border which were identified, he added.
Mr Bashir said it was not time to “enter into recriminations”, adding: “Pakistan does not have to over and over again prove its credentials on these matters. We do it as a matter of enlightened self-interest and in the interests of the world.”
In Paris, Mr Raza Gilani said: “There is an intelligence failure of the whole world, not just Pakistan alone. (If there are) lapses from the Pakistan side, that means there are lapses from the whole world.”
Meanwhile, Indonesian Islamists hailed bin Laden as a martyr yesterday and predicted a major reprisal attack against the US.
Son Hdi, of the Jema’ah Ansharut Tauhid group, said: “If it is true that was him, it was bin Laden who won. He has had that victory he dreamt of, that is to be shot dead as a martyr by his enemy.
“The impact of his demise is that Osama will be appreciated with prayers, support and some hateful comments against the US. I am certain the US will experience a major disaster.”
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