Indian media story on Pakistani leadership knowing about Osama's presence is 'utter nonsense': Mukht

[ice_man]

Indian media story on Pakistani leadership knowing about Osama's presence is 'utter nonsense': Mukhtar
By Web Desk
Published: October 14, 2015
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Osama bin Laden. PHOTO: REUTERS

Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, who was Pakistan’s defence minister between 2008 and 2012, has denied telling CNN-IBN that President Asif Ali Zardari, then army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the joint chief of staff were aware that Bin Laden was living in Abbottabad.

Late on Tuesday, CNN-IBN reported that Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership knew about Osama bin Laden’s presence in the country much before the United States navy SEALs killed him in a raid in Abbottabad in 2011, while quoting the then defence minister.

However, Mukhtar denied making any such claims on Wednesday, saying that that the reporting by CNN-IBN was “utter nonsense.”

“Had Pakistan knew about Osama residing here, it would have taken action against him,” he added. “The statements have been taken out of context,” he said, while talking to a private news channel.

Read: Kayani, Shuja Pasha knew of OBL raid in advance: author

Earlier, CNN-IBN had quoted the former minister as saying, “Former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, then Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Joint Chief of Staff all knew that Osama was in Pakistan.”

Asked if they had prior information in terms of suspicion of the location of the world’s most wanted man, Mukhtar said, “Some people knew, people in the Pakistan army as well as people in the other forces they also knew it and they were on the lookout for somebody of the stature of Osama bin Laden.”

Read: ISI chief knew whereabouts of Osama bin Laden’s hideout: NYT

Mukhtar’s admissions comes months after investigative reporter Seymour Hersh’s claimed that a Pakistani agent had leaked to the US Osama’s Abbottabad hideout address.

According to a controversial article in the London Review of Books by veteran investigative journalist Seymour M Hersh, US forces killed Osama bin Laden with the full cooperation of Pakistani military and intelligence agencies, who had kept the 9/11 mastermind prisoner inside his infamous Abbottabad compound for years before the fatal raid.

According to the 10,000-word expose published on the London Review of Books website, Bin Laden was a prisoner of the Pakistan military, who not only knew of his location, but were keeping him under house arrest and accepting funds from Saudi Arabia for his upkeep.

Read: No proof Pakistanis knew bin Laden location: US

 

[silent hawk]

Good for Amn Ki Asha

 

[I S I]

Indian media is least credible media in whole world. Even Onion is better than them.

 

[samlove]

here is video proof what he said in interview , dont know if he was lying then or now, but to me he is lying now under pressure

here

 

[v9s]

Of course Pakistan knew...and so did the US. Forgot Seymour Hersh's article?

 

[!eon]

Hope, one day US govt will release the true version of this BS story.

 

[Assange]

I did see this interview...he did say YES....to that question in that interview....

 

[Guynextdoor2]

here is video proof what he said in interview , dont know if he was lying then or now, but to me he is lying now under pressure

here

As if there was any doubt....

 

[The Ultranationalist]

so American troops wasted osama near pakistani capitol and pakistani agencies were fool enough to not to know about him.

 

[rubyjackass]

CNN-IBN is a sensationalist channel. At its extreme ends, it has anchors like the one who interviewed Mukhtar and are a disgrace to journalism. You have Dawn to keep Pakistan's conscience, India has The Hindu.