Abbottabad Commission gets briefing from PAF pilots, AOC
ISLAMABAD: The inquiry commission on Abbottabad operation was told on Saturday that on learning about the US operation to get the al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) immediately took adequate operational measures as per the standard operating procedure (SOP) and PAF aircraft continued their presence in Abbottabad till early morning.
The inquiry commission comprising former senior judge of the Supreme Court Justice (R) Javed Iqbal, IG (R) Abbas Khan, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, and Lt Gen (R) Nadeem Ahmed visited PAF HQ Air Defence Command Chaklala where they were briefed by the pilots, who flew aircraft for scanning the area for any intruders on the night between 1st and 2nd May, 2011. Air Officer Commanding (AOC) and pilots of aircraft also responded to various questions asked by the commission.
The AOC gave a detailed briefing to the commission highlighting the events leading to Abbottabad operation. He elaborated the functioning of radar system which forms the fundamental component of PAF air defence system. He also informed the commission about various locations of low and high altitude PAF radars and their operational readiness during war as well as peace time. He indicated situations where radar system can not detect an intruding aircraft/helicopter due to terrain limitations.
The AOC stated that for the past many years and prior to May 2, PAF has maintained peace time posture on its western borders. The commission will conduct a two-day visit to Abbottabad from September 13 to see the site of incident and record the statements of witnesses.