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The following is research published today from MEMRI’s Special Dispatch Series. Special Dispatch No. 3803—South Asia Studies Project/Pakistan Pakistani Editor on Bin Laden's Killing: 'Now, With Irrefutable Evidence of His Death Taking Place in Abbottabad, Islamabad Has Egg on Its Face'
In an article on the killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad, senior Pakistani editor Badar Alam notes that Pakistan, which had been claiming that the Al-Qaeda leader was not on Pakistani soil, has suffered a major setback to its image and trustworthiness, especially in its relationship with its neighboring nations and the U.S. "Not that Pakistan has a great international image to speak of. But whatever trust or goodwill the country has been trying to build vis-à-vis Afghanistan, India and the United States in the recent past has suffered a serious blow," wrote Badar Alam, who is editor of the Dawn media group'sHerald magazine. He added: "The fact that the most wanted international terrorist, and a sworn enemy of Pakistan's state and government, has been residing within a stone's throw from the country's military academy is something that will continue to disturb and upset many in the country." The website of The Times of India daily, in a report from its Islamabad correspondent, also raised question on the Pakistani military's support for terrorist groups, and noted that the killing of bin Laden will "jeopardize relations between Islamabad and Washington." The report raised question marks about the Pakistani military's support for militant groups, noting: "The death of bin Laden in Abbottabad, a city mostly dominated by Pakistan's military, has raised many questions regarding the role of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) [and] whether his whereabouts were known to the spy agency. Bin Laden was not living in an ordinary residence." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5247.htm.
Special Dispatch No. 3802—South Asia Studies Project/Pakistan/Jihad and Terrorism Studies Project Pakistani Newspapers Raise Questions on Pakistani Army's Alleged Lack of Knowledge about Osama bin Laden's Presence in Pakistani Town
A day after U.S. President Barack Obama announced that Osama bin Laden was killed in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad in a May 1st U.S. operation, Pakistani newspapers, writing in cautious tones, began raising questions over the top Pakistani military officials' alleged lack of knowledge about the Al-Qaeda leader's presence in the vicinity of a Pakistani military academy. In an analytical report titled "Pak Military Caught in the Crossfire," the liberal newspaper Dawnquestioned how much Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani knew about the presence of Osama bin Laden near the Kakul military academy in Abbottabad. In another report titled 'Has Our Civil, Military Leadership Failed Totally?" senior Pakistani editor Ansar Abbasi wondered why Osama bin Laden was not tried in Pakistan. Abbasi wrote in The News: "It does not matter whether the operation was conducted with the cooperation of the Pakistan Army leadership, or without its information; in both cases it's a charge-sheet against the military establishment. Why should we raise and sustain the world's seventh largest army, costing more than 600 billion Pakistani Rupees per year, if it could not or does not counter such a foreign invasion?" Abbasi was also sharply critical of the U.S., stating that if Osama bin Laden was declared a terrorist for killing innocent people, "then following the same principle why is the U.S., which is responsible for killing more than a million innocent Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan, not termed a terrorist state?" He added: "If Osama, without a trial, could be condemned and killed, then why aren't the killer states involved in the assassination of innocent Muslims in Indian-Held Kashmir and Palestinians – India and Israel – declared terrorist states for killing innocents." In another article in The Express Tribune, noted strategic affairs analyst Ayesha Siddiqa noted that Osama bin Laden was living so close to the Pakistani capital Islamabad that many people will get an opportunity to point a finger at Pakistan. Siddiqa also observed: "It is certainly a good opportunity for policymakers, especially military commanders, to review the national and military strategies on fighting forces of terror…" She also warned that a number of Al-Qaeda affiliates nurtured by the Pakistani military establishment over the years could launch attacks in Pakistan. She noted: "Harkatul Jihad Al-Islami, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and Lashkar-e-Taiba are some of the many organizations that were allowed to spread their network and physical infrastructure into the 'settled' areas of Pakistan such as Punjab and Sindh. These organizations have deep links with Al-Qaeda and have allegedly collaborated with Osama bin Laden's terror network against targets in Pakistan and South Asia at large." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5246.htm.
Special Dispatch No. 3801—South Asia Studies Project/Pakistan/Jihad and Terrorism Studies Project Pakistani Journalists Recall Meetings with Osama bin Laden: 'Osama Wanted to Be a Martyr'; '[He Said That] the War Against Americans Will Not Be Over Even After My Death'
In a report titled 'Osama Wanted To Be a Martyr," senior Pakistani journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai, who has covered the Afghanistan-Pakistan region over the past several decades, recalled his 1998 interview with Osama bin Laden, noting that the Al-Qaeda leader was motivated by martyrdom. "Weakened by sustained military operations carried [out] by Pakistan's security forces, U.S. drone strikes and the death and arrest of many of its operatives, Al-Qaeda will now glorify bin Laden as a martyr and try to remain in business," Yusufzai added. In a report titled 'The Osama Bin Laden I Knew," senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir recalled his three meetings with the Al-Qaeda leader and several occasions bin Laden escaped from the American and British troops in Afghanistan. He also observed: "Osama bin Laden is dead, but Al-Qaeda and its allies are not. Osama always exploited the flaws in American policies. His real strength was hatred for America – Islam was never his real strength. Physical elimination of Osama bin Laden is big news for the Americans but many outside America want the elimination of the policies that produce bin Ladens. America came into Afghanistan in search of Osama bin Laden." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5245.htm.
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Tuesday, 3 May 2011
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