Abbottabad commission to complete report by month end

“As far as the international law is concerned, it is obvious that if he (Osama bin Laden) was present there, he should have been caught alive.”

ISLAMABAD: The judicial commission investigating how Osama bin Laden lived in Pakistan undetected for years until his killing by US special forces said on Thursday it would complete its report within weeks.

“It is hoped that the recording of the evidence will be completed by the end of December and the writing of the commission report as early as possible,” retired senior supreme court judge Javed Iqbal told a news conference.

The Pakistani government set up the five-member panel after US Navy SEALs conducted a secret raid on a compound in the garrison city of Abbottabad on May 2, killing bin Laden and flying off without informing Islamabad.

Parliament demanded an independent investigation into how bin Laden had been able to hide and whether there was any government or military collusion.

Iqbal said the commission would like to examine evidence collected by US Navy SEALs from compound, but that it had not so far made a formal request.

“So far as that evidence is concerned, that is in Arabic language and according to the Unites States authorities it may take more than six months to get it translated into English or some other language,” Iqbal said.

“Therefore it is time consuming and when the relevant time will come definitely we will ask for such information.”

Pakistani-US ties drastically deteriorated over the bin Laden raid, which prompted accusations of incompetence or complicity against the military, and relations are again at new lows over the November NATO killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers.

Iqbal said the commission had interviewed more than 100 witnesses, including army and air force, police and intelligence officials, and visited Abbottabad and the surrounding areas five times.

“We strongly recommend that the commission’s report be made public,” Iqbal told the crowded gathering, the commission’s first such news conference.

Pakistan was awash with conspiracy theories after the Abbottabad incident and in a slightly surprising move, Iqbal said it was too early to comment when asked whether the commission was sure bin Laden was killed in the May 2 raid.

“It would be too premature a stage to say what was and what was not, because the objective is to minutely examine the evidences collected so far, then a conclusion would be drawn and deliberations would take place,” he said.

“And some important witnesses have to be examined yet, so please do not ask what will be in this report.”

Iqbal said the team was investigating whether bin Laden stayed only in Abbottabad or also elsewhere in Pakistan and looking at whether his killing was lawful under international law.

“As far as the international law is concerned, it is obvious that if he was present there, he should have been caught alive,” Iqbal said.

“But the thing is that why it happened like that, should it have happened like this, all these answers you will find in the report that what international law says and what was our stance and what is the US stand.”

He reiterated that bin Laden’s widows and children were now free to leave the country as far as the commission was concerned, saying that they had been “thoroughly investigated” and their statements were recorded.

Zardari has more medical tests in Dubai

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari was expected to undergo further tests in a Dubai hospital on Thursday after suffering a minor heart attack that forced allies to deny frenzied resignation rumours.

Zardari was on Thursday spending a second day in a UAE bed while facing a major scandal over to what extent he was involved in alleged attempts by a close aide to seek US help to limit the power of Pakistan’s military.

“President Zardari’s condition is stable, he is fine, he is OK,”presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar told AFP on Thursday.

Aides have so far been unable to say when he will return home, after one member of the cabinet initially said he would go back to Islamabad on Thursday.

“It depends on the doctors, when he will be discharged. They will tell after receiving results of some more tests,” Babar added.

He said Zardari’s illness stems from a “pre-existing heart condition” and that the president has been fitted with stents. He reportedly suffered a minor heart attack six years ago.

Country’s situation might worsen if elections rigged: Imran

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan warned on Thursday that the country’s situation might worsen if the upcoming elections were rigged, DawnNews reported.

Speaking to media representative at the Lahore airport, Khan said results of any election in Pakistan had never been accepted wholeheartedly and that it was a common practice of the losing party to accuse the successful party of rigging.

The PTI chief said the country had witnessed martial laws resulting due to election rigging allegations.

Khan further said the presence of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry would ensure the holding of free and fair elections.

He also said elections should be held after the completion of the voting lists.

TOP NEWS FROM PAKISTAN: FO condemns terrorist attacks in Kabul, Mazar-i-Sh...

TOP NEWS FROM PAKISTAN: FO condemns terrorist attacks in Kabul, Mazar-i-Sh...: ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday strongly condemned the terrorist incidents in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif resulting in the loss ...

FO condemns terrorist attacks in Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday strongly condemned the terrorist incidents in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif resulting in the loss of lives.

“We strongly condemn the reprehensible terrorist actions in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif resulting in the loss of over 60 innocent lives,” a spokesman for the foreign office said in a statement.

The spokesman said the government and the people of Pakistan are grieved and stand by the brotherly people of Afghanistan at this difficult time.

Uranium sales open to India, not Pakistan: Australia

Australia's ruling Labor party passed Prime Minister Julia Gillard's proposal with 206 votes to 185, reversing a decades-old policy excluding New Delhi from Australia's uranium trade because it is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

SYDNEY: Australia’s Defence Minister Stephen Smith said India represented a “unique” case for uranium sales Thursday and denied that lifting its export ban to New Delhi opened the door to countries like Pakistan.

The ruling centre-left Labor party voted to overturn its long-standing ban on uranium sales to India at its national policy summit last weekend despite the fact that it was still not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Smith, on an official visit to India, said the decision had been “warmly welcomed” but rebuffed suggestions that Pakistan may want a similar arrangement.

“The circumstances for India so far as export of uranium is concerned are, in my view, unique,” Smith told ABC television from India.

“Pakistan does not have the same record so far as proliferation is concerned. There have been serious expressions of concern about proliferation in the past.” Though India had not signed the NPT – Labor’s rationale for withholding sales until the weekend’s policy u-turn – Smith said it had agreed to split its civilian and military nuclear programmes and vowed not to engage in atomic tests.

It had also submitted to the authority of civil nuclear regulators.

“India is the world’s largest democracy. There’s never been any serious suggestion or any evidence of proliferation on India’s part,” he said.

He described the ban as “an irritant or a grain of sand in the relationship (that) is now gone” and said he and Indian officials had agreed that they could and should do more to boost strategic cooperation.

“The whole world is moving to the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean, and India is very much a central part of that,” he said.

Smith said he had also discussed the recent announcement of a US troop boost in northern Australia with Indian counterpart A.K Antony and he understood that “Australia has an alliance relationship with the United States.

“India also understands that Australia has a strong view that the engagement of the United States in the Asia Pacific, indeed the enhanced engagement of the United States in the Asia Pacific, is a good thing for peace, prosperity and stability,” Smith said.

Australia describes India – its fourth-largest export market – as at the “front rank” of its global partnerships and aims to strengthen ties beyond economic and trade links into areas such as defence and security.

Rumourgate’ not worth a response: Babar Awan

ISLAMABAD: Senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former law minister Babar Awan said on Thursday that nefarious rumour mills were operating against the government which did not merit any discussion or response, DawnNews reported.

Speaking to media representatives in Islamabad, Awan said a media-trial of one individual was being done, the example of which could not be found in the country’s history.

The former law minister said there was ‘no other gate in the country except ‘rumourgate’’ and stressed that the government would complete its tenure.

Awan said those talking about the ‘Bangladesh model’ should keep in mind the Constitution’s Article 6 and its sub-clauses in that regard.

The senior leader further said that President Asif Ali Zardari would hold a joint session of the parliament on the recommendation of the national security council.

Awan assured that no collision would occur among the state’s institutions and no compromise would be made with regard to Pakistan’s security.