Osama panel summons Pakistani envoy in UK

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

ISLAMABAD, Dec 12, IRNA -- A Pakistani panel, investigating the U.S. raid to kill Osama bin Laden in the northwestern city of Abbotabad on May 2, on Monday summoned Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK Wajid Shamsul Hasan.

Hasan has been summoned to explain comments he made in a recent interview. The high commissioner had said that it might be possible that Pakistani leadership was aware of the May 2 operation. Hasan is asked to appear before the panel in the last week of December.

The Commission is also investigating the presence of the al-Qaeda chief in Pakistan for years and the security agencies could not get any information about his presence.

It also heard opinions of legal experts Wasim Sajjad, Justice (retired) Nasira Iqbal and S.M. Zafar.

The Commission has already taken statements and investigated the wives and daughters of Osama bin Laden and they are no more required to the Commission.

The Commission had earlier restrained the Pakistani authorities from handing over the Osama family members to any country.

The Commission conducted an exhaustive interview of the Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt. General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, two times to know his perspective leading to the Abbottabad incident.

The panel had suggested registration of treason charges against a doctor who helped a fake CIA vaccination program in an attempt to obtain DNA from the al-Qaeda leader's family.

Dr. Shakil Afridi was arrested by the Pakistani security agency days after the U.S. military helicopters killed the most wanted man in a compound where he was believed to have lived for years.

The U.S. had reportedly pressurized Pakistan to release Dr. Afridi but the authorities have rejected the U.S. demand.

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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30708315