Osama panel rejects British paper report on findings

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Oct 24, IRNA -- A Commission, tasked to investigate US raid to kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan last May, dismissed as 'concocted and baseless' a British paper's report that panel has cleared Pakistan's gov't and military establishment of involvement in protection of al-Qaeda chief.

The Daily Telegraph quoting a senior government official, claims that no one else in the town knew the world's most wanted man had taken up residence there. It clears Pakistan's government and military establishment of involvement, a verdict that will prompt accusations of a cover-up and infuriate Western diplomats, the British paper reported.

'The Inquiry Commission on Abbottabad Operation refutes the media report,” a commission’s statement said.

Pakistani print and electronic media widely covered the British paper report on Tuesday.

The commission has finalized its report but has not yet made it public. Head of the commission and former Supreme Court judge, Javed Iqbal, says the report will be submitted to the government with proposal to make it public.

The Abbottabad Commission was formed weeks after the US Navy SEALS killed the al-Qaeda Chief to probe the U.S. raid and Osama’s presence in Pakistan.

The five-member Commission has interviewed widows of the slain al-Qaeda chief, senior military, air force, intelligence officials, top government functionaries and residents of Abbottabad.

The British daily attributed contents of the report to the Commission but the statement said that the Commission clarified that ?no such report / facts were revealed to the Press’.

“All the news regarding submission of report to the Government, its contents and recommendations are concocted, baseless and without substance as the report is yet to be presented,” it said.

The British daily claimed that the Commission submitted its report to the government last week, which also concluded that stealth technology used by the U.S. helicopters enabled them to enter Pakistani airspace without being detected.

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