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Pakistan Criticizes US Bin Laden Raid

04 May 2011 03:56 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Pakistani government on Tuesday sharply criticized the U.S. raid that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, warning that countries should not think they have free rein to come and go through Pakistan, APA reports quoting voanews.com website.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry expressed â€œdeep concerns and reservationsâ€ about the way the United States carried out the military operation without Islamabad’s prior knowledge or authorization.
It said Pakistan’s intelligence service had been sharing information about the compound in the northern city of Abbottabad with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The ministry added that the CIA and â€œother friendly intelligence agenciesâ€ greatly benefited from intelligence provided by the ISI.
But President Asif Ali Zardari’s government is coming under increasing pressure to explain how the world’s most wanted terrorist could hide in a mansion in a town with a large military presence, including a military academy, and so close to the country’s capital.
In an article in The Washington Post newspaper Tuesday, Mr. Zardari denied suggestions that Pakistani authorities had protected bin Laden.
He said the Taliban issued threats against him and his government shortly after bin Laden’s killing, but that Pakistan will not be â€œintimidated.â€ He declared that â€œthe war on terrorism is as much Pakistan’s war as it is America’s.â€
He also addressed criticism that suggested Pakistan is not aggressively pursuing terrorists. He said Pakistan is perhaps the greatest victim of terrorism.
Also Tuesday, Pakistani authorities allowed journalists to approach the outer walls of bin Laden’s compound, but not further.