Adil Najam
Late during the night between May 1 and May 2 in Pakistan there was news floating of a low-flying helicopter having blown up in the city of Abbottabad. There was much speculation, some wild rumors, but no confirmation of what had happened. Then, late night May 1 US East Coast Time (some six hours after the news about from Abbottabad had first started circulating in Pakistan), television screens in the US started flashing a notice that President Barack Obama would soon speak to the nation on a security issue. Rumors and speculation started flashing again.
(Unconfirmed – and, now, reportedly fake – photo of Osama Bin Laden’s dead body being shown on a private TV channel in Pakistan)
Soon it was confirmed that the news was that Osama Bin Laden had been killed: President Obama then confirmed that ke was killed in Pakistan, in Abbottabad, in an operation led by the US but conducted with support of Pakistani authorities (still not clear how much support, and whose). Reportedly, the US now has possession of Osama Bin Laden’s body.
This is a huge development in the War on Terror, even if Osama Bin Laden’s actual role had now become symbolic rather than operational. It is a development that also has huge implications for Pakistan, and for Pakistan-US relations.
More details are trickling by the minute. And partly for that reason it is not yet clear just what happened and which details are confirmed and which are speculation. What is now confirmed is: (a) Osama Bin Laden has been killed, (b) Osama Bin Laden was killed by US forces, (c) Osama Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan, (d) Osama Bin Laden was killed in an operation that was eventually supported by Pakistani authorities, and (e) CNN has no idea about anything that has to do with Pakistan (according to them Abbottabad is an outskirt just outside Islamabad!
As details come in and as a narrative and reactions develop both in Washington and in Islamabad, the one big – the one biggest – question that every Pakistani is thinking about is: What will this mean for Pakistan-US relations? What will this mean for Pakistan and Pakistanis? What will this mean for terrorism within Pakistan as a backlash of this incident?
What do you think?
The awkward moment when Hitler and Osama Bin Laden both announced dead on May 1st.
The proliferation of Taliban activities in Pakistan over the last few years, were almost certainly being conducted and masterminded from this “compound” in Abbotabad. How will the so called Pakistani “state” and the Pakistani military and the ISI answer to the Pakistani people for at best their ineptitude in capturing or locating this monster and at worst for their complicity in his presence? Because either ineptness or their complicity has lead to the deaths of thousands. As a people, we need answers.
As to the question: What will this mean for Pakistan/US relations…As long as Pakistan wasn’t hiding Bin Laden and was not aware of his presence, let us hope that we move on in peace. Too many have suffered at the hands of this animal.
Joe Michaels, Colorado USA
First, all Pakistanis should know that the deadly spiral that Pakistan has been spinning in over the last decade has been a direct result of Al Qaeda’s actions; i.e. Pakistan has suffered greatly in terms of lives lost (both civilian and military), the Taliban menace, the economy going into the trash bin, and our country being reviled all over the world, in every country, Muslim and non-Muslim.
As a Pakistani, I just hope that our country’s agencies/military did not shelter or help Osama in any way. But I would not put this beyond them; they executed Bhutto, committed genocide in Bengal, destroyed institutions, etc etc.
the biggest problem is that no one from pakistan has spoken and no one will. There will never be our narrative on the subject. US, India every one will throw speculations and we will never be told pakistan side of story – leading to foriegn allegations assumed as truth over time.