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?
Terror, Terrorists and Terrorism exsited since the start of civilisation and after all these years to credit Osama Bin Laden for it is incorrect. Well to start, I do not feel happy when some one is killed even if the DEVIL himself is killed!
Assuming Osama Bin Laden has been killed or is dead- is the war against terror and terrorism over and will the USA and NATO depart from the region? NO! Because they are here not to fight terror or terrorism and terrorists but to terrorise the region and occupy the region under any pretext!
What is the solution? The solution for peace and stability in the region comes only after the USA and NATO have left the region. They must leave soonest possible for the well-being of their own people. USA and NATO must learn to mind their own business and mend their ways.
Don’t you wish they had got him in Tora Bora 10 years ago. How much blood would have been saved had the US not allowed him to slip out of their fingers then!
If Obama had called Zardari before his speech, shouldn’t Zardari have already prepared a statement by then.
How much money was on his head? will ISI get this money?
Too many unknowns still.
We know that a helicopter was shot down at 1.30am in Abbottabad during this operation.
Either that was a US helicopter that went down and Mr. Obama is lying. Or it was a Pakistan helicopter and the operation really had far more cooperation from Pakistan military than we are being told.