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Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani lashed back at the US on Monday over the assassination of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, violating its sovereignty. Gillani told his parliament that widespread accusations of official incompetence or complicity over Bin Laden’s Abbottabad hideaway were “absurd”. The prime minister issued a warning aimed at the US and India. “Any attack, overt or covert, against Pakistan will get a matching response.” Gillani also shunned allegations that Pakistan is a base for Al-Qaeda activities and slammed claims that ISI has links to terror groups. “There are no differences among state institutions. Army and ISI are all on the same page,” he said.
On the other hand, US President Obama has demanded that Pakistan finds out about the network which sustained Bin Laden in his hiding place where he was assassinated by US forces last week. During an interview on the CBS program 60 Minutes on Sunday, Obama said that Islamabad should investigate if any of the government officials were aware of Bin Laden’s hideout. The president also said that Bin Laden must’ve had some kind of “support network” within Pakistan, but he didn’t know whether it involved government officials. Islamabad has denied knowing the Al-Qaeda leader was hiding in Abbottabad.
