News
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Haqqani refutes allegation that he had prior knowledge of bin Laden raidLAHORE: Former ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani refuted allegations levelled against him in an article by Mansoor Ijaz in Newsweek, in which he claimed that Haqqani had prior knowledge of the Osama bin Laden raid in Abbottabad.
In a letter to the editor of Newsweek, Haqqani said, “In the strongest terms possible, I categorically reject as reckless, baseless and false the allegations levied against me by Mr Mansoor Ijaz about prior knowledge of US plans for a raid in Abbottabad in violation of Pakistani sovereignty to eliminate Osama bin Laden as well as his earlier charges about my role in a memo he wrote and sent to the US Chairman Joint Chiefs.
“Indeed, the falsehoods and mistruths in this piece indict, impeach and destroy his credibility. I was in Washington DC until the evening of May 1 ET when I boarded a flight for London on way to Dubai and Islamabad. Upon hearing of the Bin Laden raid I turned around from Heathrow airport and returned to Washington DC on the afternoon of May 2.”
Explaining further, he said, “My visit to London on May 9-10 to meet with senior British officials was to discuss reconciliation in Afghanistan and discuss Pakistan-UK and US-Pakistan relations in the wake of the Osama bin Laden raid. My British interlocutors would attest to the fact that I did not discuss any fears about domestic political developments in Pakistan and certainly did not talk about any hare-brained scheme against the Pakistani military.
Unless Newsweek retracts the article by Mr Ijaz, and his impugning of my patriotism and loyalty to Pakistan, I intend legal action to right the wrongs done to me by these outrageous allegations.” pr
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk