Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is ever and anon under fire for either failing to hide Pakistan’s stance on several sensitive issues relevant to the world or blurting the flawed ethics of the 227 million-populated country. Amounting to a veiled confession, the 69-year-old cricketer-turned-politician criticised Osama Bin Laden’s death led by the US and admitted that the deceased terrorist had been ‘fighting for Pakistan’s cause’.
Khan went on to say that the US Navy Seals-led Operation Geronimo (killing of Laden) was unjustified and an embarrassment to Islamabad.
‘Osama had been fighting for Pakistan’s cause’ says Imran Khan at Lahore rally
According to Khan, Laden’s killing was embarrassing, not because the most wanted terrorist was located and gunned down in Pakistan but because Laden was killed on his own soil and while he was ‘fighting for Pakistan’.
“We (Pakistan) were humiliated internationally. After the US entered Pakistan and killed Osama bin Laden here (Pakistan’s Abottabad), no one uttered a word for three days. President Obama wrote in his book that he was worried about telling this news to President Zardari and apprehended a protest over it,” Imran Khan said.
Citing Obama, Khan said, “He (Obama) assumed that Zardari would disapprove of it and blame the US for what they did but Obama mentioned that upon calling Zardari, then Pakistan President congratulated the US President over Laden’s death,” he added.
“….to enter someone’s territory and against someone who is fighting for you (Osama fighting for Pakistan) to kill that person on the land, he is protecting and fighting for, and without informing Pakistan. At the time, the Pakistan leadership was kneeling before the US. No one will respect you if you do not respect yourself,” Khan said with conviction.
It may be noted that Laden was the chief of the terror group Al Qaeda and a mastermind of the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 civilians. In 2011, Bin Laden was killed in a military operation by US Navy Seals at the garrison town Abbottabad. He was accused of engineering a number of terror attacks worldwide, particularly targetting the American establishments