Informing Pakistan about OBL raid was ‘trouble-free’ for Obama

By Shahzad Murad

WASHINGTON: In his latest book, “A Promised Land”, former US President Barrack Obama stated that informing the Pakistani leadership regarding the US raid which resulted in the killing of Osama bin Laden was simpler than foreseen.

In the recently released book, the Former President of the United States discussed numerous events and incidents which took place during his time at the Oval office. One of such events was the assassination of Osama Bin Laden.

Obama thoroughly stated the facts of the May 2, 2011 raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan where Al Qaida’s leader of that time was staying.

As Obama wrote in the book it was a complex decision from their end. What was much more difficult to predict was the response of Pakistan and her government at that time, as the US was about to carry out a raid at the risk of violating the US’ allied state’s sovereignty.

What came as a surprise to Obama was the reaction of Pakistan’s President of that time Asif Ali Zardari who didn’t react as aggrieved as expected. Obama mentioned “When I reached him, however, he expressed congratulations and support. and he said, ‘it’s very good news’.”

Furthermore, Obama also included the stance of then Army Chief of Pakistan Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, who had a very polite conversation on this issue with the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Michael Glenn Mullen. However, Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani requested Mullen to come clean on the target of that raid as soon as possible.

In his book Obama also mentioned the reason for not involving Pakistan or not notifying them before the raid was carried out; as he believed that Al Qaida or Taliban have high profile links within Pakistan which will inform them about the US raid, thence it might result in a failure.

All these recent claims by Obama in “A Promised Land” have given a rise to a lot of discussions in Pakistan.