Barack Obama has revived debate on Sunday on the thesis of a possible government complicity in Islamabad about the presence of Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil until his death on May 1, during a raid U.S. special forces.
"The Pakistani government must initiate an investigation"
The U.S. president said on CBS that the leader of al-Qaeda most likely disposed of support in Pakistan and urged the Pakistani government to investigate the subject.
"We think there should be a network of support in one form or another, for bin Laden inside Pakistan," he said in a television interview aired Sunday night on the show " 60 Minutes "CBS.
"But we do not know where," he added. We do not know if there could be people [who helped bin Laden, ed] within or outside the government.We need to investigate it and, more importantly, the Pakistani government must initiate an investigation. "
The founder of Al Qaeda, who masterminded the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States, was killed on May 1 by U.S. special forces in his cache of Abbottabad, about sixty miles from the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
The Americans want to interrogate the three widows of bin Laden captured in Abbottabad
Prior to the release of about Barack Obama, the U.S. administration, it seems, spared its ally Pakistan by saying it did not have evidence to suggest that Islamabad qu'Ousama knew bin Laden was living in a city stationed nearby before his death.
"I can tell you frankly that I have seen no evidence to suggest that political leaders, military or intelligence services were aware of [the hiding place] bin Laden," said Tom Donilon, Counsellor national security of the White House during the show "Meet the Press" on NBC.
The hiding of the head of Al-Qaeda must "be an investigation," but he had added.
"The Pakistanis have said they would open an investigation, said Donilon. It is a very important issue in Pakistan at this time. How does this have happened in Pakistan? We have to investigate that.We must work with the Pakistanis. "
Pakistani authorities, he added, must provide U.S. authorities with the information they have gathered in the residence where bin Laden was killed, and enable them to meet his three widows who are currently detained in Pakistan.
Islamabad has already promised an investigation
On Monday, Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani could deliver clarification on this point during his speech to parliament in Islamabad.
And its ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, has promised in the show "This Week" ABC that the Pakistani authorities would take action after investigation.
"Heads Will Roll, once the investigation is completed, he said.If proven incompetence, we'll tell you. But if, and God forbid, complicity are unearthed, we will apply the principle of zero tolerance. "
Despite the difficult relations between Washington and Islamabad, "we work closely with Pakistan in the cons-terrorism, said his side Tom Donilon.There were more terrorists and extremists captured or killed in Pakistan than in any other country "
American suspicions about the Pakistani intelligence
Pakistan, heavily dependent on billions of dollars of U.S. aid, is under pressure to explain how Bin Laden has been living so long in a garrison town so close to the capital without being flushed.
These questions reinforce the doubts about the relationship that could keep members of Pakistani intelligence (ISI) with Islamic extremists.
Pakistan vehemently denies any complicity and states have paid a heavy price for supporting the U.S. offensive launched after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Officials said Pakistani security service, the head of al-Qaeda could have lived more than seven years in Pakistan before he was killed on May 1 by U.S. commandos.
One of the widows of bin Laden told investigators that he had spent about two and a half years in a Pakistani village before moving to Abbottabad.
This woman, Amal Ahmed Abdoulfattah, said the leader of Al Qaeda and its relatives had lived five years in Abbottabad.
Donilon said Sunday that the death of Osama bin Laden was a "real blow" to Al Qaeda.
"With the measures we have taken during the assault on the home run against Pakistan and the death of Osama bin Laden, they are even more vulnerable," he said.
Washington said Saturday that the complex where bin Laden lived Ouassama housed a "command post and Active Control" operations of Al Qaeda.
"It sounds ridiculous, responded Sunday a senior Pakistani intelligence. He did not seem in the process of directing a terrorist network."
"That's bullshit," added a senior Pakistani security services asked about the active role played by bin Laden since Abbottabad.
