Pakistan did not know about OBL's whereabouts: Former US ambassador Munter

[Devil Soul]

Pakistan did not know about OBL's whereabouts: Munter
By Shahbaz Rana
Published: January 18, 2017
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A file photo of Cameron Munter. PHOTO: AFP

DAVOS: Former US ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter on Wednesday said Pakistan was unaware al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was residing in Abbottabad but the incident deepened mistrust between Islamabad and Washington.

“Those who claimed that Pakistan knew about the whereabouts of bin Laden were wrong,” said Munter, who is currently president of East-West Institute, a non government organisation working for conflict resolution, while speaking at a dinner hosted by chairman Pathfinder Group in honour of former army chief General Raheel Sharif.

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In 2011, the US raided a compound near a military academy in Abbottabad to hunt down the al Qaeda leader who had been accused of masterminding the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The former envoy said that the killing of the al Qaeda leader inside Pakistan further deepened mistrust between both the countries. “Terrible mistakes were made due to deep mistrust,” he added.

The former envoy said Pak-US relations were greatly affected by ‘two myths’. The Pakistan myth is that Americans used Pakistan when it needed and abandoned it afterwards while the US myth was that Pakistan would not be a reliable partner despite getting billions of dollars in aid, both military and civilian.

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The problem is that there was little truth in both of these myths and that deepened the mistrust, he added.

Munter said that during his assignment in Pakistan they tried to build long-term relations but incidents like the killing of OBL and an attack on Salala post at the Afghan-Pakistan border in which about two dozen Pakistani soldiers were killed made matters worse.

It took the US seven long months to apologise, which further deepened the mistrust, he added .

The former envoy, however, struck a positive note and said that during the past three years, relations between the US and Pakistan have significantly improved. He said that in order to build trust we have to be patient.

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He said there was a realisation in the US that it was out of sync and will have to do something to put things in order. The former ambassador said that this approach became the base of giving $1.5 billion in civilian aid to Pakistan under Kerry Lugar Act of 2009.

Munter praised former military chief Raheel Sharif, saying the “General showed a style of openness to achieve goals.”

 

[Hamza913]

You have to be a very mentally special person to genuinely believe Pakistan didn't know where Bin Laden was.

 

[SMC]

White house has said the same thing on several occasions, that Pakistan did not know about OBL's whereabouts. At least this is the story that the American state is sticking to publicly.

 

[cloud4000]

You have to be a very mentally special person to genuinely believe Pakistan didn't know where Bin Laden was.

There is a reason why Cameron Munter was removed as Ambassador to Pakistan: he didn't see eye-to-eye with Obama Administration on its relations with Pakistan, especially in the areas of drone strikes.

White house has said the same thing on several occasions, that Pakistan did not know about OBL's whereabouts. At least this is the story that the American state is sticking to publicly.

Because this is the narrative both Pakistan and US agreed upon before the SEAL attack was launched on OBL's compound. Pakistan really had no choice in the matter because if it refused it would exposed as harboring the world's number one terrorist, one that has been living under their noses for eight years. Just imagine the damage it would inflict on Pakistan's reputation. Not even China would touch it.

So they accepted the second-worst option: let US take out OBL while Pakistan plays dumb. Both sides came out benefiting in their own way, of course. US got its man and could declare victory in GWOT and Pakistan, I'm sure, benefited, too, even if it's image took a temporary hit.

 

[Hyde]

White house has said the same thing on several occasions, that Pakistan did not know about OBL's whereabouts. At least this is the story that the American state is sticking to publicly.

And in my opinion it is exactly the truth.

We really didn't know he was living in Pakistan.

 

[VCheng]

And in my opinion it is exactly the truth.

We really didn't know he was living in Pakistan.

Can that be taken as an admission of incompetence?

 

[SMC]

There is a reason why Cameron Munter was removed as Ambassador to Pakistan: he didn't see eye-to-eye with Obama Administration on its relations with Pakistan, especially in the areas of drone strikes.



Because this is the narrative both Pakistan and US agreed upon before the SEAL attack was launched on OBL's compound. Pakistan really had no choice in the matter because if it refused it would exposed as harboring the world's number one terrorist, one that has been living under their noses for eight years. Just imagine the damage it would inflict on Pakistan's reputation. Not even China would touch it.

So they accepted the second-worst option: let US take out OBL while Pakistan plays dumb. Both sides came out benefiting in their own way, of course. US got its man and could declare victory in GWOT and Pakistan, I'm sure, benefited, too, even if it's image took a temporary hit.

That is entirely speculation on your part. The official story is just as convincing.

 

[jaydee]

There is a reason why Cameron Munter was removed as Ambassador to Pakistan: he didn't see eye-to-eye with Obama Administration on its relations with Pakistan, especially in the areas of drone strikes.



Because this is the narrative both Pakistan and US agreed upon before the SEAL attack was launched on OBL's compound. Pakistan really had no choice in the matter because if it refused it would exposed as harboring the world's number one terrorist, one that has been living under their noses for eight years. Just imagine the damage it would inflict on Pakistan's reputation. Not even China would touch it.

So they accepted the second-worst option: let US take out OBL while Pakistan plays dumb. Both sides came out benefiting in their own way, of course. US got its man and could declare victory in GWOT and Pakistan, I'm sure, benefited, too, even if it's image took a temporary hit.

Not the right reasoning coz they could have made it look much easier.US could have said that Osama was captured in Afghanistan.I believe the past leaks that there was some agreement between Pakistan and US and some how Obama to show bravado breached that agreement or Hillary sabotaged it.