Laden could have never lived in Pak for 5 yrs: Ex-ISI chief

Islamabad, Jun 9: While the whole world is firm in its belief that Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was complicit in Osama bin Laden's stay at Abottabad, the country's officials - present and former alike- continue to live in denial. The former boss of ISI, is another case in point, as he has insisted that Laden would have never lived in Pakistan for years.

General Ehsan ul Haq, the ISI chief from 2001-04 has also rejected claims that individual ISI agents might have helped Laden to stay for that long and stressed that the spy agency was a disciplined organisation whose officers followed the policies of the country.

He has been quoted by Reuters as saying, "It would have been entirely uncharacteristic of al Qaeda to keep its leadership in one position for so long. My own sense is that he has not been there for so long."

Explaining why Laden might have chosen Abottabad over other cities in Pakistan, he said that the garrison town was a relatively quiet place, less inspected by the country's security forces and also had access to the mountains on the border with Afghanistan.

He said, "There were fewer, or hardly any acts of terrorism in that part of the country and consequently there was less focus by the intelligence and security services."

It can be recollected that Laden was killed in an operation by US Navy SEALS on May 1. In a covert operation that was kept wrapped from the Pakistani government and security agencies, the US Navy SEALS attacked a posh mansion in Abottabad where Laden was living and killed him.

His youngest wife who was also injured during the operation has said the interrogating officials that the family was living there for the past five years.

OneIndia News