Court allows Osama's brother-in-law to meet his sister

Islamabad, Mar 22: A Pakistani court today allowed slain al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden's brother-in-law to meet his sister, who has been in the custody of authorities since May last year, court officials said.

Zakarya Ahmed Abdalfattah, the brother of Bin Laden's Yemeni widow Amal Abdulfattah, the youngest of his wives, had complained in a petition filed in the Islamabad High Court that Pakistani authorities had not allowed him to meet his sister and her children. He said the authorities had earlier said they would hand over his sister and her children to him but this promise had not been honoured.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said Bin Laden's three widows and their children have been charged with illegally entering and staying in Pakistan and that they cannot leave the country till a civil court decides the case. Legal experts say that such charges carry a five-year jail term under Pakistani laws.

Abdalfattah had requested the court to allow him to meet his sister, who was injured when US special forces raided a compound in the garrison town of Abbotabad on May 2 and killed the al-Qaeda chief. Amal Abdulfattah was with Bin Laden when he was killed.

Justice Anwar Kasi of the Islamabad High Court said Abdalfattah could meet his sister and her five children and that he would take action if Pakistani officials refused to allow him to see his sister. The judge asked Abdalfattah to file an application of contempt of court on Monday if he was not allowed to meet his sister.

PTI