The Pakistani government is in deep doo-doo this morning following details of the operation in which Osama Bin Laden was killed. Far from being discovered hiding in a hole in the ground, he had been enjoying five-star treatment in a compound of impressive proportions. Walls 12-18 feet thick. Living space eight as large as anything in the surrounding area. Sixty-something miles north of the nation’s capital of Isalamabad, and closer to India than Afghanistan.
Image via Wikipedia
Some embarrassing questions will be asked. For example, how could a secure building of this size go unnoticed by Pakistani officials? More than that, how could it be built without attracting some attention?
And how could Bin Laden live there for any length of time without the government’s knowledge?
Mr Asif Ali Zardari, the president of Pakistan, will be the one to whom the rest of the world will look for answers. It’s rather telling that at 11.15 am on the day after the operation, his own web page makes no mention of it.
The confirmation that the king-pin of terrorism has been killed deep inside Pakistan will demand more than the token sacking of a junior minister; but given that the country itself is run according to the laws of Islam, it seems unlikely that the government will crumble as a result.
Agree with almost everything but want to put some things in context.
a. OBL was living in abject poverty. You can see the inside of his compound here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YF1-ekTQOk). The furniture, fittings, his small tv, beddings all indicate a very spartan life.
b. Kindly refer to Zardari as the “American Puppet President of Pakistan” as he wasn’t even allowed in Pakistan until the American’s facilitated the NRO deal between Benazir and Musharraf. Zardari spent most of his time in exile in the USA, where he owns extensive property
c. Please have a look at FBI’s most wanted (http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten). Most of them have been living for decades in the USA. How about these examples: Ian Jackson MacDonald caught after 32 years. Willie Parker caught after 42 years. Frederick Barrett also caught after 32 yeras. Norberto Gonzalez Claudio got unlucky after only 25 years. Would that indicate american complicity or incompetence?
I believe you it to your PhD to be more objective.
Dear Atiq,
Many thanks for your comments. I’d seen some of the footage of OBL’s compound, but as the standard of living is generally so much lower in that part of the world, it’s not always obvious if they are as poverty-stricken as it would appear to a Westerner.
But, I prefer to remain objective about how to address Zardari. He may be perceived as the APPP to some, but to me such a title shows obvious bias.
As for the fugitives in the US, it’s a BIG country. You can fit the whole of Western Europe into just the 48 lower states. If you add Alaska, you increase it by more than a third. So, I imagine that it would be quite easy to get lost in it if you really wanted to. No information was available on any of the people you mentioned on how officials found these people, apart from the one who had a tattoo that was recognized by officers. In other words, these men, like most fugitives who’ve been on the run for some time are discovered accidentally. Occasionally, a disgruntled family member or “friend” will report them to the authorities.
I doubt that the police are incompetent, but there aren’t enough of them to pursue every case to the extent that they would like. Television programs such as “Cold Case” exemplify that.
As for complicity, there probably is a certain amount of that in the case of organized crime, and maybe even in “small town, backwoods” America; but I think that, on the whole, the neighbors are unaware of the notorious past of those who live next door.
Cheers, Bruce