Imran Khan calling Osama bin Laden a 'martyr' was a 'slip of the tongue': Pak info minister
Islamabad, Jun 27: One year after Prime Minister Imran Khan described slain Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as a "shaheed" (martyr), Pakistan's information minister on Sunday clarified that it was a "slip of the tongue" by his boss.
Speaking in Parliament on June 25 last year, Khan said the American forces entered Pakistan and killed bin Laden without informing the government after which everyone started abusing his country.
"I don't think there's a country which supported the war on terror and had to face embarrassment for it. Pakistan was also openly blamed for US' failure in Afghanistan," Khan had said.
"For Pakistanis across the globe, it was an embarrassing moment when the Americans came and killed Osama bin Laden at Abottabad...martyred him. The whole world started abusing us after that. Our ally came inside our country and killed someone without informing us. And, 70,000 Pakistanis died because of US' war on terror," he told lawmakers, drawing criticism from the Opposition as well as from the media.
Bin Laden, then the world's most wanted terrorist, was killed by US Navy Seals in a covert military operation in the Pakistani garrison city of Abbottabad in May, 2011.
Speaking on Geo News programme Jirga, aired on Sunday, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said, "It was a slip of the tongue. He had clarified it," the minister said while referring to Khan's controversial remarks.
The controversy surfaced again last week when Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi refrained from calling Osama bin Laden a terrorist in an interview with Afghanistan's Tolo News.
When the interviewer quoted Prime Minister Imran as calling bin Laden a martyr , Qureshi said: Well, again. Out of context. He (the PM) was quoted out of context. And, a particular section of the media pair it up.
Asked if he would disagree, the foreign minister paused for a while and then said: I will let it pass, the Dawn newspaper reported.
The leading Pakistani in an editorial noted that Qureshi's refusal to call bin Laden a terrorist in an interview with an Afghan media outlet is perplexing and defies logic.
"There are times to be diplomatic and parry sticky questions. However, this certainly didn't appear to be one of those instances," the Dawn said.
"Mr Qureshi could have used this opportunity to clearly state that Pakistan considers the late Al Qaeda mastermind a terrorist. However, his non-committal comments sent the wrong message to a global audience," it pointed out.
"Pakistan's top leadership needs to be absolutely clear when it comes to describing fighters like bin Laden," the editorial stressed.
When asked about Qureshi's remarks by Tolo News anchor, Information Minister Chaudhry said the foreign minister's refusal to call bin Laden a terrorist might have had to do with his desire to "move forwards, instead of looking at the past".
The information minister said a clarification had been issued last year by Prime Minister Imran's spokesperson after his remarks. He emphasised that Pakistan had rendered the most sacrifices in the war against terrorism.
"Our position is entirely clear," the senior leader of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said, adding that "when our own media exaggerate things then, of course, the foreign [media] will pick them up from local sources."
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US, Israel launch attack on Iran with tensions high over nuclear talks
Dubai (AP): The US and Israel launched a major attack on targets across Iran on Saturday, and US President Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to “take over your government” — an extraordinary appeal that suggested the allies could be seeking to end of the country's theocracy after decades of tensions.
The first strikes of the attack appeared to target the compound home to Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in downtown Tehran. It wasn't immediately clear if he was there at the time. Smoke could be seen rising from the Iranian capital.
“For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries,” Trump said in a video posted on social media that sought to justify the attacks. He urged Iranians to take cover during the strikes, but then: “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.”
The attack quickly expanded beyond Iran. Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it responded by launching a “first wave” of drones and missiles targeting Israel, where a nationwide warning was issued as the military said it bring down Iranian fire.
Meanwhile, Bahrain said that a missile attack targeted the US Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom. Witnesses heard sirens and explosions in Kuwait, home to US Army Central. Explosions could be also be heard in Qatar.
Iraq and the United Arab Emirates closed their airspace, and sirens sounded in Jordan.
The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, meanwhile, vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and on Israel, according to two senior Houthi officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement from the Houthi leadership.
Iran's Foreign Ministry issued a defiant statement, saying that the country “will not hesitate” in its response. In a statement posted on X, the ministry said: “The time has come to defend the homeland and confront the enemy's military assault.”
'Major combat operations'
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Trump said in the video that the US had begun “major combat operations in Iran" after the US assembled a vast fleet of fighter jets and warships in the region to try to pressure Iran into a deal over its nuclear programme.
Trump claimed in the video that Iran has continued to develop its nuclear programme and plans to develop missiles to reach US He acknowledged that there could be American casualties following Iran strikes, saying “that often happens in war.”
Iran has said it hasn't enriched since June, but it has blocked international inspectors from visiting the sites America bombed during a 12-day war then. Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press have shown new activity at two of those sites, suggesting Iran is trying to assess and potentially recover material there.
Iran currently has a self-imposed limit on its ballistic missile programme, limiting their range to 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles). That puts all the Mideast and some of eastern Europe in their range. There is no public evidence of Iran seeking to have intercontinental ballistic missiles, though Washington has criticized its space programme as potentially allowing it to one day.
Tensions have soared in recent weeks as American warships moved into the region, and Trump said he wanted a deal to constrain Iran's nuclear programme. He saw an opportunity while the country is struggling at home with growing dissent following nationwide protests.
Iran had hoped to avert a war, but maintains it has the right to enrich uranium and does not want to discuss other issues, like its long-range missile programme or support for armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
But Trump's statement indicated the US was striking for reasons far beyond the nuclear programme, listing grievances stretching back to the beginning of the Islamic Republic.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel — which considers Iran its archenemy — said the joint attack was to “remove an existential threat posed” by Iran.
“Our joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands,” Netanyahu said.
Targets in the Israeli campaign included Iran's military, symbols of government and intelligence targets, according to an official briefed on the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic information on the attack.
Iran retaliates
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Hours after the strikes, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it launched a “first wave” of drones and missiles targeting Israel. It had vowed to respond if attacked, including saying American military personnel and bases spread across the region would be targets.
Explosions rocked Israel as the country worked to intercept incoming Iranian missiles. There was no immediate word on any damage or casualties from the ongoing attack.
Several hospitals in Israel launched their emergency protocols, including moving patients and surgeries to underground facilities.
US embassies or consulates in Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Israel posted on social media that they told staffers to shelter in place and recommended all Americans “do the same until further notice.”
Strikes hit targets across Iran
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Iranian media reported strikes nationwide. Roads to Khamenei's compound in downtown Tehran had been shut down by authorities as other blasts rang out across the capital.
In Tehran, witnesses heard the first blast by Khamenei's office. Iranian state television later reported on the explosion, without offering a cause.
More explosions struck Iran's capital after Israel said it was attacking the country. Authorities have offered no casualty information from the strikes.
