Villagers bemused by hunt for bin Laden’s trail
A view of Chak Shah Mohammad village, where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was believed to have stayed, in Haripur district, Pakistan May 7, 2011. – Reuters
CHAK SHAH MOHAMMAD: Residents of a quiet Pakistani village were bemused on Sunday to find themselves at the centre of the investigation of the secret life of Osama bin Laden, saying there was no way that the al Qaeda leader lived there without them knowing.
Chak Shah Mohammad village is near the town of Abbottabad where bin Laden was tracked down and killed in a raid by US special forces on May 2, nearly 10 years after he orchestrated the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
One of his wives, found along with a gaggle of children in a high-walled compound where he had been hiding, told Pakistani investigators they used to live in Chak Shah Mohammad before moving to Abbottabad five years ago.
That brought the attention of a horde of reporters and Pakistani security agents hunting for clues to the movements of the world’s most wanted man during his decade in hiding.
But residents of the village at the end of a bumpy road flanked by fields of wheat are both puzzled and a little scared to find themselves at the focus of the investigation.
“Everyone in the village knows when a cow has a calf so how could bin Laden and his family hide here?” Mohammad Naseer, a 65-year-old retired soldier, said as he took a break from working his fields.
“I can say for sure he wasn’t here.”
The village is made up of about 120 small, brick buildings, homes and sheds, and has a population of about 400 people, although many have left for work in cities.
“It’s impossible … Everyone knows each other,” said government worker Hafiz Rafiq.
“We’re all from the same clan so if a guest comes to someone’s house, the whole place knows,” said Rafiq, who rushed home on hearing the village was under the spotlight.
Men and women were on Sunday cutting the first harvest of their rain-fed wheat crop. Farming folk walking along the roadside carrying sheathes of grain watched as city cars carrying curious media people passed by.
CAVES
Reporters have zeroed in on cave-like dwellings built into sandy banks in the village.
Bin Laden had a long history of living in caves.
He helped build an underground complex in the mountains of Afghanistan during the war against Soviet invaders in the 1980s and later took refuge in caves as US B-52 aircraft rained down bombs in the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks.
For years since the 9/11 attacks, bin Laden was believed to be hiding in caves in the Hindu Kush mountains.
The tunnel rooms in Chak Shah Mohammad were built by poor folk decades ago, at first for living in but they later used them as stables for their cows.
It seems impossible that the world’s most wanted man and his family would have been able to hide out in them.
“You could stay here but you couldn’t hide because people are passing by all the time,” said schoolboy Waqas Haider.
But it is not just flocks of reporters who have rushed to the village hoping to put together the pieces of bin Laden’s lost years.
Pakistani security agents have also been going house to house, searching for clues.
“Police never used to come to our doors but now these guys are turning up all suspicious of us,” said school teacher Ahmed Sultan.
“My young kids are asking ‘Dad what happened, what did you do?’” he said. “We have nothing to do with bin Laden. We’re Pakistani … We don’t feel anything for him.”
But others think their spell in the media glare is all a bit of a joke.
“Have you found Osama yet?” one man sitting with friends by the road shouted at a passing car of reporters, to a chorus of cackles from his pals.
90 % Pakistani think that this is a fake drama to pressurize Pakistan and to exit from Afghanistan, UBL died a long ago due to illness as reported by Iranian intelligence, videos, Pics issued so far are 100 % fake, no other proof,
But what about wivies of UBL, are they really wives or fake, if UBL family is in possession of ISI, then ISI should know truth,and made it public,
Its amazing that people like to believe in one side of the story and not give the other side any consideration at all. The common negative perception about America in Pakistan has some merit but it is being used to cloud all sensible judgement. I was very pleased to read one of Dawn's editorials questioning the insufficient response provided by the Pakistan government on this issue and questioning on accountability. I urge people of Pakistan to consider what if America is indeed telling the truth. Don't just believe the tabloid press both east and west.
If obl is dead then v should be happy espesialy muslims & pakis.He has defamed islam,muslims,pakis all over world. It is becoz of he pak's sovernity is being voilated.
What i beleive is that Bin Laden was killed earlier may be 10 Years ago and they had confirmed report about it.
The whole drama here has been done to save Obama face to run out from afghanistan by saying mission completed.
this was a joint operation between ISI and CIA because it is not possible that ISI does not had knowledge about Abotabad house.
OR
Osama is alive with US forces and was not killed that night.
otherwise when they can show videos of Osama watching tv then what is there in showing his PICture.
The same thing would have been said by Abbottabad residents before the SEALs arrived.
The question on everyone's mind should be: How did the reporters get this information? Most people would be able to see how ISI got this information, but who leaked this information to the reporters BEFORE ISI had a chance to verify it? Too many problems within ISI to fix in my lifetime.
Most people in pakistan are poorly aware of what mess they are in. They all like to stey in the day dream that none of their own security people are creating trouble for them. With so many bomb blast accross teh country and so many people dying because poor strategies by security forces, they seems loving it!!
Just go and ask poor lady that is actually not from pakistan but from far away place like yeman, why/how she was injusred in fighting between a dead man and some guys that droppped from sky!!
Search answers from your brain and not from heart.
Bob,
Most Pakistani certainly know the mess they are in. What we American don't know what a mess we are creating? I will further challenge you that most American don't have a clue about the mess our country is in for a long run.
I am beginning to think that they've killed the wrong guy hence the rush to feed the body to the fish. Video footage doesn't look like OBL. One thing is for sure though. Pakistani military and intelligence are not as competent as we are made to believe they are.