The commission has been briefed on hiring of houses by foreign nationals in Islamabad as it is believed that some family members of Osama stayed there. – Photo by APP

ISLAMABAD: The Abbottabad inquiry commission has been briefed in detail on hiring of houses by foreign nationals in Islamabad as it is believed that some family members of Osama bin Laden stayed in the federal capital.

Detailed presentations were given to the commission on Tuesday by Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Farkhand Iqbal and Islamabad’s Inspector General of Police Bani Amin.

“The commission held a detailed interactive session with the CDA chairman and the Inspector-General of Police, Islamabad,” said an official press release issued by the commission.

When the CDA chairman asked why the commission linked hiring of houses by foreigners in Islamabad with the May 2 US operation in Abbottabad which left Osama bin Laden dead, he was told: “The commission believes that some members of Osama bin Laden’s family had lived in Islamabad.”

He told the commission that the CDA had nothing to do with the hiring of private property by foreign nationals because after issuance of completion certificate of any house its owner was free to rent out his house to anybody.

However, the Foreign Office and local administration/police were responsible for dealing with such cases. “Before taking any house on rent, foreign nationals have to get permission from the Foreign Office and local police,” the CDA chairman said.

When Islamabad IG Bani Amin was contacted, he refused to comment on the meeting.

“Whatever statement I have recorded before the commission was totally classified and only commission can share it with the media,” the IG said.

He, however, said that not only hiring of houses by foreigners, some other issues were also discussed in the meeting.

A source in the commission said that the IG informed the commission that police and local administration had conducted a survey last year to know how many houses had been rented out by foreign nationals in the federal capital.

The Senate Standing Committee on Interior also asked the government last year as to under what terms and conditions the US embassy was allowed to hire 200 houses in Islamabad and for what purpose.

The meeting of the commission was chaired by its head Justice Javed Iqbal. It was also attended by the commission’s members Lt-Gen (retd) Nadeem Ahmed and Ashraf Jahangir Qazi.