MMA chief met Osama in Lahore

ISLAMABAD: Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden had visited the Mansoora headquarters of the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan in Lahore and was prepared to buy the loyalties of the members of the National Assembly to see Nawaz Sharif as Pakistan’s prime minister, the President of the six-party religious alliance Muttahida Majalis Amal (MMA) Qazi Hussain Ahmed has disclosed.

In interview with the Sunday Magazine of Urdu daily Jang, Qazi, who is also the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, further disclosed that Osama Bin Laden was interested in a deal with the Jamaat Islami, which he declined.

The MMA chief said he and Osama bin Laden met several times at his Peshawar residence and at the Jamaat headquarter in Mansoora. “Osama used to be a big supporter of Nawaz Sharif and wanted to see him as PM. And he was even prepared to pay for buying parliamentarians from the other parties to achieve this objective”, Qazi Hussain said.

He also affirmed contacts of the Pakistani politicians with the secret agencies, especially the Inter Services Intelligence.

In a related development, Khalid Khawaja, a former Squadron Leader of the Pakistan Air Force, who also worked for the ISI, endorsed Qazi’s statement.

He admits, (after General Zia’s death) when there was a possibility that the Pakistan People’s Party led by Benazir Bhutto would win, bin Laden provided him with funds, which he handed over to Nawaz Sharif, the then chief minister of Punjab [and later premier, to dislodge Bhutto.

He also claims that arranged three direct meetings between bin Laden and Sharif in Saudi Arabia.