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Bin Laden hiding in Presidency: Benazir
Half-jesting, half-serious, Benazir Bhutto has told shocked Western capitals that the worldâs most wanted man, Osama Bin Laden, may be securely hidden in the âbasement of the presidency of Pakistanâ, three years after George W Bush set out to hunt him down, The Times of Indiaâs online edition reported on Friday âBut youâll have to ask General Musharraf if it is trueâ, she finished mockingly in what many believe to be the swiftest, single-shot, character assassination in Pakistani politics. Benazirâs mock maliciousness towards Musharraf comes barely 48 hours after she made a humiliating appearance in a Geneva courtroom to deny she siphoned off millions of dollars of Pakistanâs money during her two terms as prime minister.The seriousness of the link Benazir made between the Pakistani president and the man being hunted down by 10,000 US troops was not entirely lost on Western politicians, pundits and press. Despite Benazirâs disclaimer about the âjokeâs veracityâ, terrorism experts returned to scanning the significance of Bin Ladenâs last known, hand-written communication. Earlier this year, the Saudi militant had told his mother he was âin good health and in a very, very safe place. They will not get me unless Allah wills itâ. Bin Ladenâs cheeriness, despite his debilitating need for regular kidney dialysis, has long been considered odd because he is reliably thought to be within the 150-mile border badlands of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Posted by: Paul Moloney 2004-07-03 |
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