The United States is willing to release all Pakistani nationals detained in Camp X-ray of Guantanamo Bay except one man alleged to have financed Al Qaeda operations. Senior Pentagon officials in Washington gave this assurance to a two-member team of the National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) headed by Colonel Imran that also visited Camp X-ray and held individual meetings with all six Pakistani nationals detained there. NCMC Director General Brig (r) Javed Iqbal Cheema told journalists that the US authorities would soon release two Pakistani nationals, Muhammad Haleem Siddiqui and Zia Shah.| “Piracha said he was a philanthropist who led a delegation to Afghanistan before the 9/11 attacks on New York...” |
The alleged Al Qaeda financer, Saifullah Piracha, told the Pakistani team that he was innocent. He said he was a philanthropist who led a delegation to Afghanistan before the 9/11 attacks on New York. Piracha told Pakistani officials that he and his colleagues were invited to meet Osama Bin Laden during their visit to Afghanistan. He said he and his colleagues called on Bin Laden, but never became part of his war.