PAKISTAN: As the death of Osama bin Laden sinks in, ordinary Pakistanis worry about the future and what the death of the al Qaeda leader will bring for them

Record ID: 319527

  • Title: PAKISTAN: As the death of Osama bin Laden sinks in, ordinary Pakistanis worry about the future and what the death of the al Qaeda leader will bring for them
  • Date: 10th May 2011
  • Summary: ABBOTTABAD, PAKISTAN (MAY 7, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF OSAMA BIN LADEN COMPOUND MEDIA STANDING AROUND COMPOUND GATE VARIOUS OF MAN TAKING PICTURES ON MOBILE PHONE MORE OF COMPOUND PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN (MAY 7, 2011) (REUTERS) TRISHAWS DRIVING DOWN STREET PEOPLE ON STREET MEN AT NEWSPAPER KIOSK
  • Embargoed: 25th May 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Pakistan, Pakistan
  • Country: Pakistan
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAB2MIM8X1QF0RV0Y4DV9H07ROK
  • Story Text: Exactly a week ago, U.S. helicopters swooped down on these concrete buildings shortly after midnight, waking up the neighbours living in the Pakistani hill station and garrison town of Abbottabad.
    A gunbattle broke out and then the announcement came that Osama bin Laden was dead.
    The quiet town was suddenly thrust into international headlines, not just as the place where the al Qaeda leader had been killed by U.S. commandos, but where he had been living for years before he was killed.
    Residents of Abbottabad, as well as people all over Pakistan still can't believe that the world's wanted man has been killed in their country.
    The fact that there has been no visual proof of bin Laden's death has made it even more difficult for many to acknowledge the death.
    "They are saying that Osama is dead, but nothing was shown on television, neither did we get any other proof. It is just America saying that they have killed him. A rumour has been spread around that he is dead. But he is not dead. It is all lies," said Mohib Ullah a resident of Peshawar which is on the edge of the lawless tribal belt in northwestern Pakistan where bin Laden was thought to be hiding until he was found in Abbottabad, just outside of Islamabad.
    Instead, what many do believe is the whole incident is an American conspiracy to undermine and weaken Pakistan, although U.S. Congress has approved 20 billion US dollars for Pakistan in direct aid and military reimbursements partly to help Islamabad fight militancy since al Qaeda's strikes on the United States.
    Al Qaeda has confirmed the death of their leader, threatened retaliation and urged Pakistanis to stand up to their government for letting the U.S. conduct the raid on Pakistani territory.
    Sympathy for al Qaeda or bin Laden has never run high among the Pakistani masses. There were a few anti-U.S. and pro-bin Laden demonstrations since bin Laden's death, but all have been peaceful.
    But the country is on guard to see how the militancy which has been gaining strength in recent years will take advantage of bin Laden's death.
    Analysts say that bin Laden's centrality to the al Qaeda network has faded over the years. While the man behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States served as an inspirational figure, strikes on Western targets were increasingly plotted and instigated by autonomous splinter groups.
    "Osama bin Laden has become more dangerous for America after his martyrdom. When Osama bin Laden was alive, hidden away in some corner, he was not so dangerous.
    But now his ideology will grow, his way of thinking will spread," said Meraj-ul Huda Siddiqui, deputy chief of Jamaat-e-Islami and a columnist on religious affairs.
    Others worry that al Qaeda could retaliate on Pakistani soil.
    "The people of Pakistan are under intense pressure now. They are just unaware what tomorrow will bring for them. Moreover, al Qaeda has given threats to Pakistan. We just don't know what will happen next and where. People are really worried," said Lahore Resident Babur Ali.
    "If Osama had been caught alive then perhaps his whole team could have been captured. Killing him has left us a big problem . Now there is a constant threat to Pakistan and its citizens. The innocent people will become the victims (in a retaliation strike)," added Karachi businessman Khalil Qureshi.
    At the weekend, Washington released video footage of bin Laden rehearsing his video messages to follows and watching himself on television.
    The five videos without sound, were shown after Washington decided not to show photographs of the corpse, described by officials as "gruesome" .
    Pakistan's military has always been seen as the most solid institution of the state and few have questioned its actions. But with the discovery of bin Laden on Pakistani territory and the U.S. forces' operation on Pakistani territory, the confidence it has enjoyed for all these years, has been tarnished.
    Pakistan's military, caught off guard by the Abbottabad swoop and now facing accusations that it was either too incompetent to catch bin Laden or complicit in hiding him, has sought to depict the al Qaeda leader as a man of diminished influence.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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