Did Pakistan know Osama was to be Killed, asks Dawn

Islamabad, May 3 (IANS) While reiterating official assertions that Pakistan was not involved in Osama bin Laden's killing, a leading daily has hinted that the military brass may have been in the loop.

In an analysis of Monday's dramatic killing in Abbottabad city, the Dawn said that in hindsight, a "flurry of activity that took place in the past week or so indicates that something was up".

It referred to "an extraordinary visit" to Islamabad by Afghanistan's Western troops commander David Petraeus April 25 when he reportedly held "a short and crisp" meeting with Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani "at an unusual meeting venue -- Chaklal airbase.

"The two generals are even said to have taken a short trip to an undisclosed location on board the aircraft."

It said Gen Petraeus used video-conferencing to attend a meeting at the White House chaired by President Obama the same night.

Dawn said Obama probably referred to that meeting in his speech announcing Osama's killing when he said: "Finally, last week, I determined we had enough intelligence to take action ... to bring him to justice."

Dawn said that on April 26, Pakistan's top military coordination body -- Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee -- held its quarterly session.

This, it said, was attended by among others by Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) chief Shuja Pasha, "who otherwise isn't a regular member of the body. The meeting was unscheduled".

The daily said that it wasn't just the denial of the Pakistan Army of any prior knowledge of the operation that was raising eyebrows.

It said there was no logical explanation how four US helicopters evaded Pakistan's air defence system for about an hour as they flew from Bagram and returned after a 40-minute long foray.

One Pakistani official attributed this to low altitude flying, while another maintained that the Americans had jammed the Pakistani air defence system.

"If this sequence of events is to be believed, then why did President Obama appreciate Pakistan's cooperation in the (Osama) operation? Was it out of love for the country?"

The Dawn also said that it was "tragically comical" that Osama's mansion was at a stone'e throw from where Gen Kayani attended a parade a week ago.

"Was the general completely unaware that the most wanted man lived but a short distance away? Did he also not have a clue about what was to happen in the coming days in that town?"