No one ready to head Pakistan panel on Osama

Islamabad, May 31: Pakistan is in a dilemma. No one of repute is ready to head an official commission to probe the killing of Al Qaeda head Osama bin Laden.

American commandos killed Osama May 2 in Abbottabad city, 120 km from Islamabad, leading to a major diplomatic crisis between Pakistan and the US.

A joint session of parliament May 13 recommended setting up a panel to look into Osama’s killing.

Information Minister Firdous Ashiq said the government was looking for an individual of national and international repute, the Dawn newspaper reported Tuesday.

The daily quoted informed sources as saying that the search was on for a non-controversial figure. But the efforts have yielded none so far.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has sought a session of the National Assembly to discuss what it calls a “deliberate delay by the government in announcing formation of the commission”.

A top government official told the Dawn that nobody was willing to take up the responsibility that would attract media glare.

The task was also difficult since the terms of references for the job would include fixing responsibility for the military’s failure to detect the American intrusion that led to Osama’s death.

—-IAns