Pak panel on Osama given 30 days to submit report

The Pakistan government on Tuesday directed a commission investigating Osama bin Laden's presence in the country to submit its much-delayed report within 30 days.

The panel, popularly known as the Abbottabad Commission, was asked to complete its inquiry and submit its report to the federal government within 30 days from September 12, said a notification issued by the law and justice division.

The notification was issued as the world marked the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in the Untied States that were blamed on bin Laden's organisation.

The commission headed by former Pakistan Supreme Court judge Javed Iqbal was formed after the Al Qaeda chief was killed in a unilateral US raid in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad on May 2 last year. It was tasked with ascertaining the full facts regarding bin Laden's presence in Pakistan.

The commission was also asked to probe the circumstances of the US operation in Abbottabad, determine the nature and background of lapses by authorities and make recommendations.

The commission has conducted investigations, examined witnesses and visited bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad before it was demolished earlier this year.

Officials said the commission's report was awaited and the government had set a deadline for it to complete its inquiry and submit its report.

The commission was earlier due to submit its report at the end of last year but its work has been hit by several delays.

Media reports have said some members of the commission are opposed to making the report public.

The commission has already interviewed dozens of officials, including former Inter-Services Intelligence chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha and top military officers.

The government set up the commission after the powerful military establishment faced considerable embarrassment for its failure to detect bin Laden's presence in Pakistan.