U.S. and Pakistan Blow Smoke Over Raid

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright May 2, 2011
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               Hours after the cheers erupted over Osama bin Laden’s death May 1, the diplomatic smoke wafted from Washington to Islamabad.  Since Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari—husband of the late Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto— took the reigns from U.S. ally former President Pervez Musharraf Sept. 9, 2008, the U.S. has had a close friend in Islamabad.  Former President George W. Bush and his Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had a real fondness for Musharrf, a no non-sense general with little patience for extremism.  Both Musharraf and now Zardari worked hard at the illusion that the U.S. and Pakistan were not joined at the hip in the war on terror.  After Bin Laden’s death May 1 at the hands of the Navy Seals and CIA, Zaradari has gone overboard denying any Pakistani involvement.  President Barack Obama expressed his gratitude on national TV for Pakistan’s help.

            Calling the U.S. action to kill Bin Laden “unauthorized and unilateral action,” Zardari hoped to cover up Pakistan’s role in finally getting Bin Laden almost 10 years after Sept. 11.  Most experts now believe Bin Laden lived on the lam in his luxury Abbottabad home for some six years before meeting his unceremonious end.  Zardari “nods and winks” lambasting the U.S. for conduction a “unilateral action,” despite Obama’s admission that Pakistani authorities were heavily involved.  Living only 30 miles from Zardari’s residence in Islamabad, Islamabad and Washington expect the world to believe that Bin Laden slipped under the radar.  Living in a compound with an outsized mansion with 12-18 foot walls with no phones or Internet access was a neon sign for a high-value target, like Bin Laden.  Denying any U.S. complicity gives Pakistan some plausible deniability.

            U.S. and Pakistani authorities are asking the world to believe that they didn’t know that Osama bin Laden occupied the premises for six years without government knowledge.  Zardari faces skeptics on both sides of the Atlantic not readily buying the story that he knew nothing of Bin Laden residence in Abbottabad.  Nor do those same skeptics buy the idea that Pakistan did not cooperate with U.S. authorities on liquidating Bin Laden.  Blasting the U.S. for violating Pakistan’s sovereignty gives Zardari and his minions cover for what Obama correctly described as a close collaborative relationship.  Statements by foreign leaders and members of U.S. Congress questioning Bin Laden’s long-standing Pakistani address continues to cover up the very real possibility that Zardari handed Obama Bin Laden on a silver platter, potentially capturing the $25 million reward.

            Zardari’s forceful denials about Pakistan’s involvement in Bin Laden’s killing, mirror the same U.S. public relations that blame Pakistan for complicity.  Whether admitted to or not, allowing Bin Laden to live incognito in Pakistan for the past six years ultimately set up Monday’s death trap.  Regarded as the world’s most slippery terrorist, Bin Laden was probably set up by U.S. and Pakistani authorities.  U.S. and U.K officials don’t trust Zardari’s denials about not knowing about Bin Laden’s residence in Abbottabad.  Pakistani officials can’t explain how Bin Laden flew under the ISI’s radar screen for the past six years.  Unable to admit the U.S. and Pakistan set the trap, the government covers-up Pakistan’s involvement in setting up Bin Laden.  Asking folks to believe Pakistani authorities had no knowledge of Bin Laden’s whereabouts stretches credulity to the breaking point.

            Both Pakistan and the U.S. have done a clever PR job on news outlets, too mired in minutiae covering stories to connect-the-dots.  Pakistan blames the U.S. for violating its sovereignty, despite allowing relentless predator drone attacks on targets all over Pakistan.  U.S. officials insist they’re angry with Pakistan to not turning over actionable intelligence sooner.  Government sources feeding news outlets anything but the truth to the close working relationship between the U.S and Pakistan on setting up Bin Laden and members of the Taliban.  If Pakistan really opposed U.S. intelligence and military operations, they wouldn’t permit ongoing predator drone attacks on terrorist targets.  Talking about rifts between the CIA and ISI, only serve to cover up a close working relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan.  Covering up the real relationship serves Islamabad and Washington.

            When the PR blitzkrieg hit the airwaves about the rift between Islamabad and Washington, it served the purpose of throwing the press off track.  Denying a close working relationship between Washington and Islamabad helps keep Zardari in power while Obama faces a tough reelection bid next year.  Calling the joint CIA and Navy Seals’ operation an “unauthorized and illegal action” gives the Zaradari government more time to put its house in order.  “The government of Pakistan further affirms that such an event shall not as a future precedent for any state, including the U.S.,” said Zardari, denying any involvement in Bin Laden’s death.  All the frenetic PR activity since Bin Laden’s death indicates that the U.S. and Pakistan have a vested interest in spinning tall tales about Bin Laden’s death.  Neither side can simply admit that they set the trap and Bin Laden took the bait.

 John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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