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Worldwide Reaction on Osama Death in Pakistan

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Worldwide Reaction on Osama Death in Pakistan

The sudden death of Osama bin Laden has left devastating effects on Jihadi networks of Afghan Taliban, Pakistani Taliban and Punjabi Taliban in the UK, U.S, and the Arab world, but it doesn't mean Al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgents will end their terror operations. His death is much irksome for the extremist elements in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. In London, radical clerics repudiated the way of operation in a protest outside the US embassy. A British Pakistani extremist, Anjum Choudhary, said he was going to lead the 'funeral prayer' of bin Laden and call on U.S. government to return the body of Osama to his family.

After Osama bin Laden was killed, five Suspected Terrorists Arrested near UK Nuke Plant trying to bring into picture the UK nuclear installations. In an Internet message, Al-Qaida vowed to carry out revenge attacks in both Pakistan and Afghanistan over the killing of Osama bin Laden. There were funeral prayers for Bin Laden and the U.S violation of Pakistan's sovereignty in various cities. On May 03, 2011, members of Punjabi Taliban, Jamat Dawa held bin Laden funeral in Karachi, Pakistan.

In Indian Occupied Kashmir, members of Kashmiri extremist groups offered special prayers on Friday for the Al-Qaeda chief. In Indonesia, a Muslim fundamentalist organization, the Islamic Defenders Front, held a prayer service. In Afghanistan, the reaction focused on criticism of Pakistan. President Hamid Karzai said the death of Osama in Abbottabad proved Kabul's stance. Afghan intelligence claimed they helped the US pinpoint Osama hideout in Pakistan.

Notwithstanding all these prayers and reactions, most states in the Middle East kept quiet. Experts say, the death of Osama will not affect the terror operation of Al-Qaeda across the globe, but how the U.S Special Forces tackled the operation and how they treated the dead body of Osama bin Laden is considered to be a wrong way. The U.S violated principles of Islamic traditions burying Osama's dead body in sea. Muslim and non-Muslim leaders strongly reacted.

Former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt told German TV: "It was quite clearly a violation of international law." According to an Australian human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson: "It's not justice...."This man has been subject to summary execution. Pakistan's foreign secretary said American action involved legal issues concerning violation of sovereignty and these should be addressed for the sake of global peace and stability Anyhow, Osama bin Laden has died but the connivances of Islamabad put on spike the reputation of Pakistan's army, ISI and the government.

Pakistan army and ISI have been critical of the deployment of large numbers of American intelligence contractors in Pakistan's cities in the past. They reluctantly warned that if U.S carried out any more raids inside Pakistan like the one that killed Osama Bin Laden in future, would result in a terrible catastrophe. Moreover, Pakistan's army chief warned that more such raids will not be tolerated and will lead to a review of cooperation with the United States. British Prime Minister expressed concern over the questions raised out of Bin Laden's death. The sudden death of Osama bin Laden has triggered a barrage of questions about whether Pakistan army and the ISI knew of the assault or not but CIA chief ended the confusion by confirming that Pakistan was neither consulted nor even informed about the Abbotabad raid.

In a series of reaction to this incident, newspapers in Pakistan carried sharp editorials against the army and ISI reaction. The self denial statement of Pakistani Prime Minister that the entire world should share the blame for the intelligence failure was repudiated in western media. The situation is going worse in Pakistan and the wave of jubilation across the US and Europe at Osama's death is also not discernable. People ask why Pakistan considers non-state actors, like Afghani Taliban as strategic assets.

Why it allows terror networks on its soil and why the country provide terror training facilities to such groups. Intellectual and diplomatic circles understand that this policy of indirect interference of the Pakistani government and the army brought nothing in positive but shame. Having destabilizing neighboring states through these irregular forces badly isolated the country. Now Pakistani citizens demand this misunderstood policy must be changed and coordinated effort should be undertaken to make free Pakistan of its bondage to the concept of a restrictive, misunderstood and violent Islam.

The death of Osama bin Laden and his presence in the country for a long time enraged Pakistanis to challenge their leadership. Pakistan's Pashtun and Punjabi Taliban networks both in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa put the civil and military establishment at the top of their hit list. Army came under constant threat from Al-Qaeda and Taliban. To clear the position of army and ISI on the U.S Abbottabad operation, ISI chief met the CIA station chief in Pakistan first, and then set out to Washington for further Asherwad from President Obama and his friends.

Pak-US relations may further deteriorate as American tax payers are pressing President Obama to pressure Pakistan for do more. The US, UK and international community now came to known that Pakistan used double-edged sword in war on terror. Since 2001, the US governments, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and international community have been accusing Pakistan, for protecting and sheltering bin Laden but civilian military establishment in Pakistan, on the contrary, has constantly denied this accusation. President Hamid Karzai has already cried that war on terror should not be fought in Afghanistan but in Pakistan.

Experts say, in future, attacks on US forces in Afghanistan would continue, because extremist groups have already sent threatening messages to conduct attacks over the arrests and deaths of key figures. Now the main question is that what would be the level of cooperation between US and Pakistani intelligence agencies and how they can rebuild trust deficits. Now after the death of Osama bin Laden, Pakistan is facing one of its worst crises. The situation on Afghan border has become alarming and the increasing drone attacks further enraged the Pashtun population of FATA and Waziristan regions. Poverty and unemployment benefit Taliban insurgency.

The social and physical infrastructure of the country, which forms the backbone of the economy, is in a deplorable state. Finally, international community understands that war in Afghanistan and military operation in Pakistan is critical in the war against terrorism. Both the states surrender to the extremist forces would mean leaving the fate of the war undecided.

Musa Khan Jalalzai is the executive editor of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan and author of Punjabi Taliban, he can be reached at: zai.musakhan 222@gmail.com.

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