Nawaz Sharif, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, is in trouble, yet again! Abida Hussain, a member of his Cabinet and former Pakistani Envoy to the US, has claimed that Sharif used to receive support and financial assistance from slain al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden! She further claimed that the former Premier had used the money in funding terrorist activities in the Indian-administered Kashmir!

Talking to the local media in Islamabad, Hussain was recently heard mentioning: “Yes, he (Osama bin Laden) supported Mian Nawaz Sharif at one time. However, that is a complicated story. He (Osama) used to extend financial assistance (to Nawaz Sharif).” She recalled that bin Laden was hugely popular in Pakistan at one time, everyone, including the Americans, used to like him. “However, the Global Community started treating him as a stranger at a later stage,” added the former Minister.

Meanwhile, Hussain made such a claim days after Farrukh Habib – a member of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party in the National Assembly – had accused Sharif of laying the foundation of foreign funding in the South Asian nation. Habib claimed that Sharif had received USD 10 million from bin Laden for bringing a No-Confidence Motion in an attempt to overthrow the Government of Benazir Bhutto.

Sharif, who had been the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms from 1990-93, 1997-98, and 2013-17, had been accused of funding terror in Kashmir in the past. In her publication ‘Khalid Khawaja: Shaheed-i-Aman’ (2016), Shamama Khalid, the wife of former ISI operative Khalid Khawaja, wrote: “Chief of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Party Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif received funding from Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaeda, to contest elections against Benazir Bhutto-led Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) after the end of Zia regime.” However, Sharif had denied the allegation. Experts believe that such explosive claims by one of his former Cabinet members have strengthened the allegation of supporting terrorism (in neighbouring India) against the former PM.

It is to be noted that bin Laden was killed in a midnight raid by the US Navy SEALs in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad in 2011. However, Islamabad had officially denied having any knowledge of the al-Qaeda chief until he was shot dead by the US Forces. Meanwhile, the 70-year-old Sharif, who was ousted from power in 2017 by the Supreme Court on corruption charges, is currently in London for medical treatment.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das