Bin Laden stayed in at least five places in Pak

Since he slipped into Pakistan in mid-2002,Laden lived in at least five different places including Peshawar before finally settling down in Abbottabad

Since he slipped into Pakistan in mid-2002,Laden lived in at least five different places including Peshawar before finally settling down in Abbottabad in 2005 where he was eventually killed by US Navy SEALs in a covert raid in 2011,the leaked report of the Abbottabad Commission stated.

The places included the tribal areas of western Pakistan (South Waziristan and Bajaur),as well as Peshawar,Swat and Haripur. Interestingly,members of his family also lived in Karachi,Quetta and the Iran-Pakistan border area.

Meanwhile,US Navy SEALs were able to sneak into Pakistan covertly to kill Osama bin Laden because of advanced American stealth technology and the Pakistani militarys obsession with India.

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The report said India remained the focus of Pakistans military despite a growing American threat including actual border raids,drone strikes,special operations,the spread of a hostile spy network among others.

Given the negative developments in the US-Pakistan relations in recent years,there was no basis to limit defence planning to only one front in the east (with India),while ignoring the border and airspace in the West, it said.

It noted apart from tensions with the US,there were also differences with Afghanistan and a developing strategic relationship between Afghanistan and India on one hand and India and the US on the other.

It said there seemed to be a defeatist element in the defence planning of Pakistan Air Force,especially in acceptance of the fact that it was not structured and equipped to fight a two-front war.

How OBL remained undetected

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Bin Laden,whose Abbottabad abode was bought on fake documents,did not pay property taxes and flouted building regulations.

Laden was fully aware of the need to hide from US spy satellites. Much has been reported about the difficulty the CIA had in determining whether the tall man pacing the compound was him. It now is clear that was because Osama used to stand under a grape trellis.

A traffic policeman in Swat could have ended the hunt for Laden in 2002 itself had he not quickly settled the matter,when he pulled over a car for over-speeding,carrying a clean-shaven Laden.

Osama was came to Abbottabad with just six pairs of salwar kameez.

Pakistan suffers from governance implosion syndrome. PTI