‘Nawaz received money from Osama Bin Laden’

ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Shamama Khalid, wife of former ISI operative Khalid Khawaja in her book ‘Khalid Khawaja: Shaheed-i-Aman’, claimed that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif received money from Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden to contest elections against Benazir Bhutto.

“Chief of PML-N Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif received funding from Osama Bin Laden, founder of Al-Qaeda, to contest elections against Benazir Bhutto’s led Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) after the end of Zia regime,” the book states.

The book claims that Mr Sharif’s pledge of introducing an Islamic system attracted Khawaja as well as Bin Laden. But even though the Al Qaeda head honcho funded Nawaz Sharif heavily, the latter backtracked from all his promises after coming into power.

Book by slain spy’s wife claims Al Qaeda leader backed Sharif against Benazir Bhutto.

The book also carries a note from former ISI director general, retired Lt-Gen Hamid Gul, which also claims that Khawaja was very close to Nawaz Sharif for some time. The book claims that Abdullah Azzam introduced Khawaja to Bin Laden.

Azzam, who is also known as the ‘father of global jihad’, was a Palestinian Sunni. Azzam raised funds and recruited jihadis from the Arab world, known as Afghan Arabs. A mentor of Bin Laden, he is said to have persuaded him to come to Afghanistan, Dawn News reported.