On suspicion of presence of family members of former al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden in Islamabad, the Abbottabad Commission was on Tuesday given a detailed presentation by the capital city’s top officials on renting of houses in the federal capital by foreign nationals.
A source privy to the development told Pakistan Today that the commission held a meeting with the CDA Chairman Engineer Farkhand Iqbal and the Islamabad inspector general of police (IGP) and sought a report from both officials. The commission was given a representation in this regard. The source added that the commission had linked the hiring of houses by foreign nationals in Islamabad to Osama due to concerns that some family members of Osama Bin Laden might have taken refuge in the capital city.
Reportedly, the elder son of bin Laden, Hamza, had managed to escape from the Abbottabad compound where the US Special Forces killed Osama on May 2, 2011. When contacted, CDA Chairman Farkhand Iqbal said he had apprised the commission about the policy of renting out private property. Iqbal said the local administration and Foreign Office were responsible to deal with the cases in which foreigners had hired the houses, adding that according to the rules, foreign nationals had to get permission from the Foreign Office and local police prior to renting out any premises.
