Imran Khan lying about ISI's knowledge about Osama Bin Laden: Former CIA director

Former CIA Director Gen David Petraeus has said that he is "convinced" that Pakistani intelligence ncies did t kw Osama bin Laden was in Pakistan, countering Prime Minister Imran Khan's claims that ISI provided a lead to CIA that helped US track down and kill al-Qaeda chief in 2011.

Prime Minister Khan's statement on Osama during an interview with Fox News on July 22 was significant as Pakistan had so far denied that it had any information about hideout of al-Qaeda chief before he was killed in a covert raid by a US Navy SEAL team in garrison city of Abbottabad. 

Petraeus, during an interactive session at Indian Consulate in New York on July 23 following his address on topic of Indo-Pacific, however, asserted US is convinced that Pakistani intelligence was t aware that terrorist leader was hiding in ir country.

"We are quite convinced that ISI, Pakistani intelligence, one else knew that he (Osama) was re (in Pakistan). y were t harbouring him or hiding him or anything like that. We have very good insights on that. We probably differ with those who said that Pakistanis were allowing him to live in that particular compound in Abbottabad," he said.

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Petraeus said that during counter-insurgency campaigns, Pakistani authorities could never close in on rth Wazirstan where terror outfits such as Haqqani network, al-Qaeda and ors had ir headquarters and some of ir forces.

He added that US learnt later on that Osama was t in that area but near Pakistan Military Academy in Abbottabad. "I figured out later that I had probably flown right over his compound in a helicopter as I went to address cadets at military academy one time," he said, referring to Pakistan Military Academy.

Petraeus, a partner in international investment firm KKR and Chairman of KKR Global Institute, was special guest for 'New India Lecture' series organised by Consulate General of India, New York in partnership with US India Strategic Partnership Forum.

Petraeus said he hopes Khan will be able to deal with challenges of his country, where ecomy is "very distorted" and where "realities of situation are really quiet difficult." 

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