Pak opposition for independent probe

Pakistan's opposition leader Nawaz Sharif yesterday demanded an independent inquiry over Osama bin Laden and the US raid that killed him, rejecting an internal military probe ordered by the state.
"We completely reject the prime minister's committee. It is powerless and cannot investigate the matter in depth," he told a news conference shortly after returning to Pakistan from medical treatment in Britain.
"We must get to the bottom of the issue. If not, then history will not forgive us," he said, lashing out at the government and the military.
"This commission should ascertain the full facts of Osama bin Laden's presence and the American operation in Pakistan," he said.
PM Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday announced that a lieutenant general would head an inquiry "to get to the bottom of how, when and why" bin Laden had been hiding in the garrison town where he was killed by US forces.
Pakistanis have been outraged at the perceived impunity of the US raid, while asking whether their military was too incompetent to know bin Laden was living close to a major forces academy, or, worse, conspired to protect him.
US President Barack Obama has also pressed Pakistan to probe how bin Laden managed to live for years under the noses of its military, saying he must have been supported by locals.
Sharif, considered the most popular politician in Pakistan, demanded that the government establish a judicial commission within three days headed by the country's top judge, which should complete its work in 21 days.
Gilani has vigorously defended the military, where the real power in Pakistan is seen to lie, dismissing allegations that they colluded with Al-Qaeda and saying intelligence failures are not limited only to Pakistan.
But Sharif said the government and military had failed to find "satisfactory answers" over the perceived US violation of sovereignty and how bin Laden had managed to live, possibly for five years, without being detected.