Shah to sue ex ISI chief Ziauddin Butt for 'providing bungalow to Bin Laden' claim

Lahore, Feb 16(ANI): Former Pakistan's Intelligence Bureau chief Ijaz Shah has sued former Inter Services Intelligence chief Ziauddin Butt, who had alleged that the former had provided a bungalow to former Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.

"I am filing a lawsuit for damages amounting to Rs 500 million against him (Ziauddin Butt) and demanding he should furnish proof to substantiate his charges against me," the Nation quoted Shah, as saying.

Ijaz declined to comment further on the issue stating that the matter is sub judice.

Butt, however, denied that he had blamed former president Pervez Musharraf or Shah for providing safe haven to Bin Laden in Abbottabad.

"I had stated they (Musharraf and Ijaz) should have the knowledge but Bruce Riedel quoted me as if I had stated that it was in their knowledge," he said.

He also said he had been misquoted in the Newsweek magazine by Bruce Riedel, who, according to Butt, had conducted his online interview around one and half month ago.

Bruce Riedel has quoted Butt, as saying that "General Musharraf knew that Osama bin Laden was in Abbottabad and his IB chief Ijaz Shah had hired the bungalow for the fugitive al Qaeda leader."

Several top-ranking former and current officers in the Pakistan's security forces played down Butt's remarks, while some of them termed it as 'garbage and rubbish'.

"He (Ziauddin) was never accepted as the COAS by the army. He is the most controversial character and his position of the COAS lasted for only a few hours when he was arrested along with the PM," a high-ranking retired army officer said on the condition of anonymity. (ANI)