Zawahiri... Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as
the real brains of the outfit.Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is...
in Pakistain? "We believe" he is, said
Hillary Clinton... sometimes described as
The Woman to Call at 3 a.m.and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as
Another William Jennings Bryan...
. The certitude in her voice was alarming, though it would have been better had she not gone public with her views. True, the Abbottabad
... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden....
raid has weakened the credibility of the Pak Foreign Office's rejoinder. Since the days of Gen Musharraf, Islamabad has insisted that it knew nothing about the whereabouts of the late Osama bin Laden
... who is now sometimes referred to as
Mister Bones...
. If, therefore, Islamabad implies that Ayman al-Zawahiri is not in Pakistain or dismisses Ms Clinton's assertion as conjecture, it should not be surprised if the world is sceptical. On May 2 last year, American Navy SEALs humiliated Pakistain's intelligence establishment the way nothing else has. Moreover, given the capture of senior Al Qaeda operatives -- with the help of Pak intelligence -- allegations of Ayman al-Zawahiri's presence on Pak soil cannot be dismissed altogether.
Nevertheless, on Monday the American secretary of state chose the wrong time and place to level familiar charges against Pakistain. Speaking in Kolkata, Ms Clinton renewed America's determination to go after Al Qaeda leaders, some of whom were "on the run", and indicated that it was in Pakistain's interest to apprehend terrorist leaders inside the country. Must the secretary of state have chosen the soil of a country, with which Pakistain has had a long history of rivalry, to say the things she did? Equally unfortunate was the timing of her disparaging remarks, for they came at a time when negotiations between the US and Pakistain to reset ties are at a crucial stage. In fact, on Monday a State Department front man said that matters were not at a "standstill" between the two countries and the negotiators were trying to lay down "the groundwork for new cooperation". Ms Clinton's ill-advised words go against this spirit. As Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said, if the US has any information that the Al Qaeda chief is hiding in Pakistain, it should share it with Islamabad instead of making speculative statements. Indeed, Ms Clinton should put her faith in quiet diplomacy rather than make sensitive statements through the media.