Islamabad: In a sensational claim that could ruffle feathers within the current ruling dispensation in Pakistan, a book titled ‘Khalid Khawaja: Shaheed-i-Aman' has said that Pakistani Prime Minister received money from Al-Qaida chief Osama Bin Laden to contest elections against Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party in 1990.
Penned by the wife of former ISI operative Khaild Khawaja, the book further claims that Sharif's pledge of introducing Islamic system attracted both Osama and Khawaja.
"Chief of PML-N Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif received funding from Osama bin Laden, founder of al-Qaida, to contest elections against Benazir Bhutto-led Pakistan People's Party (PPP) after the end of Zia regime," the book states.
But even though Osama funded Sharif heavily, the latter backtracked from all his promises after coming into power, said Pakistani daily ‘The Dawn'.
The book also carries a note from former Inter-Services Intelligence director general, retired Lt-Gen Hamid Gul, which claims that Khawaja was very close to Sharif for some time.
According to the book, Palestinian Sunni Abdullah Azzam, who is also known as the 'father of global jihad' and Osama's mentor, introduced Khawaja to the al-Qaida head honcho. The book claims that Khawaja was killed by a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban while he was on a peace mission in the restive tribal areas.
Osama was killed in a midnight raid by the US Navy SEALs in Pakistan's garrison town of Abbottabad in 2011.
(With PTI inputs)
