A think tank report claims that the Haqqani network, a terrorist proxy of Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, was involved in the killing of al-Qaeda chief al-Zawahiri. The report also noted that the Haqqani network was involved in the movements of al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri and his stay in Kabul.
Notorious terrorist and a key conspirator of 9/11, Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a US drone strike in Kabul on July 31. The possibility of Pakistani involvement in the targeting of Zawahari has certainly raised many eyebrows as neither the US nor Pakistan has so far publicly acknowledged such a role.
Recently the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) reported Zawahiri to remain in Pakistan until the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, probably under the tutelage of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Quoting a New York Times report, the think tank claimed that Zawahiri had been hiding in Pakistan’s border areas for several years and it is not clear why he returned to Afghanistan. Zawahiri’s family is believed to have returned home safely in Kabul following the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
Several reports quoting top intelligence sources also claimed that Zawahiri was being sheltered in Karachi. He was transferred to Kabul soon after the Haqqani network took over the Taliban through the Chaman border.
The strong ties between the ISI and Haqqani were very evident when the then head of the ISI, Faiz Hameed, openly visited Kabul on several occasions after the Taliban takeover. The head of Pakistan’s intelligence agency was lobbying to bring in key ministries for the Haqqani network in the upcoming Taliban government.
https://zeenews.india.com/world/did-us-use-pakistan-airspace-to-kill-al-qaedas-zawahiri-2494163.html
Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), said he was convinced Pakistan had a role in Zawahiri’s murder. He underlined that “Pakistan’s economy is in danger, and the country is in danger of collapse. In this context, Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa spoke to Washington to seek US help to accelerate the spread of a USD 1.2 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.” Pakistan now needs cash to avoid default as its foreign reserves are only $9 billion, and its currency has crashed.