Lahore, March 21: In a stunning disclosure that once again confirmed the nexus between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and banned militant outfits, a former ISI official, Khalid Khwaja, has claimed to have arranged at least five meetings between former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
In an interview with a private television channel, Mr Khwaja said Mr Sharif has met several Islamic movement leaders around the world, including Osama, and asked him to provide funds for “development projects”.

Mr Khwaja said that he had arranged three meetings between Mr Sharif and Osama in Saudi Arabia.
“Nawaz insisted that I arrange a direct meeting with Osama, which I did in Saudi Arabia. Nawaz was looking for a Rs 500 million grant from Osama. Altho-ugh Osama provided a comparatively smaller sum ... he secured for Nawaz a meeting with the Saudi royal family,” the Daily Times quoted Mr Khwaja as saying. He claimed that Osama had provided him funds to hand over to the incumbent Punjab chief minister to overthrow then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s government. “I remember that Osama provided me funds that I handed over to then Punjab chief minister Nawaz to topple Benazir Bhutto’s government,” Mr Khwaja said. He claimed that he maintained a close relationship with Osama as after being “forced” to retire he went to Afghanistan in 1987 and fought Soviet troops  “alongside Osama”.
     —ANI