CHITRAL, Dec 28: A meeting of heads of various political parties of Chitral has condemned the statement of Karim Raheemi, a spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, about the alleged presence of Osama bin Laden in Chitral.

The meeting, held in the office of the district nazim Haji Maghfirat Shah, on Thursday, termed the remarks fabricated and a conspiracy to undermine the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere of the Chitral district.

Saeed Akbar, a merchant of medicines, arrested by Afghan authorities last week, was quoted by Afghan authorities as having told them that Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was in the Chitral district.

Saeed Akbar was in Afghanistan in July this year in connection with his business activities when he was arrested by Afghan authorities who later claimed that he was an spy of Pakistan’s secret agency, Inter-Services Intelligence.

Mr Raheemi claimed last week that Saeed Akbar worked for the ISI, and that he had confessed to shifting Osama bin Laden to Chitral last year.

According to details gathered by Dawn, Saeed Akbar is a retired soldier of the Chitral Scouts.

After his retirement some time ago, he opened a medical store in his native town, Arandu, which borders Afghanistan.

The people living on both sides of the border have blood relations and it is a normal practice for them to cross the border whenever they need to do so. Akbar’s case was no exception, and he frequently travelled to the other side of the border in connection with his business activities.

When Akbar visited the Kunar province of Afghanistan in July to collect some money owed to him by an Afghan dealer, the man got him arrested, claiming that Akbar was an ISI agent.

This happened in July last and all efforts by his relatives to get him released have proved futile.

According to reports, his relatives had been told that due to excessive torture the man had become insane.