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Published 02 May, 2011 03:17pm

Pakistan asks US envoy to avoid bin Laden spin

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday held talks with the US regional envoy just hours after Washington said Osama bin Laden was killed and urged against any spinning of the death.

The Saudi-born terror mastermind was killed Sunday in a daring raid by US troops in a peaceful northwestern town just two hours' drive from the Pakistani capital in a biggest triumph yet in the 10-year war against terrorism.

“Gilani emphasised the need for constructive and positive messaging from both sides on today's operation,” a Pakistani statement said after his meeting with US envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman.

“The sensitivities in this regard must be given due importance rather than giving it a spin,” he said.

Grossman was in Pakistan on a pre-planned visit for talks between Afghan, Pakistani and US officials scheduled for Tuesday.

A senior US administration official said the United States had not notified Pakistani allies about the operation, citing the need to maintain complete secrecy around the covert operation.

Analysts warn that the raid is likely to incite revenge attacks in Pakistan. Confirming it was not pre-informed would be a humiliating acknowledgement that American troops can act with impunity on sovereign soil.

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