Ex-Minister: 'Grave Damage' To Pakistan's Ethos

The death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was the end of a long and painful story for the U.S. For Pakistan, however, it could be a painful beginning.

The raid that killed bin Laden was a huge embarrassment for Pakistan's powerful army. In Lahore, Pakistan, former Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri discussed the consequences with Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep.

"In Urdu language, there is a saying ... that if you inflict wound with a sword it will get healed, but when you inflict a wound with your tongue, it takes much longer — if at all — to get healed," Kasuri said.

Kasuri is unhappy about both kinds of wounds. He doesn't like U.S. criticism of his country after bin Laden was found near Pakistan's military academy. And he stresses the thousands of Pakistanis killed in a decade of terrorist attacks since Sept. 11, 2001.

"Could they (the United States) in their wildest dreams believe Pakistani army would hide Osama bin Laden half a mile from the Pakistan Military Academy?" he asks. "If they wanted to hide him, surely there are places where they could have provided him with an air-conditioned underground bunker, which could be as comfortable as they wanted Osama to be in."

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/05/30/136776926/ex-minister-grave-damage-to-pakistans-ethos?ft=1&f=1004

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