Former defence minister Ahmed Mukhtar has categorically denied claiming in an interview with Indian TV channel CNN-IBN that Pakistan had knowledge of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's presence in the country. In an interview with a Pakistan TV channel, Mukhtar termed the clips of his interview being shown on Indian media as "utter nonsense" and "totally misquoted". His statements had been taken out of context, said Mukhtar, who served as the defence minister in ex-prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's cabinet.
CNN-IBN on Tuesday claimed to have exposed what it called 'Pakistan's link with Osama' by repeatedly showing short clips of an interview its anchor Zakka Jacob conducted of Pakistani ex-defence minister Ahmed Mukhtar. In those clips, Mukhtar is shown to be agreeing to the idea that Pakistan's top civilian and military leadership may have known about Osama's presence in Pakistan.
Following the broadcast of the interview, CNN-IBN on its official Twitter page claimed to have caused a "global impact" with the interview that it said "revealed the truth". After the interview was aired, Mukhtar rejected the statements as portrayed by CNN-IBN. "Regarding the interview being shown on CNN-IBN, and having been the defence minister, I categorically deny and consider these statements utter nonsense and totally misquoted," Mukhtar said.