No need to bypass Pakistan, says Gilani on Osama raid

There was no need for the US to "bypass" Pakistan while carrying out the raid on Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said.

There was no need for the US to "bypass" Pakistan while carrying out the raid on al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said.

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Gilani said that keeping in view the long standing relations with the US, Pakistan’s sovereignty should not have been violated.

Osama bin Laden was shot dead in Abbottabad May 2 by US commandos. The US gave no prior information to Pakistan about its commandos raiding Osama's mansion in the military garrison town.

The prime minister said the issue of violation of sovereignty was a matter of concern for Pakistan, Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

“There was no need to a shortcut, or to bypass Pakistan," Gilani told journalists who accompanied him on his three-day visit to France.

Relations with the US had seen many ups and downs in the past, he said and added that it would take some time for the relations to fully normalize between the two countries.