Hizbul Mujahedeen gave shelter to Osama: Report

Toronto: Hizbul Mujahedeen, a militant group active in Kashmir, owned the mansion in the scenic town of Abbottabad where Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces, a Canadian newspaper has reported, claiming that Pakistan is hushing up the issue of the ownership of the compound.

There are indications emerging that the terror mastermind was sheltered by one of the militant groups that has enjoyed tolerance, if not support, from Pakistani military intelligence services, Globe and Mail reported.

The paper quoted a Pakistani police officer familiar with bin Laden's compound to say the house was used by Hizbul Mujahedeen. The group's chief Syed Salahuddin is based in PoK capital Muzaffarabad.

Pakistan has denied any collusion with terrorists, saying that its leading intelligence service had been sharing information with US counterparts since 2009 about the compound where bin Laden was found.

In the wake of the raid, Islamabad scrambled to ensure that precise ownership of the compound would not become public knowledge, the paper said quoting Pakistani officials.

"The place belonged to Hizbul Mujahedeen," the police officer said.

"But the authorities have asked us not to share any information about the exact ownership."

Land-registry officials in Abbottabad, known in the local language as patwaris, were summoned to a meeting yesterday and urged to keep quiet.

"The patwaris are meeting right now," a local official said.

"They are being instructed not to say anything about the land-ownership issue."

American officials have described the owners as "brothers", and neighbours recalled seeing a pair of men, possibly ethnic Pashtuns from the rugged western frontier, who largely kept to themselves.

Their names were reported in local media as Bara Khan and Chota Khan, or Arshad Pathan and Chota Pathan.

A Pakistani official said the mystery surrounding the two men has deepened with the discovery that their national identity cards were faked.

Demands grew louder on Tuesday for an investigation that would determine what support bin Laden received inside Pakistan.