Pakistan To Repatriate Osama Family

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has contacted governments of Saudi Arabia and Yemen for the repatriation of slain al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden's three wives and their children, according to media reports.

The development came after a judicial commission probing the al-Qaida chief 's presence in Pakistan announced on Thursday that it had withdrawn its order barring bin Laden's family from leaving the country.

Authorities had contacted Saudi Arabia and Yemen to arrange for the repatriation of bin Laden's widows and children, unnamed Pakistani officials were quoted as saying by CBS News and CNN.

Bin Laden's family has been in the custody of Pakistani security agencies since he was killed. "We have now completed our investigations and pieced together all that we wanted to know from the family members," a senior Pakistani intelligence official said.