The actual plans for Bin Laden’s “pucca” house

There’s understandably been much interest in the house in which Osama Bin Laden whiled away his hours while hiding in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad. Photographs have been taken of the three-storey buildings, graphics have been produced to show the outline and design of the eight-bedroom property. But for those who have an interest in architecture and that sort of thing, here are the original plans, as produced by an Abbottabad architect.

A file held by the local authorities in the town shows that plans for the “pucca” (or proper) house were filed in the summer of 2004 by the man known as Arshad Khan, who is thought to have been Bin Laden’s courier. His ID card, Number CH 9613-753-20, believed to be fake, gives a date of birth as 09/06/1977. It is though the house was completed by September 2005, raising doubts about some reports claiming the property was raided by the Pakistanis in 2003. The file also shows that the occupants never paid any property tax, and that the completed building breached several guidelines. The file says the house had a “flush system” and a drainage tank. The official address on file is: House No 3, Street No 8-A, Garga Road, Thanda Chowa, Hashmi Colony, Abbottabad.

The architects for the plans were Modern Associates. One of the owners, Junaid Younis, said his father, Mohammad, had done the drawing, liaising with Arshad Khan through a property agent. “Lots of people come to us. We are more interested in making money rather than the individual,” Mr Younis told me.

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• The Reverend Peter M. Hawkins.

  A “pucca” house is made of permanent materials, in contrast to a “kuccha” or uncooked house made of mud etc.
  It is interesting to note that no taxes were paid on the property, nor probably on the incomes of the inhabitants.
  There is a faulty morality on the side of the Resident who does not pay what is due, and on the side of the State that does not ensure that Dues are discharged. If I were a USA Tax Payer I would want to know why I was supporting a Pakistani Adminstration that does not levy taxes efficiently, and does not know who it has within it’s borders.
  Even so, being shot by Seals is not appropriate treatment for a Free Loader, however wicked he is alleged to have been.

• rponting

  Good point. I believe Hilary Clinton and other US dignitaries have lectured the Government of Pakistan on this very issue. Not it has made any difference because having an efficient tax collection mechanism lands a lot of political leaders into the net. Hence best kept as is and beg for money from international donors.

  I agree with your point that we should be asking our law-makers on how why we are subsidizing the country and contributing to its continued reliance on “foreign aid”.

• mentor397

  Good thing the plans are in English or we’d never have been able to read them.

• P0l0nium

  Being shot by Seals is exactly the right treatment for a mass-murdering war-criminal who is on video glorifying in the deaths of 3000 Americans and who was still engaged in organising hostile activity and distributing fascist propaganda. A 500Kg JDAM would have been the right treatment for J Goebbels in 1943 even though he never shot anybody personally.

• rponting

  Did you actually read The Reverend Peter M. Hawkins ’s post and my response to it ?

  Even if you did, please read and understand what is being discussed before shooting (excuse the pun ) your keyboard off .

• P0l0nium

  I did … it was about the P government’s inability to collect tax while collecting foreign aid and I meant to respond the the rev’s post and not to yours. Nevertheless, being shot by seals IS the appropriate treatment for a mass-mudering blah de blah de blah..

• http://twitter.com/cosmicelk Heather Hobden

  that looks more like a hotel than a house – mostly bedrooms with ensuites