Al Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden had supported and extended financial assistance to former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, claimed the country's former envoy to the US, Abida Hussain

"Yes, he (Osama bin Laden) supported Mian Nawaz Sharif at one time. However, that is a complicated story. He (Osama) used to extend financial assistance [to Nawaz Sharif]," Express Tribune quoted her as saying.

Abida, also an ex-cabinet member of Nawaz Sharif's government, recalled that at one-time bin Laden was popular and liked by everyone including the Americans but at a later stage, he was treated as a 'stranger'.

Her remarks come days after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Member of National Assembly Farrukh Habib alleged that Nawaz Sharif had laid the foundation of foreign funding in the country and took USD 10 million from Osama bin Laden to bring a no-confidence motion for overthrowing Benazir Bhutto's government.

Nawaz Sharif, who has been the prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, has been accused, time and again, of taking money from slain terrorist Osama bin Laden in order to promote and fund jihad in Kashmir. He served as prime minister from 1990-93, 1997-98, and 2013-17.

Sharif, the 70-year-old supremo of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) who was ousted from power in 2017 by the Supreme Court on corruption charges, is in London for medical treatment.

Osama was killed in a midnight raid by the US Navy SEALs in Pakistan's garrison town of Abbottabad in 2011.

Pakistan had officially denied having any knowledge of the terror chief until he was shot dead in a raid by US forces. Pakistan has been accused of using its soil to perpetrate terror in neighbouring countries.

In 2016, a book was released accusing Nawaz Sharif of taking money from former Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

The book, Khalid Khawaja: Shaheed-i-Aman, is authored by Shamama Khalid, the wife of former ISI operative Khalid Khawaja.

"Chief of PML-N Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif received funding from Osama Bin Laden, founder of Al-Qaeda, to contest elections against Benazir Bhutto-led Pakistan People's Party (PPP) after the end of Zia regime," the book states.

But even though Osama funded Sharif heavily, the latter backtracked from all his promises after coming into power, the Dawn had reported.