Sixteen people were detained after bin Laden was killed by US special forces in the northwestern garrison town of Abbottabad on May 2. They included his three wives - one from Yemen and two from Saudi Arabia - and several children.

Pakistani officials had originally said they would be repatriated and recent media reports suggested Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah, bin Laden's youngest wife, would be allowed to return to Yemen.

However, on Tuesday the commission issued a statement saying that the Ministry of Interior and Pakistan's ISI spy agency had been "directed to ensure that the family of Osama bin Laden is not repatriated from Pakistan" without its consent.

Pakistan's government was widely criticized after the raid on Abbottabad

After bin Laden was killed, mainly opposition lawmakers in Pakistan demanded a civilian - not military - probe into his death and into the fact that the al Qaeda head had been able to live in Pakistan for so long, apparently undetected.

The four-member commission, which is headed by a senior judge, was set up last month. It is due to meet again next week.

In its statement on Tuesday, the commission said its proceedings were "independent, transparent, thorough and impartial." It also urged the public to provide information about the raid in Abbottabad.

Author: Anne Thomas (AFP, Reuters)

Editor: Sarah Berning