Column Banned article: 'Blackwater' - by Shireen Mazari

**whitepepper** · #1 09-07-2009

Dr. Shireen Mazari has had the honor of being one of the targets of the US Embassy in Islamabad particularly since 2008 when in her columns she broke the news of US Army's General Hood coming to Pakistan and the 11 conditions that the Pakistani government was quietly planning to accept granting unfettered access in Pakistan for US personnel with no legal restraints.

By Shireen M. Mazari, Wednesday, 2 September 2009.

from:
Ahmed Quraishi-Pakistan/Middle East politics, Iraq war, lebanon war, India Pakistan relations

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—While US diplomats target their critics in Pakistan with a new ferocity, the US media and politicians target the Pakistan’s nuclear and military capability.

Taking the latter first, Dr. Khan had barely gained his “freedom” when that murderous former Vice President Dick Cheney, in a pre-taped interview to Fox News (30 August), declared that the Obama Administration should use the CIA to find out what Dr. Khan was up to! Cheney also expressed pride in the Bush Administration’s aggressive use of drones in FATA!

So should we assume that the increased presence of Blackwater and other unidentified US personnel in Islamabad may also have Dr. Khan as a possible target?

Nor was it just Cheney firing off on one of America’s obsessions – Dr. Khan – while quite unconcerned about the massive proliferation that the US continues to Israel (this is all now part of the published and available data in case the US embassy accuses this scribe of falsehood again).

More irritating than disturbing, has been the story in The New York Times (NYT), citing unnamed senior administration and congressional officials (of course when we cite similar sources, US officialdom is not amused), accusing Pakistan of modifying the Harpoon missiles given to the Pakistan navy to enable to hit land-based targets.

Had the NYT bothered to do some basic research they would have realized that Pakistan has no need to modify the old Harpoon missiles when they already have far better land-based missile systems already battle-tested and in their arsenal. As it is, the Harpoon does not have the range that would be required to hit land-based targets.

The question that arises then is why plant this story now – apart from the continuing US effort to undermine the Pakistan’s military capability and keep the military institution under pressure (or so they assume)?

One reason may have to do with putting pressure on the Pakistan Navy to give its go-ahead to the US request, forwarded by Pakistan’s Ministry of Defense to the Naval Chief, to allow them to build a landing strip near Gwadar (their own miniport facility) where US marines can land “some stuff” ostensibly as part of their anti-narcotic activities. So far there has been no response from the Pakistani side. Why they can’t do that at the existing facilities in the area is the question some Pakistanis are asking?

Interestingly, in relation to the Pakistan Navy and the Harpoon issue, there are also unconfirmed but reliable reports that the Special Services Group Navy (SSGN) is constructing operational facilities in Gharo, Sindh (close to the Indus delta, south of Thatta) which are purpose-built to serve as a base for an army unit – comprising halls, residential units and storage facilities. Some years back the Navy had decided to shift the SSGN headquarter (PNS Iqbal) from the dockyard to a coastal area, but Gharo was not the likely sight at the time. Because there has been a sudden increase in assistance to the SSGN from the US, questions are being raised whether this shifting of the SSGN to Gharo is actually a ruse to allow US Marine “trainers” to arrive there in large numbers on the pretext of training the SSGN commandos in newly-acquired weapons and tactics? So, the old carrot and stick approach – assistance and then the ridiculous Harpoon story – continues to be at work. What is disturbing here is that perhaps this whole Gharo “deal” is being done at a micro tactical level with the overall military high command not totally in the know. Certainly, it merits a closer examination by the military leadership and more transparency.

Clearly, the Americans do not understand the ordinary Pakistani. Their interaction with the ruling elites has led them to assume that this elite, with its tendency towards subservience and a constant gaze towards Washington (with a few exceptions) is reflective of the Pakistani nation at large. But, to their dismay, they are finding out otherwise even as they infiltrate into the bureaucratic and academic set ups in Pakistan. Again, subtlety having never been a strong American trait, they are responding to negative responses of ordinary Pakistanis in the usual ham-fisted manner in an effort to silence the critics. This writer has had the honor of being one of their targets especially since 2008 when stories regarding General Hood and the 11 conditions relating to unfettered access in Pakistan for US personnel with no legal restraints broke on the front pages of The News.

But even earlier, when Mr. Riaz Khokhar was Foreign Secretary, the US embassy had sought to have me either silenced in terms of my column or removed from the Institute of Strategic Studies - or else the embassy would assume that I was reflecting (heavens forbid) the official views of the Government of Pakistan. That is why some readers may recall for a while at the bottom of my column there was a one-liner stating that the views expressed were my own. Full credit to Mr. Khokhar for standing his ground, but I knew it was simply a matter of time when I would be liberated from all official strangleholds.

Now, once again, the US Ambassador, has turned her guns on this scribe as well as some electronic media hosts – all of whom have been exposing the increasing muscle flexing by the growing number of non-diplomatic Americans now in Pakistan – especially the notorious Blackwater – now re-christened Xe Worldwide. Just for the record, whatever has appeared in these columns regarding this group and the dubious Creative Associates International Inc (CAII) has been gleaned from Western media sources including the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), but then verified from reliable local sources. It is interesting to see how the more the US penetrates Pakistani officialdom, the more the saner elements within this officialdom show their anger and frustration and reveal to ordinary Pakistanis the wholesale handing over of the country to Washington.

Especially with the Blackwater issue refusing to die down in the media despite a strange silence in Parliament and in spite of threats of multiple types from the yet-to-be-expanded US embassy in Islamabad; new revelations are made on a daily basis about US shenanigans in Pakistan. Here in Pakistan it has got to the stage where one is not sure who is an “official” American and who is not. After all, the guard who abused Pakistan and an SHO in the diplomatic enclave was a member of the US government; but who were the three Americans who beat up a Pakistani citizen, Mohsin Bokhari, in Islamabad’s Aabpara last week? After using violence against this citizen they did eventually apologize, but the police refused to register a case because they felt that if the case registered by the SHO of the diplomatic enclave had no impact in terms of justice – thanks to the pusillanimity of the present Ministry of Foreign Affairs setup – it would simply be a waste of their energy in the month of fasting to register yet another case of violence by Americans against a Pakistani citizen.

Further, as the growing disaffection hits the more conscientious Pakistanis in officialdom, what should one make of the information (from frustrated police officials) regarding four Americans initially arrested on Friday, 25 August, at FIA headquarters, Peshawar Morrh, Islamabad with unlicensed automatic weapons (seven MI-6) and no identification – although the arresting officials say they were “kala pani” (Blackwater) personnel around 14:45. When they were brought to the Margala police station, SP Nasir Aftab, who had previously been serving in the diplomatic enclave, also arrived, followed by US embassy’s security officer, a retired Pakistan army officer, Captain Ijaz. The latter abused and threatened the policemen and in front of SP Aftab had the four Americans, with no diplomatic identity, released from custody. When the SHO protested, SP Aftab also adopted Captain Ijaz’s tone and later confessed he was helpless as he had orders from “above” for the release of these American law breakers. Incidentally, if the US Administration has no links with Blackwater anymore, why is the US embassy in the forefront of interceding on their behalf?

So how much pressure will we all be able to endure and when will we all be silenced one way or another? If the Americans understood us they would realize that the Pakistani nation cannot be silenced into submission despite its leadership.

This article was supposed to appear today in The News International but did not due to reported pressure from the US Embassy in Islamabad.
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**pkmuslim** · #2 09-07-2009

The america is playing very coward game against Pakistan and every Pakistan should raise voice against evil american ambitions against Pakistan

pkmuslim added 0 Minutes and 56 Seconds later...

younus_malik · #3 09-07-2009

wah geo wah... ab par kat gaye kia... pakistanion key khilaaf tu koi pressure nahin aur jab america ki baari aye to par kat gaye...

kahan giya azaadiye sahafat ka naara? jab pakistan ke khilaaf gand kerna ho tu foran se pehle moon kholtey ho

**mali786** · #4 09-07-2009

**mirchi** · #5 09-07-2009

God bless that traffic constable. Our prayers are with him.....After invading Afghanistan and Iraq, they are preparing to invade Pakistan..

**Democracy** · #6 09-07-2009

God Bless Pakistan.

**mistehbab** · #7 09-07-2009

Assalam-o-Alaikum-Warahmat-ULLAH ALL,

I would just like to mention here, that JI has already protested against US's expansion of its embassy on 18-Aug-2009 in Islamabad.

This is not because I am an ordinary worker of JI. This is to show, that one part of the society is alive and has already protested against this, in its own capacity. Imran Khan was present in that protest. In-fact the programs Capital Talk dated 18th-Aug-2009 and Off The Record dated 19-Aug-2009 confirm this.

Media is highlighting the issue, they are condemning it in their own capacity.

Unfortunately, I find no other group in Pakistan who is protesting against this.

**fantasticman** · #8 09-08-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by younus_malik

wah geo wah... ab par kat gaye kia... pakistanion key khilaaf tu koi pressure nahin aur jab america ki baari aye to par kat gaye...

kahan giya azaadiye sahafat ka naara? jab pakistan ke khilaaf gand kerna ho tu foran se pehle moon kholtey ho

THIS. AGREED, GEO tu hai hi US channel.

**aamerabbas** · #9 09-09-2009

That constable may loose his job but he has done great. Salute to him.

**hawkeyeblue** · #10 09-09-2009

Contractors in Pakistan; Are troops next?

**sallahudin** · #11 09-09-2009

I think its perfectly clear that as long as America is on the face of this earth there will be no peace.
IT IS A SATANIST COUNTRY MADE BY SATAN FOR SATANS.
Allah Insha Allah will take care of it just like he has done over the centuries with other so called invincible powers of that era. We only find them in history books and how they were made an example of.

**asifjatt** · #12 09-09-2009

IF I WUD a S.H.O i ll simply encounter them fakely as we can do , simple ! in Governtment jobs u can only be transfer not dismiss for ever ! i WUD IF I WAS ...

**mistehbab** · #13 09-10-2009

Assalam-o-Alaikum-Warahmat-ULLAH ALL,

Not only is this present govt. allowing US to increase the size of its embassy in Pakistan, this govt. is ALSO allowing India! to expand its embassy as well!

**nomi59** · #14 09-10-2009

Applausable work by the author.

"if the US Administration has no links with Blackwater anymore, why is the US embassy in the forefront of interceding on their behalf?"

A very valid point raised by the author for those (Digital Research Team - US state Deptt member) who completely isolate Blackwater with the US.

**mali786** · #15 09-12-2009

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