Showing posts with label Raymond Davis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raymond Davis. Show all posts
Friday, 15 April 2011
Saturday, 26 March 2011
331 USZ spies leaving Pakistan
A total of 331 USZ officials in Pakistan, most of them suspected of engaging in espionage under diplomatic cover, have been "identified to leave the country" under a secret deal between the two sides for release of American national Raymond Davis, a media report said on Thursday. Pakistani authorities have agreed not to declare these USZ officials "persona non grata" if they voluntarily leave the country within a stipulated time, 'The Express Tribune' quoted unnamed sources as saying. Islamabad was almost ready to summarily expel these persons who have various levels of diplomatic immunity as most of them were issued Pakistani visas without getting prior no-objection certificates in line with standard operating procedures, the daily reported. Davis, a 36-year-old former Special Forces soldier, was arrested in Lahore in January after he shot and killed two armed men. He was recently pardoned and freed by a court under a "blood money" deal whereby over $20,00,000 were paid to the families of the dead men. According to standard operating procedures, all embassy and consulate staff working under different diplomatic covers like contractors, consultants, technicians and administrative staff are required to be vetted by relevant officials before visas are issued to them. Pakistani officials, while handing over a list to the USZ, had demanded that the American officials should be immediately recalled. When Pakistan was assured that they would leave the country within the stipulated period, it extended an assurance that the USZ officials would not be declared persona non gratia.
This was one of the salient features of the "secret deal" for suspected CIA contractor Davis' release, the report said. The deal is also said to include a substantial increase in aid and weapons and mandatory scrutiny of all persons seeking diplomatic immunity. Intelligence officials were quoted as saying that Pakistani authorities had been trying to "trap someone to expose the cover of these consultants and technicians in front of the world community and Pakistani people". Pakistan has "successfully neutralised operatives of friends or allies in the war on terror involved in anti-state activities against our sovereignty", the report contended. It said that Pakistan had devised "an adequate response policy to counter the severity of our friends' reaction". An official said that most of the suspected USZ officials were "involved in suspicious activities, including photographing and filming of sensitive installations like airbases (Warsak, near Peshawar and Multan), defence bunkers along the Pakistan-India border near Lahore, recruiting persons supporting their activities and launching local people for suspicious activities by offering lucrative benefits".
Thursday, 24 March 2011
CIA-ISI Cold War & Davis episode
ISI-CIA cooperated with each other throughout the war against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in 1980s. The latter never felt offended on being kept in the backseat concerning planning; coordination, training, equipping and launching of Mujahideen were concerned. The USZ provided intelligence, funds, arms and fighters from other Muslim countries only. The ISI was eulogised and given due credit for the successful conclusion of the war. Its stature grew so high that it was seen as the most potent and effective spy machine in the region and second to none. After 1990, when the USZ hastily abandoned Pakistan and consequently Pak-USZ relations got strained, ISI also came in bad books of the USZ and ignited CIA-ISI cold war. During the two short tenures of PPP, an effort was made to shorten the long arm of the ISI. After 9/11, when America in concert with Israel, India, UK, Germany and Afghanistan went about pursuing its agenda it had fixed for Pakistan with the help of intelligence agencies, it found Pak Army and ISI as major bottlenecks in its way to reach up to coveted nukes. CIA took full control of intelligence acquisition and dissemination and kept ISI on the sidelines so as to be able to gain control over selected regions of FATA and Balochistan.
Anti-state elements were cultivated to destabilize these regions. Two pronged propaganda war was launched against Pakistan and its premier institutions by India and Afghanistan duly backed by USZA and western countries. All terrorist attacks taking place in the two countries were pasted on ISI. It included terrorist attack on Indian parliament in December 2002, Samjhota Express train blast in 2006, suicide attack on Indian Embassy in Kabul in July 2008 and several others in India. CIA started targeting ISI from end 2007 onwards when the latter learnt about double game being played by former and started to recover lost ground. Apart from unleashing vicious vilification campaign, the USZ tried hard to cut ISI to size by placing it under Ministry of Interior headed by its own man and also getting it purged of anti-USZ officers under the plea that they were sympathisers of Taliban. Wild allegations were made that the ISI was linked with Afghan Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Muhammad. It was accused of playing a double game. When the ISI didn’t budge and continued to shield national interests, RAW, Mosad and CIA jointly engineered Mumbai attacks in November 2008 with the sole aim of netting ISI. Case was gradually built up to get it declared as a rogue outfit. The USZ tilted towards India and blackmailed Pakistan. Latter was pressured to accept all demands of India. The USZ played a key role in getting passed a resolution by UNSC to put Jamat-ud-Dawa and its four leaders on list of terrorists.
When no headway could be made, several group attacks were launched against ISI set ups in various cities. In November 2010, the USZ Federal Court issued summon to DGISI Lt Gen Pasha and senior members of LeT for the alleged involvement in Mumbai carnage. In response to a complaint lodged by one Kareem Khan from North Waziristan that his son and brother had been killed by a drone on 31 December 2009, when on 16 December Islamabad Police moved to register murder case against CIA station chief in Pakistan Jonathan Banks, who was supervising drone campaign, Jonathan fled to USZA. The USZ media suspected ISI involvement in blowing up CIA cover in retaliation to USZ court move. ISI-CIA relations hit rock bottom once CIA agent Raymond Davis was arrested in Lahore on 27 January after he shot down two motorcyclists in Lahore. His arrest blew the lid off the covert CIA operation in Pakistan. Realising the gravity of the situation, the USZ applied its crude methods of coercion and also played the diplomatic immunity card to secure Davis’s release without any investigation and trial. Obama, Mullen, Munter and CIA chief Panetta tried both threats and persuasion to get him released but failed. Arrest of another USZ national Aaron Mark de Haven in Peshawar pretending to be security contractor gave a glimpse of the scale of USZ spy network in Pakistan. Despite extreme pressure Punjab government and Lahore court stood their ground asserting that process of law will not be allowed to be subverted. It was dishonest on part of Obama and USZ officials to lie blatantly that Davis was a diplomat knowing that he was not. Their mantra of full diplomatic immunity was sheer deceitfulness. They resorted to lies since the USZ has mostly been getting away with their ruses, deceit and falsehood. None bothered to clarify as to why a diplomat was carrying Glock and Bretta pistols, loads of ammunition, hand grenade and other spy gadgets.
Sudden release of Davis on 16 March came as a rude shock for the people of Pakistan. His release has renewed the waning confidence of spies and under cover agents of CIA to continue with their dirty work. They will however now be a bit more careful never to get caught. CIA would be busy devising schemes how to prevent such a recurrence which had caught the most powerful agency with pants down. Task of ISI to identify foreign spies will now become more tedious since it will be chasing alerted agents. Pakistan will never ever get another chance wherein the USZ was put on the defensive and had no clue how to get Davis released after their salvo of diplomatic immunity misfired. Davis was at the breaking point and sooner than later would have divulged all the nitty- gritty details about CIA-Mosad-RAW network in Pakistan, its linkages with local quislings, NGOs and terrorist groups, and Blackwater racket, and how close the CIA was in stealing or disabling our nukes. Our rulers have once again kneeled down under pressure and sold national interests too cheaply. For the people it is an irreparable loss for Pakistan and amounts to compromising our national honour and dignity. They feel cheated and let down since they were not taken into confidence when striking a secret deal with USZA. For the rulers, it is a win-win situation. They argue that Pak-USZ relations at state, military and intelligence levels at the brink of break up have sailed past the rough patch; USZ aid and IMF loan flow would resume; USZ-Pak-Afghan summit would take place, Pak-USZ strategic dialogue would restart. In their view, decision taken by Session Court was strictly in conformity with Sharia law; all the heirs of deceased Fahim and Faizan have willingly accepted blood money and forgiven the accused; families of victims have been richly compensated and amount dished out to each one is beyond their wildest expectations.
The government is taking pride in tackling a very complex case smoothly since custody of Davis was like handling a ticking live bomb. Rulers say that all this was made possible because of intimate cooperation and coordination of the Federal government, Punjab government, Army chief, DGISI and law courts in Lahore. This kind of harmony between state organs is a rare phenomenon in ongoing restive environment. However, the ruling regime known for its indecisiveness and for underhand deals to please USZA or extract commissions was this time caught between the devil and the deep sea. On one side was incensed USZA twisting its arms and on the other side were overcharged public and hyper media together with cries of the victims’ families who wanted Davis to be hanged. Publication of revealing stories about presence of hundreds of Davis type CIA and Blackwater agents had given rise to fears and had triggered heated debate. Finding itself in a logjam, the leadership maintained an ambivalent posture by neither confirming nor denying whether Davis enjoyed diplomatic immunity. While Gilani desiring to oblige the USZ reluctantly affirmed that legal mechanism would be allowed to prevail, Government machinery on the quiet kept working on the option of blood money.
Leaving aside sentiments and emotions for a while and opening the window of reason, logic and rationality, one will have to accept that the case was handled deftly. Keeping Davis in an isolated room in secluded Kot Lakhpat Jail for seven weeks in the face of extreme pressure, putting him on ECL, charge-sheeting him on double-murder and possession of illegal arms and ammunition, and not bending to USZ demand of releasing Davis forthwith on the basis of diplomatic immunity was not easy given the poor track record of our rulers. Till John Kerry’s visit, the attitude of all American officials was conceited and threatening. Each one indulged in tongue lashing on basis of diplomatic immunity. When no headway could be made, Kerry was dispatched to play a soothing tune of conciliation and bring back Davis. He put up a soft face and dangled carrot as well as stick but seeing the ugly mood of the public he considered it prudent to return back empty handed. He passed on the idea of blood money as taught to him by Hussein Haqqani, which sounded appealing to many. The USZ leadership was contemplating punishing Pakistan for causing discomfiture to one of its citizens. The entire top brass of USZA as well as CIA frothing at the mouths and fuming with anger had to change their demeanour of haughtiness to conciliation and appeasement. Realising the complexity of legal course, it kept the option of payment of Diyat uppermost. It was ironic that the USZ had to ultimately seek relief for their man from Islamic law which it reviles from the bottom of its heart. Notwithstanding habitual arrogance of USZ leaders towards compliant leaders of third world, release of Davis may help in making them more compassionate and understanding towards the Muslim countries.
Gen Kayani expressed his serious concern to senior military leadership of USZA at Oman. He forthrightly asked them that instead of seeking Davis release they should clarify whether his anti-Pakistan activities were justified and whether USZA or Pakistan is playing a double game. CIA which was behaving like a rampaging bull in a chinaware shop has for the first time started to listen to ISI’s security concerns expressed by Lt Gen Pasha and has agreed to bridle its agents let loose in Pakistan and curtail its shady activities. Panetta has ceded to ISI’s request of furnishing full details of all under cover agents working in various guises and has reportedly repatriated over 35 of its operatives. This exercise is equally important for USZA to ensure security of its citizens working in Pakistan in the backdrop of raised tempers of the public. While it will be naïve to expect the CIA to transform itself from a devil into a saint, it is fair to assume that in future its covert operations will be undertaken with due care and caution and it may show greater sensitivity to Pakistan’s concerns. We on our part should tone down our expectations and lessen our economic dependence on USZA to hope for mutually sustaining relationship.
Davis was not released on orders of Zardari but through a legal procedure in which no graft or commission was involved. It was not possible to obtain willingness and written affidavits of all the 19 members of the affected families if pressure had been applied, particularly when each member was quizzed by the judge separately. With regard to forgiveness in return of Diyat (blood money), which is in conformity with Islamic principles, President Zardari and Army chief played a key role in getting the amount raised to Rs two hundred million, plus green cards and jobs in USZA for the heirs of the deceased. Share for Shumaila’s family who had committed suicide has also been catered for, and so is the case for Ubaidur Rehman’s family. The amount has either been paid by the family of Davis, or CIA or Saudi government but certainly not by our government. Had due course of law been allowed to be completed, it would have taken a very long time and there were dim chances of Davis getting convicted. The case getting transferred to International Court of Justice was a distinct possibility in which case the decision in all probability would have gone in favour of Davis. While Davis would have suffered the pangs of prolonged confinement, but his suffering would have been at the cost of disruption of Pak-USZ relations, impositions of harsh sanctions and stoppage of loan facilities from world institutions, thus adding to the miseries of the people already groaning under weight of poverty.
It is a matter of satisfaction to note that for the first time such a large amount has been wholly received by the members of deprived class and rulers have not asked for their share. From among over 35000 Pakistanis who have lost their lives at the hands of faceless terrorists and hundreds killed by unknown target killers, these 19 members of two aggrieved families together with Ibad’s family are the only fortunate ones who have been richly compensated for the tragedy that befell upon them. I wish them good luck in all their future doings. But for the revengeful drone strikes on 17 March killing innocent people, Davis release may not have evoked such a strong backlash. Horrific incident of burning of Holy Quran in Florida by a fanatic preacher Terry Jones has deeply injured the feelings of each and every Muslim in Pakistan. This unfortunate and condemnable incident is likely to further heighten anti-Americanism and reinforce the impression that America is more intolerant and extremist than any other country.
Written by Brig. (r) Asif Haroon Raja for Asian Tribune
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Alert: Massive propaganda war against Army & ISI by USZ stooge media and CIA cyber troopers over Davis' release
Several thousand fake accounts who are suspected to be foreign cyber troopers have started bombarding our cyber networks with anti-Army and anti-ISI messages and trying to divert the whole responsibility of Raymond Davis' release towards ISI and ARMY. It is more important to take notice of the fact that just 2 days ago, ISPR released a statement that well organized conspiracies are trying to create distance between Pakistan ARMY-ISI and Pakistani civilians. An interesting thing to note at this point is that DG-ISI's extension took place on 13th March 2010. Whereas PML-N's opposition to this decision came 3 days after the decision, just hours before Davis was covertly released by the American stooge government. The Zionist channel network GEO TV has started heavy propaganda against Pakistan Army as the 5th columnist Kamran Khan started off inside his show putting the entire blame on the head of Chief of Army Staff.
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Pakistan Army - ISI |
Pakistan Army is in a critical battle against TTP in North Waziristan right now and ISI has its hands full as it's working against the CIA network inside Pakistan. It should be noted that this stooge government has always been trying to control ISI and now that they are unable to control it, they're trying to turn Pakistan's public opinion against it. Pakistani media has shamefully started spitting poison against Armed forces of Pakistan as the fifth columnists have come to work immediately after the incident of Davis' release. It must be kept in mind that ISI and CIA's relations have almost completely died out by now and all co-operation between the two secret agencies has been halted completely. We urge our readers NOT to believe the filthy CIA cyber troopers whose only aim at this time is to malign ISI and Army in the eyes of angry Pakistanis.
Pakistan Cyber Force
Alert: Court has indicted Davis for twin murder
Read on Pakistan Cyber Force Facebook Page
Enticing Fury
Pakistan Cyber Force
According to the latest reports from Lahore, USZ national Raymond Davis has been formally charged by the trial court today (Wednesday) on the charges of twin murder in Lahore on January 27. The hearing of the double murder case against CIA contractor took place at Kot Lakhpath jail. Sources said that Davis can be awarded death or life sentence under murder charge. Another court will hear the illegal arms case against Raymond Davis.
Enticing Fury
Pakistan Cyber Force
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
"No record of Davis' immunity avaiable", Foreign Ministry tells Lahore High Court; Petitioner pleads LHC on Davis' fake identity
The Foreign Ministry informed the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday that Raymond Davis, the double murder accused “cold blooded killer”, came to Pakistan on an official business visa issued on the request made by the American authorities and that Raymond Allen Davis is his actual name as notified by the USZ Embassy in Pakistan. Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Naveed Inayat Malik, on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs, furnished a reply to four petitions against diplomatic immunity for Davis. They reply, however, fell short of clearly articulating Davis is a diplomat or not. Another report quoted from the DAG’s reply that the ministry’s record is silent (or blank) if Davis is a diplomat. The DAG denied any alteration, on the part of the ministry, in the official record relating to Davis or that the ministry was interfering in the investigations of the case. He told LHC Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry that the USZ Embassy approached the ministry on January 27 with a request to release Davis to the custody of USZ Consul General in Lahore. The DAG said as the embassy claimed Davis was holding a diplomatic passport, the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations may be consulted (by the court) to address the points raised through the present petitions. The law officer, however, did not come up with any precise answer to the question of diplomatic status of Raymond Davis nor he presented to the court any certificate in terms of section 4 of the Diplomatic and Consular Privileges Act of 1972 despite a strong call from the petitioner’s counsel, Muhammad Azhar Siddique.
With reference to the trial of Raymond Davis, the law officer said the case was already sub judice before a trial court on account of the murders, and the question relating to the status of the accused may also be taken up there. To the point whether Davis was an employee of the USZ Embassy and if he enjoyed diplomatic status, the ministry offered a ‘suggested reply’ invoking the last order made by the court on a petition by Ch Ahmad Masood, saying the court has already taken cognizance of the matter, and if any matter of immunity arises in future, it can be determined by the court. The bench heard the point of view of the petitioners, including of Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafree, Ghazi Ilmuddin and Azhar, and disposed of the petitions, observing that the immunity question would be determined by the trial court in the first place. The court remarked any certificate to claim diplomatic status and immunity as such for the accused may be furnished to the trial court and the LHC may come into picture after the trial court has decided the issue. The LHC CJ said no one has made such a claim for a decision by the (high) court. He said the custody of the accused was with the trial court that would go on till the matter is decided.
Barrister Javed wanted the (high) court’s involvement with the question whether Davis should be administered a lie detection test, particularly stressing that Davis isn’t his real name and the accused entered Pakistan using a pseudo name. He said Davis previously served as a CIA and FBI agent and now served Blackwater. He said the track of the case may change if he is found to have travelled to Pakistan under a fake name cheating the Pakistani authorities. He opposed shifting Davis from the present jail, fearing the shifting would help manoeuvre his escape to America as “it has happened in the case of the two Americans who killed Ubaid in the hit-and-run episode while setting out to rescue Davis”. Azhar Siddique pleaded the Act of 1972 was conflicting with the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution. The court on this plea issued notice to the federal government for March 29 while disposing of rest of the petitions by a short order.
Agencies add: Deputy Attorney General Naveed Inayat Malik, in the reply to the LHC, informed the court that Davis was a USZ citizen who came to Pakistan on an official business visa. He said Raymond Allen Davis’ record of diplomatic immunity was not available in the ministry. He told the court that the ministry did not change or try to change the record of the USZ killer at any stage. The tightly-secured courtroom was packed with lawyers, journalists and relatives of the men killed in the incident, anticipating a development in the case that has provoked angry anti-American protests. The long-awaited decision will now move to the lower court trying Davis on double murder allegations, which is due to meet again on Wednesday to frame the charges. But the full implications of Monday’s high court decision for the USZ immunity claim were unclear, and a USZ embassy spokesman in Islamabad said officials were studying the court’s written judgment for clarification.
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