M. A. Durrani was busy leaking information to embarrass Pakistan internationally. He was part of an influential group in Islamabad that worked overtime to ensure Pakistan accepted blame for Mumbai and initiated action against the military and ISI without verifying the so-called evidence. Mr. Durrani says his leaks had the blessings of President Zardari. Who are they working for? Alarmingly, Pakistan’s security stands breached at the highest levels in the capital, where shady individuals are working for foreign interests with impunity. It is time for a major purge to cleanse Pakistani government and politics of foreign assets. Mr. Durrani should be debriefed as to whose interests he was serving in his sensitive position.
By AHMED QURAISHI
Thursday, 8 January 2008.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—A secretive powerful group in the top corridors of the Pakistani government has been working overtime for the past few weeks to push Islamabad into publicly accepting the half-cooked ‘evidence’ provided by the United States and India that implicates Pakistan, its military and the ISI in the Mumbai attacks.
Two prominent names in this group are national security adviser Mehmud Ali Durrani and the Ambassador in Washington Husain Haqqani. They pushed hard for Pakistan to accept blame without verification and without pursuing other compelling leads in the Mumbai attacks. These other leads cast a wider net and significantly weaken India’s ‘Pakistan-only’ fixation.
The behavior of Mr. Durrani became particularly desperate in the last few days, and especially on Wednesday, Jan. 7. His boss, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, was not off the mark when he cited betrayal of Pakistan’s national security as the main reason for sacking Mr. Durrani.
The question is: Who was Mr. Durrani working for? There is even chatter about the possibility that he might be arrested and interrogated to determine whose interests he was serving. There is no question that his bold moves were sanctioned by President Zardari. It is also interesting to note that information minister Sherry Rehman came to Mr. Durrani’s rescue in the final stage of the bizarre power struggle that marked Durrani’s last few hours in office.
Given the traps created by this government for Pakistan and especially for the ISI after the Mumbai attacks, it is safe to conclude that Pakistan’s power echelons stand breached by individuals, like Mr. Durrani, who are keenly pursuing policy objectives of a foreign government or governments.
The conduct of Mr. Durrani, coupled with massive recent policy failures with direct bearing on national security, reinforce the need for a purge within the government and within the country’s political elite. Foreign governments have been able to penetrate both and cultivate assets. These ‘assets’ conduct their own private foreign policies directly with foreign powers without the approval or knowledge of the Pakistani state.
The Signs
Sitting in Washington, Ambassador Husain Haqqani has been wrangling with the Pakistan Foreign Office for several days now over the FBI evidence shared with Pakistan, which apparently includes a tape recording purporting to show a Pakistani citizen inside Pakistan talking to a Mumbai terrorist over telephone. Mr. Haqqani wants Pakistan to accept this piece of evidence as final proof that elements within Pakistan executed the attack on Mumbai. Other Pakistani officials disagree and say the audio tape and other information need to be verified by Pakistani experts to determine if it is fake or real. We don’t trust India and they don’t trust us. It’s as simple as that.
Durrani’s Suspicious Role
Behind the scenes, Mr. Durrani has been playing what amounts to a dirty role in this whole crisis with India. In the last week of December, he contacted a known Pakistani journalist working for the Wall Street Journal and leaked to him a ‘breaking’ a story: an activist of the defunct Lashkar Tayyeba in Pakistani custody had confessed to making phone calls to Mumbai terrorists.
It was strange that Mr. Durrani chose to leak this information to a U.S. newspaper. If the story was true [it wasn’t. It was officially debunked later] the Pakistani government would have released it through its spokespeople. The only plausible purpose of the leak was to embarrass Pakistan, quash the voices calling for evidence and verification, and push a weak government into accepting responsibility for the Mumbai attacks. It was a classic pressure tactic, in this case used by an insider – Mr. Durrani – against his own government.
Using this deliberate leak, the Wall Street Journal came out with an elaborate story . Its editors somehow linked the alleged confession to ISI’s tense relations with elected governments in the 1990s. There was a separate box in the story that gave a timeline to the supposed tense relations.
In short, Durrani’s leak to Wall Street Journal became a condemnation of the ISI. Which seems to be the whole purpose of the Indian drama anyway. The leak also weakened the effect of foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s rare bold statement that demanded India deactivate its forward air bases, withdraw troops and defuse the war hysteria.
Durrani’s leak in effect threw the ball back in the Pakistani court.
Desperation
With Ambassador Haqqani’s failure to convince Pakistani officials to accept the American evidence, the pro-American lobby in Islamabad began to get desperate. U.S. military chief Adm. Mike Mullen flew into Islamabad to convince President Zardari to allow the Indian air force to conduct limited ‘surgical strikes’. He asked Zardari to deactivate the state of alert in the Pakistan Air Force for this purpose. The deal was sealed if not for the strong stand taken by the Pakistani military. Mullen returned empty handed.
The ‘Charge Sheet’
Mr. Durrani’s reign of double dealings at the top, as Prime Minister’s adviser on national security, makes the list of foreign policy blunders by the government appear deliberate and calculated and not just the work of incompetent administrators:
- The immediate admission of guilt on behalf of ISI, when Mr. Gilani was told to accept sending ISI chief to New Delhi on India’s ‘summon’.
- The weak, apologetic diplomacy in the face of Indian warmongering.
- Misleading China in the U.N. Security Council voting, resulting in incriminating Pakistani individuals and organizations without evidence. Some observers even go as far as saying that this vote has smoothed the way for future sanctions on Pakistan and its military if and when major powers pursue this.
- The Zardari government is suspected of having dragged its feet on issuing orders to the Pakistani military to raise the level of alert even when Indian army, air force and navy were moving to forward positions. The plot becomes sinister when the consequences of this reluctance become clear. A snap attack by India when the Pakistani military was not ready could have resulted in humiliation for the military. This would have emboldened the current government to take on a humiliated military and pursue the U.S. agenda of dismantling the ISI and transform the Pakistani military into a glorified police force at the beck and call of U.S. and India. This ‘ideal role’ for Pakistan is now openly discussed in Washington and is no longer a secret.
The Memorable 7 January
The actions of Mr. Mehmud Ali Durrani on this day show how desperate he had become to see Pakistan taking the blame and submitting before India. This portion of the story needs careful reading because it reveals how far this game goes to the top levels of the Pakistani government.
Mr. Durrani apparently leaked to an Indian TV channel and a couple of Pakistani news channels that Pakistan has accepted Indian ‘evidence’ that Ajmal Kassab, the lone surviving Mumbai terrorist, was a Pakistani citizen. [Please click here for an incisive examination of the Indian and American ‘evidence’].
Mr. Durrani probably intended for this information to be quoted ‘anonymously’. But one of the journalists probably made the mistake of mentioning Durrani’s name.
Reacting to this, Pakistan’s second most senior diplomat, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, came out to deny that Kassab’s identity has been determined, in effect brushing aside Durrani’s leak.
To counter Mr. Bashir, Information Minister Sherry Rehman went a step further. She volunteered this information [that Kassab is a Pakistani] through a text message to a reporter of the American Associated Press news agency. Her move seconded Durrani’s.
Surprisingly, the government’s own Minister of State for Interior, Mr. Tasnim Qureshi, reacted angrily to Mr. Durrani’s leaks. He told reporters that Kassab’s Pakistani links mean little because Kassab was a “creation of Indian intelligence.”
Now, was Mr. Durrani acting alone in making the leaks? After being sacked, Mr. Durrani told Geo News that he consulted the President on all his moves.
This begs the question: Did President Zardari approve the calculated leaks to the media by Durrani and Sherry? If so, why? Why did they have to do it this way? Who were they hiding from? Why try to force the hand of the rest of the organs of the Pakistani state?
Does this mean that Mr. Zardari, Mr. Durrani, and Mr. Haqqani will leak confidential material to the media every time things don’t go their way? Why this act of desperation? Who were they trying to please?
Time For A Purge In Islamabad
A growing number of Pakistani officials and politicians have been cultivated by foreign governments in a variety of ways to pursue the goals of those governments. This foreign meddling and direct contact is confined in large part to the United States, and then to the United Kingdom. It is happening outside the knowledge of the Pakistani state and has reached dangerous proportions. Mr. Durrani’s story is a case in point.
Mr. Durrani was and remains an active member of something called the Balusa Group, created and financed by the U.S. government as a way to create influence in the upper echelons of the Pakistani government. The Americans say the purpose of this group was to bring peace between Pakistan and India through ‘Track II’ diplomacy. But the truth is that its members, like Mr. Durrani, were involved in lobbying for U.S. sponsored energy corridors between Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. A side goal was to convince Pakistan to give India unlimited access to Afghanistan and Central Asian republics as a free concession without asking for anything in return, like resolving Kashmir and water disputes.
Foreign Minister Mehmood Qureshi distanced himself from the group as soon as he assumed his new position. He wanted to ensure he was not linked to foreign interests while discharging important business of the state. However, Mr. Durrani and Mr. Husain Haqqani have not publicly ceased their associations with foreign policy groups and interests after becoming servants of the Pakistani state. Mr. Durrani has been serving the state for almost three years now without renouncing his foreign associations, and all of them happen to be tied to U.S. interests.
The result of the damage brought by Mr. Zardari, Mr. Durrani and Mr. Haqqani to Pakistan in the past few weeks is obvious. Pakistan’s wishy-washy diplomacy in the face of Indian belligerence and warmongering has emboldened New Delhi to pursue a tougher line with Islamabad. Officials in Washington and New Delhi are betting on the confusion created by the actions of Mr. Durrani to make it easier for them to extract concessions from Pakistan.
There is no question that the United States plans to expand the war in Afghanistan to include Pakistan. This is the only way to weaken the Pakistani military and firmly align Pakistan with American interests opposite China and others. The only way this is possible is with India’s help. People like Mr. Durrani are helping this happen from the inside. Such elements need to be purged form the system.
In conclusion, this is what Dr. Ayesha Siddiq, the author of Military Inc., had to say about Mr. Durrani when he was first appointed in government:
“The PPP selected Washington’s dream team to run foreign relations and national security. One is not sure that appointing Durrani as the National Security Adviser will do the job. The appointment (of Durrani) is in consideration of the general’s close ties with the US Pentagon. Not to mention the fact that Durrani owes his intellectual growth to Shirin Tahirkheli, a Bush administration adviser and former senior official of the [U.S. delegation to the] UN National Security Council”.
Enough said.
A Passionate Defense Of Mr. Durrani; Ahmed Quraishi’s Response
I received this very interesting defense of Mr. Durrani and the Zardari government. It bears all the classical hallmarks of what the spokespeople of this government say when they defend their pro-U.S. policy. See the defense and the rebuttal. It is important to stop the spokespeople of this government in their pants. I call them the ‘graduates of U.S. government-linked think tanks’, sent to Pakistan to teach us how to run our country and what strategic interest is good for us and which one is not. If we want to listen to these people, then we had better accept a direct American-Indian occupation of Pakistan hands down.
THE DEFENSE
ARTICLE ID: 572
ARTICLE TITLE: America’s Foot Soldiers In Islamabad: Durrani’s Firing Reveals How Pakistan Is Penetrated At The Top
BY: Mariam (email withheld for privacy@gmail.com)
COMMENTS
Following the exit of Mr. Durrani from the PM’s team, it is understandable that this episode would invite wide ranging comments for the way it was handled. However, the whole plot drawn by Mr. Quraishi is a little over the top, especially since the reason for Mr Durrani’s exit has been clarified both by the PM and by Mr. Durrani himself. He was shown the door because he did not take the PM into confidence before making important information public. Similarly, assertions regarding Sherry Rehman’s confirmation of investigations related to Ajmal Kasab’s identity is an irresponsible presentation of facts. Sherry Rehman is a federal minister and as a government spokesperson, it’s her job to provide official information regarding government matters. Members of the government do not ‘volunteer’ information and this is the difference between her and Mr. Durrani who acted in his individual capacity while Sherry Rehman followed the obligations of her job as the Information Minister. It makes sense if we consider the foreign office’s statements after the Information Minister’s. It is clear that the govt. had decided to make public its investigations regarding Kasab’s identity. Whether it was compelled to do so after Mr. Durrani’s statement or it did that for any other reason, is another matter. What is clear was that there was no clandestine message exchange activity going on, contrary to the impression being created here. It is strange that despite being a victim of terrorism, we in Pakistan continue to protect the terrorists who use and abuse our soil to carry out mass massacre across the globe. Of course, nobody agrees with the way the Indian government has responded to the Mumbai attacks, but burying our heads like ostrich would not help us address the issue that has been threatening our stability for three decades. Even the ISI that this article is enthusiastically protecting has publicly admitted that it is terrorism, and not India, that is the biggest threat to the country.
THE REBUTTAL
Dear Ms. Mariam,
Thank you for a passionate defense of Ms. Sherry Rehman, Mr. Durrani and the current government. You accused me here of ‘enthusiastically protecting ISI’ and then accused Pakistan by saying, ‘We in Pakistan continue to protect the terrorists.’ It is for your information that we in Pakistan are not protecting the terrorists, contrary to what the Zardari government says. Terrorists are being sent to Pakistan from Afghanistan, where the real masters of President Zardari, Ambassador Husain Haqqani and, yes, Mr. Durrani, are based, i.e. the United States. Terrorism in Pakistan was introduced around 2005. Sure we had some smalltime sectarian groups fighting among themselves before that year. But today we have well trained and well armed terrorists whose weaponry and financing is sometimes superior to what our security forces have. Terrorists who continue to receive endless supplies of sophisticated weapons and money despite being blockaded by our military in the border areas with Afghanistan. Our American friends and their new allies, i.e. Karzai regime and India, are also feeding terrorism inside Balochistan. What’s the purpose of our American friends from doing this? The overriding aim is to weaken the Pakistani military and its intelligence services in order to stop Pakistan from retaining any influence beyond its borders, especially in Kashmir and Afghanistan. Why? Because U.S. wants to rearrange things in this area in a manner where India is empowered to serve U.S. interests, and to keep China and Russia out. Balochistan is being destabilized so that China is unable to use Gwadar to dock its naval and commercial ships there. It is shameless how the Zardari government is cooperating with Washington and with Karzai and India in achieving this aim. Mr. Durrani, Mr. Haqqani and this government is enthusiastically marketing the American line [Pakistan’s biggest threat is terrorism, control ISI, re-train the Pakistani army to fight insurgencies, etc.]. But please tell your friends in this government that Pakistan has its legitimate strategic and security interests in this region and Pakistan and its people will protect these interests. The last thing we need is a bunch of Pakistani turncoats, fed and groomed in U.S. think tanks, coming to teach us how to live in our own region.
Also See:
Kassab Or Not, India’s Dossier Is Doctored
Boucher & Luo: Govt. Disgraces Pakistan’s Highest Civilian Award
Boucher Comes To Defend India, Zardari Gives Him Hilal-e-Pakistan!
Paranoid Pranab: India’s Two Faced Foreign Minister
Updated: Pakistan and India War? Latest Developments – 6th Jan 2009
Analysis: Nuclear Armageddon in South Asia
Mumbai Terror: Evidence being deliberately ignored!
Conflict Between Pakistan and India: Realizing RAND’s Plan for World War Three
United Pakistan: India’s Worst Nightmare.
The World’s Most Dangerous Collaboration
Indian Terrorists Arrested in Pakistan
Codename Operation Enduring Turmoil Exposed! – Neocon Plans for Pakistan
Updated: Pakistan and India War? Latest Developments – 28 Dec 2008
Mumbai Terror: The Story of a Faked Letter
Elements of an Inside Job in Mumbai Attacks
To Defeat India, Understand The Mindset
Forget A.R. Antulay, Javed Akhtar can learn from Michael Moore
Mumbai Attacks: Indians asking more questions, Indian web site
Zardari Government Misled China
India ’Staged’ Mumbai Drama, Hotel Guests Testify
Mumbai Carnage: The Police Story stands shattered
RAW On The Mission Of Obliterating Regional Peace
Radio: Amaresh Misra & Ahmed Quraishi on Chicago’s ABN Radio
RAW On The Mission Of Obliterating Regional Peace
Pakistan: This Government Is Committing Treason
US Report: Direct RAW Involvement In East Pakistan Secession
India: Exporting Terrorism In The Name Of Largest Democracy
Mr Zardari, Do these look like Terrorists?
Mumbai Murky Piece Of A Tangled Web
A Layman’s Anger: The Weak Response By Pakistani Politicians & Military
Video: Zaid Hamid In Siyasat Aur Pakistan Latest Episode
The Lies About The Captured Mumbai ‘gunman’ Ajmal Kasab.
RAW: An Instrument of Indian Imperialism
Fake Evidence: More on Kasab’s Kidnap in Nepal
The Mumbai Carnage: What Next?
To Zardari-Gilani-Qureshi-Durrani: Why Humiliate Pakistan?
India Want A War? Let’s Give Them One
Radio: Zaid Hamid on ABN Chicago Radio
Indians Shaken By A Pakistani’s Vow To Make India “Pakistan”
Fake Evidence: Faridkot Residents Protest!
Mumbai Terror: So Who Really Trained Ajmal Kasab?!
Video: Zaid Hamid Confronts Bharat Verma
Video: Zaid Hamid in Black White & Grey
Of The 200 Killed In Mumbai, A High Number Were Muslims
Updated: PAF Chases away Indian Jets
Mumbai Terror: The Monster in the Mirror
Ask Mrs. Karkare: Was It Lashker or BJP?
Character assassination of Pakistan must be stopped
Pakistan To Demand Handing Over Of Col. Purohit From India
Top 3 Indian Terrorists Wanted In Pakistan: Advani, Purohit, Tahckery
Was the Mumbai attack a contractual-terrorist operation?
Uncensored: Hamid Gul on The Alex Jones Show “CIA Ties to Terrorism”
Phone Call Hoax from India to Pakistan Yet Another Mossad Operation?
Arrest Provides More Evidence India, Israel, and the U.S. Behind Mumbai Attacks
EXCLUSIVE: Tale Of A Fabricated Email, Bollywood Style
Pakistan: We’re ready for war with India
A Reminder For Mr. Zardari, Don’t Forget How Indians Kill Pakistanis And Get Away With It
Mumbai Tragedy: Wake Up, Indians, It’s A Cover Up
Al-Daawa: India Should Hand Over Hindu Terrorists To Pakistan
As The Fires Die: The Terror Of The Aftermath
RADIO: MUMBAI was a MOSSAD Operation!
Video: False Flag Attack in Mumbai & Hindu Terrorism
THE NARIMAN HOUSE STORY – Must Read!
List: Pakistan’s Most Wanted Indian Terrorists
Mumabi Tragedy: Indian Police Refuse To Fire
Mumbai Terrorist Name Fabricated?
Is Pakistan to Blame?
Video: The Terror Of Hindustan!
India: Kill A Pastor For $250
Mumbai Terror Attacks: The Mossad Angle
Are Indian Nuclear Assets Safe? A Stunning Report
5 Points That Destroy India’s Latest Fairytale
Video: The Mumbai Fraud Exposed By Zaid Hamid
Chabad House Loaded With Mossad Connections!
Video: The Cause Behind Mumbai Attacks – RSS & Mossad Links
Video: MOSSAD Behind Mumbai Terror Attacks?
THE MOSSAD STRIKES IN MUMBAI
Mossad increases its control of India
EXCLUSIVE: Signs Of An Attempted Coup In New Delhi
Mumbai Massacre: Is ‘India’s 9/11′ another false flag event?
Video: The Mumbai Drama – Real Untold Story
Video: The Men Behind Barack Obama
The Mumbai Drama
The Hilarious Performance Of The Indian Government
Made And Produced In India
100 Groups In A War Against India
Mumbai False Flag? Some Inexplicable Questions For India!
Al-Faida (beneficiary) of Mumbai Bombings: Indian Army or BJP?
Indian Police discover RSS Hindu Terror Cell which was pretending to be Muslims
Mumbai terror: Will it be a reason used to kill Muslims & attack Pakistan
Indian Terror: Saffron Sarkar Raj
Indian Muslims: India In Crisis
India and Afghanistan colluding to destroy Pakistan?
Hindu Al-Qaeda: Asia’s New ‘Terror Central’
India: Genocide and Rape Against Christians Continue
India: Genocide Nation
Kashmir Shakes India
Hindu Fascist violence against Christians
Can A Pakistani 7-year-old Say ‘Hindu Kutta’?
12 Comments
January 8, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Major General [R] Mahmud Ali Durrani and Security Breach
http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2009/01/major-general-r-mahmud-ali-durrani-and.html
January 8, 2009 at 9:44 pm
I am also concerned about ISI chief Mr. Pasha’s recent statement. What is the purpose behind his confession that Pakistan has no capability to stop drone attacks at this point. Another statement that he wanted to go to India to discuss Mumbai case but he was stopped by the Army. If Durrani’s act was security breach, Mr. Pasha’s statement tells that we have been enslavened by a few or many bastards in Islamabad and Washington.
January 8, 2009 at 11:38 pm
Mr. Qureshi claims:
He was part of an influential group in Islamabad that worked overtime to ensure Pakistan accepted blame for Mumbai and initiated action against the military and ISI …….”
Sorry but how did you came to the above assumption about “initiating action against the military and ISI?”. What facts do you base your claim on? Thanks.
January 9, 2009 at 4:56 am
IF it comes out to be true, what has been said and written, so Far, regarding Mr. Durani, then no doubt, that he committed a treason and must be Indicted with capital punishment. However, we must also ask our current government, that why they were such Fool, that, it took them so long, to Find a mole among themselves ? What is the guarantee, that, he was the only one? I believe, when our Prim minister, Personally called Geo TV, telling them, that he dismissed Mr. Durani, he was scared of some kind of retaliation, therefore he , Called the media to secure his job, so that, latter, he can get their Support ? I hope and pray, that all this was nothing but a Stupid Joke rather then a deliberate attempt againstthe State’s interest. However no matter what happens, it is Still our inside matter and we will sort that out. But, we must remind the Indians, as I and many other, have Stated numerous time, that Mr. Kasab, being a Pakistani national, is absolutely not equal to, Pakistan being involved in the Mumbai Incident, Which, the Indian Establishment and its hired guns including Some of the media, has been trying to do. We kn0w that, you Folks knew all along that Mr. Kasab was one of your Pakistani Friend, whom you bought out after kidnapping From Nepal two years ago. you Just wanted, to create, all this confusion and mystery about him so that, Pakistani official, Can not ,Straight Forwardly, admit, that he was Pakistani, so that, latter, you can accuse them of being liars and discredit them in Front of the world. Because, you (India) knew quite well that, you can not Justify your drama in front of the world, Just by the Fact that one of the, Lonely terrorist, that you have is , a Pakistani Citizen. IF Pakistan had admitted From day one that Kasab, was our Citizen then it would have failed all your pre planned game. Therefore, you deliberately held ,the so called evidence and dragged it as long as you could until the Director of the Interpol,accused you For the Same thing. Not only that, all your officials and hired guns, were consistently putting words in our people’s mouth that we are denying that Kasab was a Pakistani, Which was an open lie. Our (Pakistani) PM and most of our officials, From the day one ,neither admitted nor denied him, of being a Pakistani but rather they Said on multiple occasions, that we do not want to Jump to conclusion hehazardly, without sufficient evidence, Just like you Folks did. while it is true that ,the GEO TV reported in your support but then why in the world, a responsible government Should make such a Serious decision based Upon the News, Which changes by the minutes and its mistake, can be corrected with a Simple apology latter. But on the other hand, State decisions are more solid and can not be easily reversed. I am very Sure, if it is in your own interest, you may even believe a comedian From our country but IF the Same media, tomorrow say some thing, Which might be true, but against your interest ,then you will be Calling it,Pakistani propaganda against India,planted by ISI. we Saw enough of that, in the past Few weeks, From Mr. mukhurgee et all.
Unfortunately , our officials were not paying attention to their people otherwise they would have not gone through this today. We, would have clearly told you and to the world that “it does not really matter, wherever Mr. Kasab, the mystery man, came From, the fact that really matter, is, how come ,this make US responsible??? After all, Pakistan is a nation of 160 million people, not a ting village.How, in the world, any one can Find a dozen or two criminals among that many people. We clearly and categorically refuse to your (Indian) False and biased accusations. We are not afraid to admit, that Kasab is Pakistani but we are not going to do, Just because you say so. you have not given us any evidence so Far despite our Kind and repeated request, then let us do our own investigation, on our own term and condition. IF we Found enough proves that the so called Kasab was our national and was involved in this hienious crime, we will not only share with you but also bring him to Justice according to our State laws. But, if you keep threatening and pushing us, then believe it, we are running out of our patience”
January 9, 2009 at 5:12 am
Salam.
Remember that yesterday Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas (DG ISPR) cleared the concern mentioned by Mr. Anwer above…
Mr. Pasha had made that remark last year to a German magazine in a different context. That message is being utilised now out-of-context for obvious purposes i.e. propaganda and maligning the integrity of one of the world’s premier intelligence agencies.
January 9, 2009 at 7:26 am
Dear Mr. Qureshi:
A few months ago we had a acrimonious exchange of messages during Musharraf’s imperial rule. Now I see you on a different TV channel. Your above article is thought provocing and God knows when people of Pakistan will wake up and throw out the rascals in power or the ones waiting to replace them. Never in my life I was so disappointed about the situation in Pakistan after seeeing it first hand on my recent visit. All I have heard from everyone I have met, seen on TV and read in papers is a gloomy/hopless picture.
Keep up the good work.
Zaheer
January 9, 2009 at 7:39 am
[...] [...]
January 9, 2009 at 1:04 pm
We first discreetly accepted Ajmal Kassab nationality as Pakistani and his involvement in the Mumbai attack. Mr. Durrani leaked it to some news agencies on his own taking cover of the President blessings later. This Breaking news made the PM to sack him at once which shows that PM was not in the privy. Then, Ministry of Interior and the Foreign office contradicted this news saying that investigation is in progress. Then to top it all, Ms. Sherry Rehman our Information Minister sent a SMS to an American agency AP confirming Durrani’s revealition. Following need clarification:-
1. Ajmal Kassab is the lone survivor of the incident. Has any Pakistani representative ever met, spoke and interrogated this man?
2. The evidences collected, collated and analysed by Indians only. More significantly these evidences were not handed over to Pakistan but to the American CIA. It was purposely done to edit, reconstruct and doctor all evidences to make them acceptable to Mr. Zardari without hesitation knowing fully well that evidences produced were countersigned by his master.
3. Have we accepted America as a Judge to decide the Mumbai case and accept the judgment.
4. The evidences received through CIA were not presented in the Cabinet, Parliament and on the media to discuss each evidence threadbear. Furthermore, such evidences are also required to be deliberated legally by the apex court. When the PM was not confided it shows that Pakistan is being run by a shadow government. We have the right to know who takes the decision and how.
5. If Mr. Durrani was sacked then why not Ms. Sherry Rehman and many others including the top man. If our elected members from any party have any self respect, loyality to the nation and Pakistani blood running in their vein, they should resign from the Assembly and the Senate.
With regards
Daood Husnain
January 10, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Washington loses a vital link
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KARACHI – In line with a compliance list recently handed over by US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asia Richard Boucher, Pakistan was was due on Thursday to launch a crackdown against the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET) and other jihadi organizations.
But the operation, which was to be coordinated by the Ministry of Interior, police and the Intelligence Bureau, was halted at the 11th hour by the Pakistani military establishment, well-placed contacts in Pakistan’s intelligence quarters have told Asia Times Online.
And instead, powerful National Security Advisor retired Major General Mahmood Durrani was fired. He and other senior government officials had earlier admitted that Ajmal Qasab, the
sole survivor of the 10 terrorists who launched a bloody attack on the Indian city of Mumbai on November 27, was Pakistani. The men had already been linked to the LET, a banned group in Pakistan.
Durrani has been a crucial link between the US, the government of Pakistan and the Pakistan military.
The new year began with a fresh initiative in the US-led “war on terror” in terms of which Boucher unfolded a two-prong approach: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was to seek reconciliation with India by complying with its demands following the Mumbai attack, and Zardari was to visit Kabul to establish better coordination with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
The head of US Central Command, General David Petraeus, is soon to launch a surge in Afghanistan that will double the number of US troops from 30,000 to 60,000. At the same time, Pakistan’s tribal areas, where militants have extensive bases, will become open hunting grounds for Afghan and Pakistan tribal militias backed by joint patrols of the national armies of the two countries, in addition to North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces.
The first segment of the American package concerning India has, however, now been shot down with Durrani’s dismissal, throwing into doubt the remaining part. This leaves Zardari’s civilian government awkwardly caught between the competing desires of the US and its own military establishment.
A missing linkman
After the exit of former president General Pervez Musharraf and the election of a civilian government early last year, Durrani’s role as a go-between became crucial as he tried to balance the pressures on the government.
Durrani had a close rapport with American decision-makers on South Asian affairs and had been involved in backchannel American-sponsored efforts on disputed Kashmir and on Afghanistan. He was for a time Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington.
After the Mumbai attack, a move was made to establish a National Intelligence Authority as a counterweight to the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence, which has consistently been accused of dragging its feet in the “war on terror”. A Pakistani professor at Harvard, who used to work as Zardari’s staff officer and once was in the police service, was suggested to head this new body, but on the military’s intervention the scheme was shelved.
Earlier, under US pressure, the Pakistani government had managed to outmaneuver the military by having the Jamaatut Dawa declared by the United Nations a front organization of the LET and having it placed on a terror list, along with the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
This gave the government justification to arrest leaders of the Jamaatut Dawa. However, the military establishment warned that unless India provided evidence against them, they must be released, and the government concurred.
The government then prevaricated, even claiming that leader Masood Azhar was at large and could not be traced anywhere in Pakistan. Neither Washington nor Delhi bought into this, and pressure was exerted for civilian agencies such as the police and the Intelligence Bureau to take action.
Provincial Home Departments prepared lists of wanted militants and action was about to start on Thursday after Durrani and others had set the scene by admitting that Qasab was Pakistani.
This was too much for the military leaders and they issued a “note of advice” to the president and Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani that Durrani had to go immediately.
The government buckled, and Washington has lost a vital point man as it prepares for a new phase in Afghanistan. US vice president-elect Joe Biden, who is due to the region soon, has much to be concerned about.
Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online’s Pakistan Bureau Chief. He can be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
http://atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/KA10Df01.html
United States asks Pakistan to reinstate fired security adviser
http://gulfnews.com/world/Pakistan/10274002.html
January 11, 2009 at 3:55 am
After careful reading of the facts or co-incidences, it becomes quite clear that US along with India are playing a satanic game to weaken the state of Pakistan on the one hand and the Pakistani military on the other. I am not convinced that Durrani was the only mole planted at the highest level of the government. I have a hunch that more moles are planted including Asif Zardari, and they will now try to shield and protect Durrani to save their skin. I am convinced that Zardari and Karzai are both on CIA payroll, the way they are acting. Karzai was the sole head of state invited personally by Zardari to attend the oath taking ceremony of Zardari (why?). Karzai did not like Musharraf. On the contrary he hated Musharraf. The question is, did Musharraf know that Karzai was American puppet? The other question is, when did Durrani became a mole? He was appointed by Musharraf as an ambassador to US. Before that Durrani was involved in Track II diplomacy with India. Why did Musharraf removed him from that job and appointed him as an ambassador to US? If Durrani being an ex-militay general can become a mole, are there any moles in the active military today, who may be serving the interest of their foreign bosses. If the top level people in the government are involved in the satanic game, then who will investigate the culprits? Durrani claims that what ever he has said, it was cleared by Zardari personally. So where do we go from here.
January 11, 2009 at 7:07 am
After going through the inputs the conclusion shows that we have become self sufficient in hypocrats (munafeqeen) , conspirators (ghaddar-e-millat-o-wattan0, and what else I should say about such …….. elements ……
January 21, 2009 at 11:28 pm
After 80’s Mostly leadership are security risk…….
Because those are Jagirdar,sardar,chowdhri,srmayadar,sanatkar,etc etc.they are every where such as Army,politics,busniss, etc
We need Middle Class leadership.Pakistan Zindabad