Opinion Maker

Her Sentencing & Zardari Regime’s State of Mind

By Dr Shahid Qureshi

Without going into much details of what the ‘Yankees’ have to say and their court did to Dr Afia Siddiqui, the most important point is how she got their in the first place. Her illegal abduction, kidnapping, imprisonment and the story behind, make her a ‘super woman’ may be ‘Xena the warrior’. This whole thing is more to do with the ‘pay by the hour’ security contractors and less to do with Dr Afia becoming threat to US national security.

I have asked two British Army Chief’s General ® Dannat and current General Sir Richards at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London about the roles of private defence contractors. Both of them accepted that there is a role of private contractors but not without monitoring and strict legislation.

Neo-Bush US policy which though President Obama is trying to distance his administration but haven’t been able to succeed completely. Private mercenary companies have become multi billion dollars giants now from small companies. They continue fleecing by raising and flanging false alarms to keep US citizens paranoid about multi colour ‘terror threats’. Dr Afia is one of the examples of violation of Pakistani national laws and international laws by the US in the name of over inflated ‘war on terror’ threats.

The spot and match fixing of Pakistan started with the spineless behaviour of probably a drunk and disorderly General Musharraf when he completely flattened himself after a call from a low ranking US official. This policy got worse in the demented, corrupt and compromised regime of President Zardari, whose sole motto is to undo Pakistan seamlessly.

Since Mr Zardari became President of Pakistan his statements and actions are making people nervous and anxious about his mental capacity to act and ability to withstand pressures? He has submitted ‘certificates of mental incapacity in British courts confirming his illnesses’, according to Financial Times. It seems Pakistanis need to fight another war of independence against treacherous feudal and mafia ruling 170 millions?

In an interview with Wall Street Journal, published on 4th October 2008, he said, “To his credit, Mr. Zardari’ s answer involves more than simply passing around the collection plate. When I ask whether he would consider a free-trade agreement with traditional arch enemy India, Mr. Zardari responds with a string of welcome, perhaps even historic, surprises. “India has never been a threat to Pakistan,” he says, adding that “I, for one, and our democratic government is not scared of Indian influence abroad.” Well Zardari regime has signed a free trade agreement with India via Afghanistan in 2010, which he welcomed in October 2008.

Zardari regime and current batch of politicians and elite are working day and night to harm national interests and sovereignty of Pakistan. First and most dangerous of all the things a ruler could do to a country’s sovereignty is by just appointing corrupt and incompetent officials. That will lead to the collapse of a state and this is what Zardari has been doing in Pakistan.

A senior analyst said, “There seems to be no doubt that President Zardari is on mission to dilute Pakistan? Since he came to power: (a) He ignored and snubbed China (b) he appointed a dodgy character Hussain Haqqani as ambassador to Washington and Wajid Shamsulhasan in London (c) He removed Ambassador Munir Akram from UN mission to be replaced by his crony Hussain Haroon, who failed to represent and state Pakistan’s position in the UN? (d) He called Pakistan air space violation by India as technical fault (e) He banned a Pakistani charity without seeking full evidence? It seems that his entire team is full of infected and infiltrated persons that include him?  Here is a glimpse of his A-Team though not much different to that of Musharraf; it might be worse as many believe.

Yousaf Raza Gilani: Like many in President Zaradari’s team Prime Minister Gillani comes from a family of collaborators and spies. His ancestors have blood of thousands of people on their hands killed in the name of ‘war on terror’ during and after 1857. “After conquering Multan in 1848, Major Herbert gave a certificate of ‘co-operation’ to his family.  In 1859, the British Government gave a certificate and Rs.300 to Syed Noor Shah for his cooperation and support in 1857 British ‘war on terror’ in India. In 1876 his ancestor Syed Waliat Shah was appointed as honorary magistrate in recognition of his ‘loyalties and support’. In 1878 Makhdoom Sadarudin Gillani was appointed as royal courtier in Multan and in 1911 he was specially introduced to the King as ‘British loyalist and supporter’. He was also awarded with a golden watch in recognition of his friendship to the crown. From 1922 – 1927, when British were troubled with the Indian political and armed uprisings, like many others Makhdoom Sadaruddin Gilani played his role in bringing ‘peace and order’.

Ahmed Mukthar the ‘shoe maker’ and Defence Minister of Pakistan is the most ignorant of the lot in Zardari’s team? Ahmed Mukthar reportedly said, Pakistan will not use nuclear weapons in the conventional war with India’. That is a strangest guarantee to the aggressors? While addressing here at Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar said war on terror is Pakistan’s own battle and it is being fought against an unknown enemy”. Well if that is the case then why is Pakistan taking money from US?

Shah Mahmood Qureshi – II, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister like Prime Minister Gillani also comes from the family of collaborators and traitors. He is directly responsible for removal of Pakistan’s envoy to UN – Ambassador Munir Akram with a crony Hussain Haroon. They deliberately let one-sided UNSC resolution passed without any evidence?

“His ancestor Shah Mahmud Qureshi–I, spied for the British against the Sikhs and provided useful information to the British between 1848 –1849 and received land worth Rs1000 and Rs. 1700 pension for life. British declined to pay for the repairs of damage caused their ancestral shrines and poor followers have to pay for the repairs. During the 1857 war he spied for the commissioner and also provided 20,000 horseman and infantry. He himself took part in the ‘war against terror’ with his 2500 horsemen with Colonel Hamilton. His son Bhawal Buksh also provided troops a contingent of soldiers with camel to fight in Afghanistan and garlanded by the commissioner in Lahore in 1880.  He was also appointed honorary commissioner and in 1915 they were declared ‘Best friend of the British Crown”,

They have been spying and providing recruits to the colonialists and it seems that has not stopped even now? He and others like him should apologise to the nation? Hussain Haqqani US Ambassador to Pakistan declined visa request of human rights activist and former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. Ms Mckinney says, ‘she was coming to Pakistan with information to share with the Government that could have helped avert the sentencing of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui but she was stopped by the Pakistani embassy in Washington from proceeding to Pakistan’.

Ms. McKinney’s first reaction to reports that Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington Mr. Husain Haqqani denied her visa to Pakistan but he gave hundreds of visa to US Black Water/Xe mercenaries.

In an interview with Ahmad Qureshi Ms McKinney said.

What is your reaction to the sentencing of Dr. Aafia?

MCKINNEY: What an incredible sentence for Dr. Aafia!  What an incredible reflection of “justice” in the United States.  The United States territory was stolen from indigenous people who were then eliminated by genocide.  Africans were stolen from their homeland and transported to the U.S. and enslaved for centuries.  Anyone who is surprised by incidents of injustice in the United States is someone who is not aware of U.S. history.

I wanted to come to Pakistan to share new information with the Pakistani Government and public that might have prevented Dr. Aafia from receiving this 86-year sentence in the United States.

Pakistani ambassador Husain Haqqani has declined to grant you a visa to Pakistan. British journalist Yvonne Ridley has reminded him in her latest column of how he’d been issuing visas to Blackwater and other DoD private security contractors over the past 2 years. What is your reaction to you being denied a visa to visit Pakistan? What did you plan to do in Pakistan?

MCKINNEY: I was both shocked and saddened by Ambassador Haqqani’s decision to deny my visa request.  I love the Pakistani people who have opened their hearts to me over the years.  Pakistani-Americans are counted among my dearest friends and supporters.  So to be denied the opportunity to visit Pakistan was extremely heart-wrenching for me.

I have read with great interest that people whose intentions are to do Pakistan harm have been granted visas by the Pakistani Embassy in the United States; I contrast that situation with what happened to me.  I do not hold Pakistanis responsible for this disappointment and I do hope that in the future, the Pakistani government will overrule the decision of Ambassador Haqqani.  My heart remains full of warmth for Pakistanis and I will continue to press the citizens of the United States to vote for peace candidates who will implement policies of peace, both for Pakistan and the United States and for all countries around the world.

So when a US senator said, ‘Pakistanis will sell their mothers for few hundred dollars’. He was probably talking about people like Zardari, Musharaf, Rehman Malik, Hussain Haqqani and the rest. Mushrraaf sold Dr Afia Siddiqui, the daughter of Pakistan and the Zardari deliberately failed to defend and protect her?

Few years ago, an interesting asylum case was heard in a British Immigration Tribunal  where a female from Red Light Area of Lahore aka (Heera Mandi) claimed that her family is going to kill her if she return to Pakistan because she fell in love and got married to her ‘customer’ from Gujranwala. The problem, her lawyer having, was finding an appropriate translation of her family identity and profession known as ‘Kanjar’ in Urdu. He called a friend who replied that, ‘there is no such translation available but being a ‘Kanjar is a State of Mind’ in which people could prostitute themselves.

People say, in Dr Afia’s case, Zardari regime and Pakistani elite are in the ‘State of Mind’ mentioned above?

Dr Shahid Qureshi is writer on foreign policy & security based in London, he also contributes to Opinion Maker.