US Protects CIA Agents
By Sajjad Shaukat
Since Pakistan became the only declared nuclear country in the Islamic World, US, India and Israel started acting upon their collective agenda to destabilise it.
After the shift of the Great Game from Central Asia to Pakistan, the country has become special target of American CIA, Indian RAW and Israeli Mossad which have been supporting target killings, suicide attacks, hostage-takings, sectarian and ethnic violence in various cities, and separatist elements in Balochistan. These foreign agencies based in Afghanistan have been sending well-trained agents and militants in Pakistan who also attack the check posts of Pakistan’s security forces. Besides Afghanistan, US-led espionage network has also been shifted to Pakistan as intensity of anti-Pakistan activities especially of CIA agents have proved.
In this context, US has openly been protecting CIA agents by pressuring Pakistan. Without paying attention to the fact about the conviction of a Pakistani doctor, Shakeel Afridi, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on May 24, this year condemned his imprisonment as “unjust and unwarranted” for helping in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.
Moreover, to further blackmail Islamabad for Dr. Shakeel Afridi’s release, US Senate cuts $33m aid to Pakistan. On May 29, a US Conservative Senator Rand Paul suggested to suspend all Pak aid until Dr. Afridi is set free.
In fact, Shakeel Afridi has been sentenced 33 years imprisonment by order of the Assistant Political Agent, Bara due to his anti-state activities in accordance with the provision of Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) and the tribal traditions. The punishment is based on his close association with the banned terrorist group Lashkar-e-Islam led by Mangal Bagh. The evidence produced by the Joint Investigation Team before the court proved Dr. Afridi’s clandestine collaboration with the CIA in connection with the May 2 US raid in Abbottabad which violated Pakistan’s sovereignty.
Notably, since 2008, intermittent fighting in Tirah Valley in Kyber Agency between Ansur-ul-Islam, and Lashkar-e-Islam which has been supporting by CIA-led RAW and Mossad, have claimed more than 2500 lives.
Particularly with the assistance of CIA, RAW has hired the services of the Indian Muslims who are on US payroll. Posing themselves as staunch believers, they joined the ranks and files of the Taliban and other militant groups of Tehreek-e-Taliban, Sipah-e-Sahaba and other religious sects. The main aim behind is to continue sectarian and ethnic disturbance in Pakistan besides committing other subversive acts to destabilse Pakistan.
Recently, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik disclosed that the militants of the banned outfits of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Baloch Liberation Army are in collaboration in creating unrest in Karachi. On July 18, 2011, Rehman Malik, while disclosing the involvement of foreign hands in Pakistan, had openly stated, “Over 200 miscreants have been arrested…Israeli and American made weapons including AK-45 rifles have been recovered from them.”
Now, US is so anxious for the release of CIA agent Dr Afridi that it has set aside, Pak-US ongoing negotiations on the complex issue of restoring the NATO supply routes.
Last year, American top officials urged Pakistan to set free American national, Raymond Davis who killed two Pakistani nationals in Lahore on January 27, 2011. In fact, Davis was an under-cover secret agent of CIA who entered Pakistan in guise of diplomat.
In 2009, the existence of the US private security firm, Blackwater was verified. Blackwater and CIA started recruiting Pakistani nationals who were vulnerable and could work on their payroll. As part of US espionage network, hundreds of the American CIA spies entered Pakistan under the guise of diplomats. They started supervising and guiding the anti-Pakistan activities through their affiliated militants. These spies were also trying to gather information about Pakistan’s nuclear assets.
On the other side, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) started thwarting the anti-Pakistan activities of the spies of Blackwater and CIA. In this context, with the pre-information of ISI, Pakistan’s security agencies arrested a number of agents. For instance, on September 19, 2009, police raided the Inter-Risk, a private security company in Islamabad, and arrested its two employees, possessing unlicensed arms. While, US embassy spokesperson Richard Snelsire pretended, “The US contract with the Inter-Risk is to provide security at the embassy and consulates.”
Besides, on many occasions, ISI helped in stopping the secret movements of the CIA spies who were traveling in vehicles, covered with black mirrors—showing themselves as diplomats. Sometimes weapons were also snatched from them. On the information of ISI, Pakistan’s establishment expelled several so-called diplomats, operating in the country. On the other side, US withheld $700 million in military aid to punish its military and ISI.
To what extent America saves CIA agents, could also be judged from the famous Memogate case. On December 15, 2012, the Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, and former ISI Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha submitted their statements in the Supreme Court in the memogate case. The former Pakistani ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani who had resigned from his post to face the investigations about the allegations made by Mansoor Ijaz, an American businessman of Pakistani origin in the memo, also attended the hearings of the Court, and joined the concerned judicial commission, but he was allowed to leave the country after an assurance that he would appear before the court whenever ordered to do so.
Mansoor Ijaz also submitted his reply in the Supreme Court, claiming that he sent the draft of the memo to Husain Haqqani for review. Ijaz had assured Haqqani that the memo contained an offer, backed by President Asif Zardari that the US should help to oust the current military leadership—a new national security team would disband the Army unit which collaborates with the Taliban and other anti-Western militant groups.
On a number of occasions, Mansoor changed his statements about his accusations against Pak Army, ISI and the memo. During his cross-examination to the judicial commission, via a video link from London, he refused to comment on the source of the draft.
After going to the US, Husain Haqqani has been using various pretexts, not to face the judicial commission’s inquiry. On January 4, 2012, he sent an application before the commission including a medical certificate, requesting to adjourn hearing. Haqqani also requested the commission to record his statement via video link from Landon. Besides, he also indicated that his mobile phone set was missing.
In fact, while serving as Pakistani ambassador in the US, Husain Haqqani issued visas to many CIA agents to destabilise Pakistan. Besides, Haqqani developed secret links with the anti-Pakistan Indo-Israeli lobbies. This could be judged from his book, titled, “Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military.” In this book, he targeted both military and Islamic ideology, blaming Pak Army and ISI in contact with the Islamic militants. American famous writers and authors, especially Stephen P. Cohen exaggeratedly praised Husain Haqqani’s book as it was in accordance with the hidden agenda and blame game of the US which still continue against Pakistan and its security agencies.
Mansoor Ijaz who is CIA agent was also used not only to create a rift between Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, but also to save Husain Haqqani through the deliberate self-contradictory statements and thus to weaken the memo case. While, former US National Security Advisor James Jones who earlier admitted the receipt of the secret memo denied the same, while the ex-Admiral Mike Mullen also refused its confirmation. The major purpose of the episode was to protect Hussain Haqqani who has absconded as he was also working for CIA.
Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations
Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com
