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Posted by admin in US CLEAR & PRESENT DANGER TO PAKISTAN, US DRONE WAR ON PAKISTAN, US FOREIGN POLICY & INTERNATIONAL LAW, US INFILTRATION OF PAKISTAN AGENCIES & COMMISSIONS on October 26th, 2013
This file image shows the tribal area of South Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan. (AFP Photo)
The documents — detailed, previously unpublished funding requests from America’s top intelligence agencies — were first disclosed in part on Thursday when the Washington Post said it had proof that America’s main spy offices looked to receive $52.6 billion in fiscal year 2013. Upon further analysis of the so-called “black budget,” the Post has since discovered that the US is increasing efforts to spy within Pakistan in order to understand more thoroughly the supposed ally’s nuclear arms arsenal.
According to the Post, researching the black budget has led journalists to determine that US officials believe there is a significant intelligence gap with regards to Pakistan, and that the US is more interested than ever in that nation’s nuclear capabilities amid what may be the comparably best relationship the two countries have experienced in over a decade.
Despite nearly 12 years of heavy US military activity following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, American/Pakistani tensions have loosened as of late, presumably after a drawback in localized drone strikes and other covert combat that has subsided since US Navy SEALS captured and killed former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in rural Pakistan in May 2011.
Although the Post has not released the 178-page black budget in full, it has selectively published a handful of excerpts and quoted from it extensively in a number of articles to appear in print and online since last week. According to the Post’s Greg Miller, Craig Whitlock and Barton Gellman, the latest disclosures identified through analysis of the top-secret documents “expose broad new levels of US distrust in an already unsteady security partnership with Pakistan,” and “also reveal a more expansive effort to gather intelligence on Pakistan than US officials have disclosed.”
The document, reported the Post, divulges uncertainty within the US intelligence community regarding Pakistan, particularly in reference to the country’s nuclear capabilities. One excerpt of the budget quoted by the Post warned that “knowledge of the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and associated material encompassed one of the most critical set of . . . intelligence gaps.” According to the Post, US officials were concerned about those “given the political instability, terrorist threat and expanding inventory [of nuclear weapons] in that country.”
The paper also noted that while Pakistan’s name is frequently absent from the budget request, the counterterrorism and counter-proliferation operations waged by the US are centralized in that nation, nestled in the Middle East between Iraq, Afghanistan and India. Taking into account just its counterterrorism and counter-proliferation measures, the US intelligence community sought more than $27 billion in FY2013 — or around half of what was requested in all — most of which is likely spent on covert operations. Former and current US intelligence officials who spoke to the Post said the armed drone campaign that targets al-Qaeda militants on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border is among the most expensive of those covert programs.
So significant are US concerns with regards to monitoring weapons of mass destruction in Pakistan, the Post reported that the budget contains once section in which it focuses on containing the spread of illicit weapons among two geographic regions: Pakistan and elsewhere.
The Post reported that budget suggests Pakistan contains 120 nuclear weapons, although US intelligence agencies suspect that number will soon rise. In order to better understand that nation’s nuke program, the budget discusses the creation of a Pakistan WMD Analysis Cell, the paper reported, in order to keep tabs on where nuclear materials move within the country. Together, the Post claimed, the CIA and Pentagon were able “to develop and deploy a new compartmented collection capability” that delivered a “more comprehensive understanding of strategic weapons security in Pakistan.”
Despite that accomplishment, however, the budget still noted that “the number of gaps associated with Pakistani nuclear security remains the same,” and “the questions associated with this intractable target are more complex.”
“If the Americans are expanding their surveillance capabilities, it can only mean one thing,” former Pakistani ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani told the Post, “The mistrust now exceeds the trust.”
Caitlin Hayden, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, explained to the Post that the US is “committed to a long-term partnership with Pakistan, and we remain fully engaged in building a relationship that is based on mutual interests and mutual respect.”
“We have an ongoing strategic dialogue that addresses in a realistic fashion many of the key issues between us, from border management to counterterrorism, from nuclear security to promoting trade and investment,” she said.
“The United States and Pakistan share a strategic interest in combating the challenging security issues in Pakistan, and we continue to work closely with Pakistan’s professional and dedicated security forces to do so,” added Hayden.
The Post first published excerpts of this year’s black budget on Thursday and attributed the top-secret disclosure to Edward Snowden, the former intelligence contractor who fled from the US earlier this year and has since been granted asylum in Russia. In the days since the paper began working on the latest Snowden leak it has published a previously undisclosed figure for the amount of money requested by the likes of the National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency, and also exposed a program of offensive cyber operations waged by US officials against foreign foes.
Posted by Fawad Mir in Nawaz Sharif-The Prime Minister from Hell on May 18th, 2013
Nawaz Sharif, the Bacha Jamoora of US, Hijacks another Pakistan Election, through Masive Vote Fraud, election rigging in Punjab, the Province Ruled by his Brother Shahbaz Sharif.
FIA officials who had investigated the money-laundering charges against the Sharifs faced termination from service, while the agency was told that even a decision to probe money-laundering
was a crime. This particular case is likely to now go to the Supreme Court in the next few weeks.
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Bacha Jamora Jaag Ja – 7th April 2013 Playwire Video
Bacha Jamora Jaag Ja – 7th April 2013 Tune.pk Video
Bacha Jamora Jaag Ja – 7th April 2013 YouTube Video
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NAWAZ SHARIF LISTENS TO HIS MASTER’S VOICE-LIKE HE DID IN KARGIL WAR
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Meanwhile, some candidates are crying foul, especially several from Imran Khan‘s Movement for Justice, PTI.
Hamid Zaman, a wealthy businessman who is new to politics, contested a seat in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, and lost to the incumbent, PML-N’s Riaz Malik.
He claims to have video evidence of PML-N activists filling in ballot papers on behalf of his rival.
Zaman says his son, who was also a candidate, witnessed cases of fraud and his supporters have posted video on Facebook of one alleged case.
“In several places they caught people red-handed putting in votes, in at least two places” he says. “And the video’s showing the same on one of the stations. And then there were crowds of people inside who were telling people to vote.
Zaman told RFI on Sunday that he would file a complaint on Monday.
“Also I’m going to go to the Supreme Court against my opponent because, actually, he was not qualified to contest these elections. His degree is false, he never passed high school, so he was contesting on a fake degree.”
Zaman’s supporters on Sunday held a sit-in on a road in the constituency he fought on Sunday and pledged to do so every day until a re-run is announced.
But what will count with legal experts is the fact that in their tax returns, none of the Sharif family members had ever showed any foreign ownership of any properties, nor had their tax returns listed payments for any rented apartments abroad.
“With the sale of these Mayfair apartments, you can buy three Rockwood-size properties of Asif Zardari,” commented a source, who added that Sharif’s third party owned properties in Britain may land them in a crisis comparable only with Benazir and Zardari’s cases abroad.
In another example of hypocrisy, while Sharif geared up his government’s campaign against loan defaulters in Pakistan, a High Court in London declared his family a defaulter and ordered them to pay US$ 18.8 million to Al-Towfeek Company and its subsidiary Al-Baraka Islamic Bank as payment for interest and loan they had borrowed for Hudabiya Papers Limited.
The court papers said that the Sharifs refused to make payments on the principle amount and instead directed official action against the Arab company’s business interests in Pakistan. Informed sources said that a few days before the fall of the Nawaz Sharif government on October 12, lawyers representing the Sharif family were busy in hectic behind-the-scenes negotiations with Al-Towfeek executives in London for an out-of-court settlement. These sources said that negotiations in London broke down soon after the army action in Islamabad.
While Nawaz Sharif deployed the entire state machinery and spent millions of dollars from the IB’s secret fund to prove money-laundering charges against Benazir Bhutto and her husband abroad, his government crushed any attempt by the FIA to move the Supreme Court of Pakistan against a decision handed down by the Lahore High Court absolving the Sharif family from money-laundering charges instituted against them by the last PPP government.
THE BIGGEST DANGER TO PAKISTAN’S NUCLEAR & MISSILE PROGRAM
US AGENT NAWAZ SHARIF
READ & WEEP
Posted by Rana Tanveer in BUNGLER NAWAZ SHARIF, CIA AGENT NAWAZ SHARIF, Corruption on May 6th, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog has objected to the candidature of former premier Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif in the upcoming General Election, saying they had defaulted on a bank loan worth Rs 3.48 billion.
The National Accountability Bureau yesterday raised the issue in an official communication sent to the Election Commission.
Three graft cases against the Sharifs and their relatives are currently pending in an anti-corruption court in Rawalpindi, NAB officials told the media.
The Sharif brothers have been accused of defaulting on a loan that was taken for the Hudaibiya Paper Mills.
Nawaz Sharif, the head of the main opposition PML-N, and former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif were also accused of accumulating money and assets beyond their declared means of income by misusing authority.
A case in this regard was filed against them in an anti-corruption court in Attack in March 2000. Several of their relatives, including Nawaz Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz, Hamza Shahbaz, Shamim Akhtar, Sabiha Abbas, Maryam Safdar and Ishaq Dar, are among the accused in the cases.
Rehman Malik also alleged that Nawaz Sharif made a second NRO with dictator Pervez Musharraf and went abroad after signing an agreement and violated the Charter of Democracy (COD) he signed with Benazir Bhutto in 2006.
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday alleged that PML-N Chief and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was involved in money laundering.
Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, he said evidence against Nawaz Sharif would be placed before the Supreme Court and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for alleged corruption of $32 million.
Rehman Malik said a commission may be formed to investigate alleged involvement of Nawaz Sharif in money laundering.
He appealed to the Supreme Court to call him and he would present all evidence. He further alleged that Nawaz Sharif made an NRO with former President Farooq Ahmed Leghari and as a result, Benazir Bhutto’s elected government was unconstitutionally dismissed in November 1996.
Rehman Malik also alleged that Nawaz Sharif made a second NRO with dictator Pervez Musharraf and went abroad after signing an agreement and violated the Charter of Democracy (COD) he signed with Benazir Bhutto in 2006.
A spokesman for the PML-N rejected the allegations against the party’s top leadership, saying the accusations made by the NAB were “misleading”.
He alleged that NAB officials were acting at the behest of the previous Pakistan People’s Party-led government to target PML-N leaders.
The Election Commission recently made the NAB part of the set-up for scrutinising the candidates for the May 11 General Election.
Shahbaz Sharif is contesting polls to the Punjab Assembly while Nawaz Sharif is a candidate for polls to the National Assembly. The elder Sharif is widely tipped to become premier if the PML-N wins the polls.
The NAB has set up special election cells to facilitate the scrutiny of candidates.
The Election Commission has also roped in the Federal Bureau of Revenue, State Bank of Pakistan and National Database and Registration Authority in a bid to weed out candidates accused of corruption or wrong-doing.
The Election Commission has said that tax-evaders, people who default on loans and utility bills and beneficiaries of loan write-offs will be barred from contesting the polls, which will mark the first democratic transition in Pakistan’s history.
Posted by admin in Nawaz "Badami Lassi Kim Barker Thurke" Sharif, Nawaz Sharif Massive Corruption, NAWAZ SHARIF MUZZLES PRESS, NAWAZ SHARIF SAGA OF ABSOLUTE & CHRONIC CORRUPTION, NAWAZ SHARIF US & SAUDI AGENT, Nawaz Sharif US Agent, NAWAZ SHARIF US CIA ASSET IN PAKISTAN, Nawaz Sharif Womanizer on October 26th, 2013
Nawaz agreed to support Musharraf: WikiLeaks
May 24, 2011WikiLeaks claimed that President Asif Ali Zardari told former US ambassador Anne Patterson that PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif was willing to support Pervez Musharraf. In another cable, it was revealed that the United States stopped Zardari from buying cheap oil from Iran. Former US ambassador Anne Patterson wrote on March 10, 2008 that Zardari told her that Nawaz Sharif was ready to support Musharraf and accommodate Justice Dogar as the chief justice. According to another cable, Zardari told former ISI chief Nadeem Taj that Justice Iftikhar should be shifted to his ancestral house in Quetta. Nadeem Taj said that people’s sympathies were with Justice Iftikhar and the move could backfire.
WikiLeaks: Sharif asked US to provide him security
Published: June 11, 2011The Resident Security Officer (RSO) of the US Embassy in Islamabad met three representatives of Nawaz Sharif to discuss his security. PHOTO: FILE
New WikiLeaks cable revealed that the PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif wanted the US government to provide him personal security. However he was advised by the US embassy that besides being illegal it would be politically incorrect to do such a thing.
The WikiLeaks cable (reference no. 136305), which was released on 4 January 2008, revealed that the Resident Security Officer (RSO) of the US Embassy in Islamabad met three representatives of Nawaz Sharif to discuss his security.
According to the cable, Sharif’s representatives were told that US government security would violate several considerations.
They were advised that an indigenous security operation would be preferable for cultural understanding, political awareness, and even geographical familiarity reasons.
The RSO began by explaining the various reasons why American (or other foreign) securitywould be the wrong choice to make. First, legally and without appropriate guidelines, officialUSG security would violate several considerations. Second, hired professional commercial American security would not only complicate the anti-American politics already in play, but would create a higher target profile for the Protectee, rather than reducing it. And third, that in a foreign country, an indigenous security operation would be preferable for cultural understanding, political awareness, and even geographical familiarity reasons, providing the indigenous company is competent.Cable Referenced: WikiLeaks no. 136305
WikiLeaks: Nawaz Sharif’s broken promise
Published: December 1, 2010According to the cable, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States (US), Adel al-Jubeir, said that Sharif had ‘tested the limits of this promise five or six years in his exile’. PHOTO:FILE/AFP
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif broke a promise he had made with Saudi Arabia, when he returned to Pakistan in 2007.
According to a WikiLeaks cable release, the Saudi government had offered asylum and protection to Nawaz Sharif on the condition that he would not take part in political activity for ten years.
According to the cable, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States (US), Adel al-Jubeir, Sharif had ‘tested the limits of this promise five or six years in his exile’.
Jubeir goes on to say that the Saudis had allowed Sharif to travel to London and despite promising not to take part in political activities, he had flow from London to Pakistan. He says that the Saudi government had worked with Musharraf for the arrest and immediate deportation of Sharif when he returned.
In another cable, US Charge d’Affaires Michael Gfoeller noted that Nawaz Sharif was under the economic hold of the Saudis, as he had received a special economic development loan from the country.
Helping the Lashkars
A cable release alleges that the PML-N government in Punjab helped Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) ‘evade’ United Nations (UN) Sanctions right after the Mumbai 26/11 attacks.
President Asif Ali Zardari, speaking to former US Ambassador Anne Patterson, had alleged that Shahbaz Sharif had tipped off the LeT about UN sanctions, which gave the banned outfit a chance to empty its bank account before a raid or freeze. The cable goes on to say that President Zardari expressed his ‘frustration’ with the move.
The US diplomats were unable to confirm the allegation, but noted that they came at a time when
US diplomats were unable to confirm the allegation, but accepted the fact that information had been passed on, which was an indication of a surprisingly small amount of money in the bank accounts.WikiLeaks: Nawaz Sharif’s broken promise – The Express Tribune
WikiLeaks: ISI asked Saudis to stop funding Nawaz’s campaign
Published: May 31, 2011Former ISI chief told Saudi Ambassador that the aid violated Pakistan’s agreement on Nawaz’s return from exile. PHOTO: FILE
New WikiLeaks cables have revealed that the ISI had asked Saudi Arabia to stop funding Nawaz Sharif’s campaign in the last elections.
Former ISI chief Nadeem Taj told the Saudi Ambassador in a meeting that the aid violatedPakistan’s agreement with the Saudis on Nawaz’s return from exile.
The cable, which was filed by former ambassador Anne Patterson, reads:
Aziz expressed great concern to Ambassador about a possible PPP-Nawaz alliance. Aziz claimed the Saudis were heavily funding Sharif’s campaign to ensure a PPP defeat and hedge their betsagainst Musharraf. Taj called the Saudi Ambassador and requested this stop, saying it violated the GOP’s agreement with the Saudis on Nawaz’s return from exile. Aziz observed that if the PML-N and the PPP formed a government, “What options would Musharraf have?”
Former National Security Advisor and Musharraf’s trusted aide Tariq Aziz also expressed great concern to the American Ambassador in this regard.
He told the American envoy that the Saudis were heavily funding Sharif’s campaign to ensure PPP’s defeat and hedge their bets against Musharraf.
The cable has also revealed that President Zardari had raised the idea of becoming Prime Minister with Tariq Aziz after the 2008 polls. But Aziz supported Amin Faheem.
Zardari complained that Faheem was a poor administrator who lacked the skills needed to run the government.Cable Referenced: WikiLeaks no. 141804
WikiLeaks: ISI asked Saudis to stop funding Nawaz’s campaign – The Express Tribune
Chaudhry Nisar admits his wife, children are US citizensFrom the Newspaper | Front Page | By Amir Wasim September 14, 2011ISLAMABAD: A PML-N firebrand and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, on Tuesday admitted for the first time that his wife and children were US citizens, but criticised the Pakistani media for “unnecessarily playing it up” when in fact it was his personal matter.
The revelation about the family of the PML-N leader, who otherwise is perceived in political circles as one who is opposed to the American policies in the region, were part of a confidential US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks.
Visibly disturbed by media coverage of the issue, Chaudhry Nisar made serious attempts at a news conference to defend his family by stating that his wife was already holding dual nationality when he married her in late 1980s as his in-laws were settled in the US since 1970s.
The citizenship issue was disclosed in a secret cable sent by the then US Ambassador in Islamabad, Anne W. Patterson, to Washington after her meeting with him soon after becoming opposition leader three years ago. The US ambassador had stated that the PML-N leader had assured her that he and his party were “pro-American”.
“As always, Nisar insisted that he and the PML-N were pro-American (saying that his wife and children in fact are Americans),” said the cable sent to Washington on Sept 19, 2008.
According to the cable, “(Ch) Nisar did admit that he went to the US Embassy in London to renew his daughter’s passport because he wanted to avoid being seen at the US Embassy in Islamabad.”
It further stated: “Ch Nisar was cagier, noting that US attacks over the past few weeks hurt the hearts and minds campaign. He called for more transparency in the bilateral relationship and reserved the right to criticise US actions to remain politically credible.”
In her comments at the end of the cable, the ambassador wrote: “Nisar appears to be positioning himself to be a candidate for prime minister, if the Sharifs are disqualified in the upcoming battle with the PPP over control of the Punjab. Nisar is at heart a nationalist, and he will be an eloquent and formidable opposition leader. But he does recognise the need to stay in the good graces of the US, and we should invite him to Washington when an opportunity arises.”
Interestingly at the news conference, the PML-N leader said the contents of most of the WikiLeaks cables seemed to be true.
However, he said, these cables were based on the assessment and understanding of the diplomats which could be wrong.
Ch Nisar denied that he had ever visited the US Embassy in London in connection with the renewal of his daughter’s passport.
He said perhaps the ambassador had misunderstood what he had stated at that time. In fact, he said, there was no need for him to visit the US Embassy for renewal of his children’s passports as, according to him, this job was performed by his wife.
The PML-N leader said that he was feeling pain while discussing his family matters before the media as he always kept his family away from politics and official work. “I am a person who wants to live a private life,” he said, adding that he had been forced to come out with this explanation despite opposition by some of his party colleagues and friends because his “honesty and patriotism” were being questioned by some people through a malicious propaganda campaign using WikiLeaks cables.
“For me it is necessary that no one can raise finger at my self-respect and patriotism,” he said, adding that four generations of his family had worked for the country’s defence and gave blood to the motherland. “Therefore, it had become difficult for me to remain silent,” Ch Nisar told journalists.
Turning to more serious issues, perhaps to deflect the focus from his family’s American citizenship issue, Chaudhry Nisar claimed before the journalists that a high-level American delegation stated in talks with his party that Pakistan Army was involved in terrorism.
“They said not Gen Musharraf, your army is involved in terrorism,” the PML-N leader quoted US Senator John Kerry and now US vice-president Joe Biden as saying while speaking at a news conference he had called to respond to a WikiLeaks cable that disclosed the American citizenship of his wife and children.
Chaudhry Nisar said the offensive remark was made when he, at a meeting the US delegation had with PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif immediately after the 2008 general election, protested the US support to a military dictator instead for the people of Pakistan. At this the Americans “flared up and hit the roof”. The then US Ambassador Anne W. Patterson had to intervene to prevent the situation from worsening.
Ch Nisar recalled a number of his meetings with visiting US officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asserting that in each meeting he opposed the post-9/11 US policy towards Muslims and suggested that US withdraw from the region.
The PML-N leader clarified that he was not against the American nation, but was opposed to the US policy towards Muslims after the 9/11 attack.
Chaudhry Nisar admits his wife, children are US citizens | Newspaper | DAWN.COM
Posted by admin in GENOCIDE BY US DRONES on October 26th, 2013
Greenwald Drone Film Opens In Pakistan
Oct 23, 2013
In a unique film premiere for victims of drone strikes, Pakistani leader Imran Khan will host a screening of Robert Greenwald‘s new documentary “Unmanned: America’s Drone Wars” in Islamabad this Friday (25 Oct). Khan is the most popular political leader in Pakistan, and the elected leader of the region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where drone strikes are clustered. His former wife, the London-based, Jemima Khan, is co-executive producer. One of the deaths examined in the film is that of an innocent 16 year old Pakistani, Tariq Aziz, on October 31, 2011
. The victim had testified one week earlier at a public hearing, or jirga, in Islamabad where hundreds of people rallied and listened to eyewitness accounts of drone attacks in the tribal areas of Waziristan.
Aziz was targeted by an informant at the hearing, says Clive Stafford Smith of the London-based Reprieve
, a leading monitor of the strikes and their human rights impacts. The US relies on paid informants for gathering intelligence used in targeting in the remote tribal highlands region. Featured in the documentary is a former US drone technician, Brandon Bryant, who was told by his superiors that, “we kill people and break things.” Bryant was captivated by becoming a James Bond-style operative.
The US drones policy comes under severe attack this week with reports from the United Nations rapporteur, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International all being released in the same period. Both the film and the new reports strike heavy blows at the credibility of United States’ claims that the drone strikes are mistake-proof and aimed solely at known terrorist threats. The CIA has stretched the legal definition of “imminent threat” to include young males “associated” with jihadist groups, however vaguely, in virtually any theater of the Long War against terrorism.
Pressure against the US drones policy has caused the strike rate to be “dropped drastically in recent months”, according to the New York Times
. In addition, President Barack Obama and Congress have grappled over how to “rein in” the drift towards an imperial presidency.
The relative success of the anti-drone campaign suggests that US military policies can be opposed effectively even where massive costs and ground troop numbers are not in question. The anti-drone phenomenon consists of an unusual spectrum of anti-war groups like Code Pink, independent journalists and film-makers, civil liberties and human rights lawyers, and many professional counter-insurgency advocates who oppose using air strikes as a substitute for intervention on the ground.
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The documentary will screen in Washington D.C. on October 28 and in New York City on October 30. For information screenings email: [email protected], or request
a free copy.
Follow Robert Greenwald on Twitter: http://www.twitter.
UNMANNED: AMERICA’S DRONE WARS
For a war-weary American public, President Barack Obama’s inaugural address last month sounded perfect. “ A decade of war is now ending,” the president said. “We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war.”
The U.S. House drone caucus
is becoming an increasingly popular topic as the U.S. government looks to unmanned aerial vehicles for solutions to its problems at home and abroad. The technological advancements displayed by UAVs are undeniably impressive, but the motives behind them are questioned, mostly by privacy advocates for now. Continual pressure on the federal government from drone manufacturers and their defenders in Congress to open U.S. airways to drones helped push the passage of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act, which was signed earlier this year.
The Obama administration maintains that drone strikes are precise, yet hundreds of innocent people have died in drone attacks.
This is a clear disconnect between what we’re being told and what we’re finding. It’s time for a deeper investigation; the evidence doesn’t match the claims.
“I want to make sure that people understand actually drones have not caused a huge number of civilian casualties…. For the most part, they have been very precise, precision strikes against al- Qaeda and their affiliates. And we are very careful in terms of how it’s been applied.”
, January 2012
I have interviewed many people over the years of doing documentaries. Currently in Pakistan filming with victims of drone attacks (ahead of the film, follow my trip at warcosts.com
and
), I have never had a more haunting and harrowing experience than looking into the eyes of person after person, children and adults, and hearing them talk about their homes, villages and families destroyed by drone attacks. The pain is palpable, their fear still radiates. And even a question about the CIA sets off terror alerts in peoples’ eyes.
So, yes, a candidate for president talks about drones in detail, with great awareness about how they are counterproductive to United States security concerns. Problem is, the candidate is running for president of Pakistan.
In March 2009, I went to Kabul as part of my work on Brave New Foundation’s documentaryRethink Afghanistan
. My trip was an effort to understand the realities of life in an unrelenting warzone, and to find voices that weren’t yet heard eight years after U.S. forces invaded the country. In the same spirit, I am going to Pakistan to investigate what life is like for those living under drones.
It’s moments like this that underscore the near, if not complete, evaporation between the interests of the war industry and the public entity that’s supposed to have oversight over it, the U.S. Congress. Read this post from Colorlines’ Seth Freed Wessler
and try to describe where the drone lobby and industry end and where the House of Represenatives Unmanned Systems (or Drone) Caucus begins:
Brave New Foundation has the honor of releasing a video to accompany a seminal report by human rights law experts at Stanford and New York University law schools. The report, entitled “Living Under Drones
” presents chilling first-hand testimony from Pakistani civilians on the humanitarian and security costs of escalating drone attacks by the United States. The report uncovers civilian deaths, and shocking psychological and social damage to whole families and communities – where people are literally scared to leave their homes because of drones flying overhead 24 hours a day.
, a new report by human rights law experts at Stanford and New York University, counters the common rhetoric that the use of drone stikes is a precise and effective tool for making the U.S. a safer place. The report, along with a video produced by Brave New Foundation
, aims to open up public discussion on the incendiary U.S. drone policy in Pakistan incorporating the devastating, virtually hidden side effects. Above, John Amick discussed with RT America
the importance of Living Under Drones in a media climate more or less dry of any critical reporting on the issue.
If the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee – and a member of Congress – claims unfamiliarity with possibly the major plank of U.S. drone policy, as Debbie Wasserman-Schultz did last week
when asked about President Obama’s “kill list” of those open for assassination based on U.S. intelligence, then what makes anyone believe the average American voter has a grasp on the killing done in their name in the likes of Pakistan and Yemen?
Law & Order: SVU recently ran an episode
that was likely inspired by the Stanford and NYU report, Living Under Drones
, about U.S. drone attacks currently taking place in Pakistan. In the episode, a character plotting a terrorist attack in the U.S. reveals that her father was killed by a “double-tap” strike in North Waziristan.
Robert Greenwald is a producer, director, political activist, and the Brave New Films + Brave New Foundation founder and president. He is currently focused on the WAR COSTS (WarCosts.com) investigative campaign to challenge runaway, wasteful war spending – particularly in relation to job creation; KOCH BROTHERS EXPOSED (KochBrothersExposed.com) to illustrate the Kochs’ effort to buy democracy and control public policy from every direction; and CUENTAME (MyCuentame.org), which is at the forefront of investigating corruption at private prisons. He has also produced and distributed short viral videos and campaigns like RETHINK AFHANISTAN (2009, RethinkAfghanistan.com)
Greenwald is also the director/producer of IRAQ FOR SALE: THE WAR PROFITEERS (2006), a documentary that exposes what happens when corporations go to war and WAL-MART: THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICE (2005), a documentary that uncovers the retail giant’s assault on families and American values and OUTFOXED: RUPERT MURDOCH’S WAR ON JOURNALISM (2004). He also executive produced a trilogy of political documentaries: UNPRECEDENTED: THE 2000 ELECTION; UNCOVERED: THE WAR ON IRAQ (2003), which Greenwald also directed; and UNCONSTITUTIONAL (2004).
BRAVE NEW FILMS (BraveNewFilms.org), Greenwald’s new media company, uses film to tell stories that build movements and influence debate about the most important issues of the day. Brave New Films released the THE BIG BUY: TOM DELAY’S STOLEN CONGRESS in May 2006 and recently produced two TV series: ACLU FREEDOM FILES and THE SIERRA CLUB CHRONICLES – which can be seen on Link TV, Court TV (ACLU) and via the internet.
In addition to his documentary work, Greenwald has produced and/or directed more than 50 television movies, miniseries and feature films, including: The Book of Ruth (2004), based on the best selling book by Jane Hamilton; The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron (2003); The Burning Bed, starring Farrah Fawcett as an abused housewife; Shattered Spirits, starring Martin Sheen, about alcoholism; and Forgotten Prisoners, about the work of Amnesty International. Greenwald also produced and directed the feature film, Steal This Movie, starring Vincent D’Onofrio as 60’s radical Abbie Hoffman, as well as Breaking Up, starring Russell Crowe and Salma Hayek.
Greenwald’s films have garnered 25 Emmy nominations, four cable ACE Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, the Peabody Award, the Robert Wood Johnson Award, and eight Awards of Excellence from the Film Advisory Board. He was awarded the 2002 Producer of the Year Award by the American Film Institute. Greenwald has been honored for his activism by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California; the L.A. chapter of the National Lawyers Guild; Physicians for Social Responsibility; New Roads School, Consumer Attorney’s Association of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy and the Office of the Americas. Greenwald has lectured at Harvard University for the Nieman Fellows Foundation for Journalism and speaks frequently across the country about his work.
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Posted by admin in Massacre By US Operated Drones on October 26th, 2013
America’s drone war “radicalises foot soldiers, tribes and entire villages in our region.”
– Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Sherry Rehman, July 2012
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Brave New Film’s Robert Greenwald is in Pakistan to film evidence of widespread civilian casualties, including children, from US drone strikes. His full-length documentary film is projected for release in July.
By Robert Greenwald, “A Candidate Who Will Talk About Drones,” and “Mr. President: How Do You Define Precise?“
A CANDIDATE WHO WILL TALK ABOUT DRONES
So, yes, a candidate talks about drones in detail, with great awareness about how they are counterproductive to United States security concerns. Problem is, the candidate is running for prime minister of Pakistan.
I spent an informative and detailed session with Imran Khan, former cricket star, chairman of the political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and now high-profile candidate for prime minister in his home country. (Follow my updates in Pakistan on Twitter
and at WarCosts.com
Mr. Khan agreed to the interview for War Costs’ Drones Exposed film
The difference between Khan’s awareness and perspective of U.S. drone policy and that of major U.S. politicians, including
the two U.S. presidential candidates
, is stunning, to stay the least.
He has an extensive awareness of the tribal areas’ culture, code of honor and respect, and, yes, revenge. He spoke of an absolute necessity in Pakistani tribal culture to honor your family members killed by drones and see that justice is served.
Mr. Khan followed that point by posing a question: Why are there more militants than ever since the U.S. began the drone campaign? He explains that drone strikes have only fueled animosity. That said, he has a practical awareness of the limited capabilities of the mostly illiterate, ill-trained, poverty-stricken Taliban militants in the tribal areas — that while they can inflict fear into local communities, they have little chance of threatening U.S. security.
The number of innocent people being killed and maimed by drone strikes grows each year, and Khan and his significant following in the tribal areas of Pakistan are very aware of this. He confirms that drone attacks are often based on bribes and bounties to local tribesmen. So while the drone may be “accurate,” the intel is often deeply flawed. We see the results in those hundreds of innocent victims.
He kept coming back to the effects of drone strikes on the people. He talked at length about the necessity for the United States to end the attacks, and to reach out to Pakistan and the tribal areas in new ways, free of the old thinking and strategies that have only led to death, despair and anger.
MR. PRESIDENT: HOW DO YOU DEFINE PRECISE?
“I want to make sure that people understand actually drones have not caused a huge number of civilian casualties…. For the most part, they have been very precise, precision strikes against al Qaeda and their affiliates. And we are very careful in terms of how it’s been applied.”
– President Obama , January 2012
I have interviewed many people over the years of doing documentaries. Currently in Pakistan filming with victims of drone attacks (ahead of the film, follow my trip at warcosts.com
and
), I have never had a more haunting and harrowing experience than looking into the eyes of person after person, children and adults, and hearing them talk about their homes, villages and families destroyed by drone attacks. The pain is palpable, their fear still radiates. And even a question about the CIA sets off terror alerts in peoples’ eyes.
“[A] hallmark of our counterterrorism efforts has been our ability to be exceptionally precise, exceptionally surgical and exceptionally targeted.”
– White House Press Secretary Jay Carney , January 2012
A father, with his daughters and son, holds up a picture of his own mother, grandmother to his children. She was working in a field one day late in October of this year. As he was coming home from teaching school, he saw someone preparing a grave. It was to be the grave for his mother, killed by a U.S. drone strike. News reports say three militants were killed. Days later, the full story
of her death came out. To be denied by the “official sources” who are never named, and therefore never held responsible, for constant distortions is gut-wrenching for him. He brought a picture of his mother’s identity card. He held it up to me and the camera to show this gray-haired 65-year-old woman was no terrorist. He asked that the CIA and Americans come to his village and see the damage and who was hurt and killed.
“With the unprecedented ability of remotely piloted aircraft to precisely target a military objective while minimizing collateral damage, one could argue that never before has there been a weapon that allows us to distinguish more effectively between an al-Qa’ida terrorist and innocent civilians.”
– Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John O. Brennan, April 2012
A young boy tries to talk to me. Working through a translator, he can’t remember my question from a few seconds ago. He talks of the stomach pain that makes it impossible for him to play cricket. He shows me his scars. His eyes have gone dead from the pain. He stills of the terrible shock from the drone hitting him and his friends. He starts to tear up when talking of his love of cricket and never being able to play again. The damage from drones does not end with the strike.
“[T]here is still a very firm emphasis on being surgical and targeting only those who have a direct interest in attacking the United States.”
– Senior Obama administration official, April 2012
Another young boy tells of a drone strike that killed and injured his relatives. He was held back from running to help those injured, for fear of a second strike, or “double tap.” He broke away. He insisted, it was his family and friends who need help. Then he was hit by a drone.
“Crucially, the threat of the “double tap” reportedly deters not only the spontaneous humanitarian instinct of neighbors and bystanders in the immediate vicinity of strikes, but also professional humanitarian workers providing emergency medical relief to the wounded.”
– Living Under Drones report
Then there is the rage and fury. The cries of revenge. The talk of honor and family.The fury over the war on Muslims. As the day goes on, the stories go on. It’s hard not to become numb as a response to the grieving and the grief.
For more details, please see also by Tom Hayden, “Not a Rally But a Turning Point,” and “Citizen Diplomacy Against Drones Over Pakistan
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The US scripted endgame has gone awry
Posted by admin in Commentary on October 26th, 2013
The US scripted endgame has gone awry
Asif Haroon Raja
After occupation of Afghanistan in November 2001 by US led western forces and Afghan Northern Alliance force, the US inspired constitution and democracy was pushed down the gullets of Afghans. Ground was prepared for elections and the US spent huge amounts in winning over the loyalties of warlords and to make the elections successful. The first presidential election was held in 2004 which elected Hamid Karzai. Soon after, general elections were held leading to formation of Northern Alliance heavy government. Both elections were boycotted by the Taliban and great majority of Pashtuns. By the time next elections were due in 2009 Karzai had become unpopular and his government got roiled in corruption and inefficiency. ANA and Police trained by US and UK trainers were rated as poor. The third round of elections will take place in April 2014 in which Karzai having availed two terms will not constitutionally eligible to contest. New faces will be contesting the next elections. One of the prospective candidates for President’s seat is Karzai’s brother Qayum for which Karzai is lobbying hard.
Since last elections, the security situation in Afghanistan has undergone a sea change. Events have unfolded in favor of Taliban and in disfavor of occupation forces and ruling Afghan regime. Mullah Omar has urged the Afghans to boycott the elections and to disown the puppet government installed by Washington. He is in a position to say so since Taliban have achieved superiority of strategic orientation over US-NATO-ANA forces. Besides gaining full control over eastern and southern Afghanistan, which constitute over 60% of Afghan territory, the Taliban are in a imposing position to strike targets in any part of the country including most fortified Kabul. The capital city has been successfully struck several times by Haqqani network since September 2011. So is the case with targets in northern Afghanistan, supposedly the stronghold of non-Pashtun Afghans. The Taliban are likely to disrupt coming elections using violent means. Majority of Pashtuns having suffered the most at the hands of NATO and ANSF support the Taliban.
There appears to be some confusion with regard to the ethnic demography of Afghans. According to available reports, Pashtuns are in majority with 42% population and the rest divided between various non-Pashtun ethnic tribes in the centre, west and north of Afghanistan. These figures are misleading since no census has taken place since long. The non-Pashtuns Afghans being relatively more educated and liberal in outlook, they get themselves registered. On the contrary, Afghan Pashtuns are mostly illiterate and conservative and don’t get registered. Hence, the official demography may not be accurate particularly because no census has taken place since very long. Pashtuns may not be less than 51% if not more. Even if 35% Pashtuns raise their hands in favor of Taliban, this figure is good enough to make 2014 elections controversial and invalid.
Relations between Afghan and the US governments are far from friendly. Wall of distrust has come up because of Karzai’s filibustering and abrasiveness. After sabotaging Doha peace process in June this year, he is now in two minds whether to sign or not to sign Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with USA, which would authorize US-NATO to leave behind a residue force and to retain some military bases in Afghanistan after 2014 and till 2024. The sticking points are grant of immunity from prosecution by Afghan courts to foreign troops and full liberty of action to conduct military operation against militants. In other words, NATO forces would be at liberty to carryout extra judicial killings and torture as heretofore. Although John Kerry’s recent visit to Kabul has made Karzai accommodative, yet he wants the deal to be approved by Loya Jirga which he plans to call in third week of November. If approved, the BSA will then be ratified by Afghan Parliament. The US leadership is getting impatient and has sounded October 31 as the cut out date to ink the agreement, failing which it may opt for ‘zero option’ as in case of Iraq. The Taliban Shura has strongly opposed BSA and will reject it even if Loya Jirga approves it.
The Afghan-US Strategic Partnership signed in Kabul in May 2012 was Okayed by Loya Jirga but had not approved immunity to foreign troops. It was also ruled that ISAF would not undertake unilateral military action and that ANA would lead all operations. This time because of Taliban’s resurgence and weakened position of both ISAF and Kabul Government; possibility of Loya Jirga approving immunity to foreign troops is dim. Reportedly, Karzai is contemplating calling a selective Jirga and inviting only those who will endorse the BSA. About 3000 elders, politicians and clerics are expected to attend. Karzai is banking heavily upon Mullah Ghani Baradar who has recently been released by Pakistan on his insistence to make some Taliban leaders agree to attend the Jirga. Notwithstanding that he was number 2 of Mullah Omar, but it will not be possible for him to affect any change in hard-held policy decisions of Shura except for trying to bridge differences between the Taliban and Karzai so as to arrive at a home-grown political settlement without outside interference. He could be a suitable choice to head Afghan High Peace Council since neither Burhanuddin Rabbani was acceptable to Taliban nor is his son Salahuddin.
Karzai, whose writ doesn’t go beyond his palace in Kabul, is vainly trying to rouse Afghan nationalism by acting tough against USA and Pakistan. His ploys to shed away the label of American lackey and to present himself as a savior and an honorable Pashtun are not selling. The Pashtuns have not forgotten that he had sold his soul to the Americans to acquire power and how he mercilessly allowed the destruction of Afghanistan and presided over the oppression of the Pashtuns living on both sides of the Durand Line.
It was unwise on part of Nawaz Sharif to give a helping hand to the untrustworthy drowning man trying to clutch at the last straw. He has become a liability for the US as well as Afghans and is in no position to give anything in return for the favors extended to him. while 36 Taliban prisoners have been set free by Pakistan on his request, Pakistan has not been able to get back any of the absconding terrorists like Maulana Fazlullah in Kunar and Faqir Muhammad in Kabul, enjoying the hospitality of their hosts. Karzai insolently acknowledged their presence in Afghanistan. He has been constantly talking ill of Pak Army and ISI and alleging without furnishing any proof that the duo is destabilizing Afghanistan. There have been several incidents of burning of Pakistan flag in Afghanistan but Karzai never apologized. On the contrary, when a single incident of burning of Iranian flag occurred in his country he promptly extended his apologies. He brazenly says that the goodwill and support rendered by Pakistan Establishment in 1980s to Afghans was to gain strategic depth and to make Afghanistan Pakistan’s 5th province. He alleges that Pak military is forcing Afghans to recognize Durand line as international border.
Although the US claimed that the left behind force was meant to impart training to ANA, build up its capacity, render technical advice and logistic support, and to hunt left over al-Qaeda operators numbering 75 or so, however, the initial figure of 25-30,000 residual force negated the spelt out scope. The US hidden motive was exposed when it started haggling with Kabul over immunity issue and liberty of action. It couldn’t justify the stated strength and retention of nine military bases for chasing 75 Al-Qaeda elements. The strength has now been scaled down to 5-10,000 owing to mounting differences between two sides and danger of BSA getting jeopardized. Likely bases for the reduced force are Kabul and Bagram in the centre, Mazar-e-Sharif in north and possibly Herat or Shindad in the west.
It will however be incorrect to conclude that reduction in size of residual force would reduce its combat potential. Combat strength is measured in terms of firepower and not the bayonet strength. The latter counts when the strategy is based on boots on ground. The ISAF abandoned boots on ground strategy in 2009 and relies heavily on airpower. After 2014, the stay behind force would remain confined to military bases and assist ANA by providing training, technical guidance, intelligence and firepower support.
The bunker based residual force will be of little use to the not-so-disciplined ANA with high attrition rate, or for the harried Afghan government struggling to keep the Taliban at bay. It can at best provide air support to ANA to delay the fall of Kabul or any of the military bases. Or to arrange safe landing of the returning main force in case of a rethink in Washington in the wake of effective encirclement of Kabul and eminent fall of northern Afghanistan. The ANA will remain battle worthy as long as military aid to the tune of $4.1 billion flows in annually. The moment this aid is stopped or radically reduced, it would hasten the disintegration of ANA the way the national army trained by Red Army had fragmented in 1993.
The US not only desire pro-US regime in Kabul to cater for its regional interests but also wants to avoid repetition of horrendous fallout of its hasty exit in 1989. It would like to give some respectability to its misadventure which has robbed it of its prestige, honor and glory. With only 14 months left for the pullout of ISAF, the obtaining operational environment in Afghanistan are gloomy and do not auger well for smooth transition. The endgame scripted by the US and its strategic allies has gone awry. Prophecy of doomsayers that 2014 and beyond would prove more bloody appears to be turning into a reality. The three major stakeholders – the Taliban, Kabul government and the US – are circling in respective orbits. All three distrust each other. In-house attacks in Afghanistan are not subsiding and so are cases of suicides by US-NATO soldiers. The spoilers on the sidelines with vested interests are sprinkling oil to keep the pot of terrorism and distrust boiling. Clash of interests has thickened the clouds of uncertainty and insecurity. Pakistan is the only country which sincerely desires peace since it is the most affected country and its peace is linked with stability in Afghanistan.
The writer is a retired Brig, defence analyst, columnist and historian. [email protected]
Awry, Chaos. Anarchy. Taliban, Disaster, Karzai of Kabul, US Endgame, Vacuum
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