Pakistan and the war on terror
I have been puzzled in the past on the role of Pakistan within the context of the bogus US War on Terror.
Pakistan's remote regions have previously been portrayed in the west as a haven for Taliban and AlQuaeda operatives from Afghanistan. The ISI intelligence service has also been portrayed as a sometimes rouge supporter of both (the Jon Gold version of LIHOP). This of course was a very incomplete and erroneous account.
In any case, recent articles have surfaced revealing some light on who is doing what in the region. I cannot say the following article is completely correct, I do not have enough info to think that yet. At the same time I do think it is revealing in that various significant actors are finally defined, and their loyalties and rivals revealed.
(attached is one comment on Indian and Israeli involvement which is not mentioned in the article itself, read the other comments in the link, they are interesting as well)
http://www.daily.pk/politics/politicalnews/7296-general-kayani-must-not-...
General Kayani Must Not Blink and Pakistan's Taliban Are CIA
Sunday, 14 September 2008 02:36 www.daily.pk
Now the ball is in General Kayani’s court; will he be the one to blink first? Will he be forced by his civilian masters – Zardari and Gilani not to follow up on his promise and become subject of ridicule? Clearly, the U.S. is stung by Pakistan discovering who is the real enemy. General KiyaniPakistan has decided to liquidate the so-called ‘Pakistani Taliban’ and is succeeding with popular support. It has become apparent that the insurgency in the FATA and elsewhere in NWFP is aided and abetted by the U.S. It wants to weaken the control of the federal government over the provinces and regions of Pakistan and it does not care whether it is achieved by Islamists or by ethnic nationalists. It supports the BLA as well as Baitullah Mehsud. It maintains its contacts with the MQM, the ANP, Baloch Nationalists as well as the JUI. It came to court the PPP as it concluded it was not overly concerned with ‘national interests’.
Pakistan is nervous; it cannot believe that the United States can turn on its ally so fast and so easy. President Bush has proclaimed a new war theater in Pakistan alongside Iraq and Afghanistan. But President Bush is dead wrong; the nature of the war in the three countries in quite different.
In Iraq, the resistance to U.S. occupation is organized by sectarian militias that are not excluded from participation in politics; they even have representation in government.
In Afghanistan, the resistance is carried out primarily by the Pashtun majority, which is represented in government only by traitors and turncoats.
Pakistan is not occupied. In Pakistan, the main terrorist organization - Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – has political aims and it seeks to capture and control territory. The TTP is sponsored by the CIA, which provides it money, weapons and equipment.
All the three countries – Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan – are similar in that the American aim is the same: to fragment the nation and impose unpopular/weak governments that will bend to U.S. will.
Although the story came out several weeks ago, the people of Pakistan are still stunned by the revelation that the TTP is CIA sponsored. The public first came to know of this in the newspapers that during the visit of Prime Minister Gilani to the U.S., his staff showed evidence of CIA support to TTP.
It Mr. Gilani some courage to tell U.S. that the ‘foreign support’ to Baitullah Mehsud came from the U.S. One thought it would put the U.S. on the defensive that those being accused and targeted by America for cross-border raids have been trained and supported by the U.S. Instead, the U.S. ratcheted up its propaganda against Pakistan. Baitullah Mehsud moves freely throughout the region promoting terrorism that will justify American actions. His men possess the most-advanced communication and possibly even satellite intelligence.
Pakistan army took a long time to read the signs because it just could not believe that the U.S. could resort to such diabolical stratagem against its ‘ally’.
The Army Chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, announced on September 10 that the coalition forces would not be allowed to operate inside Pakistan. His statement came within hours of the testimony by U.S. Chief of Joint Staff, Admiral Mullen, that the strategy for the war in Afghanistan had been revised and that targets in Pakistan would be struck without prior notice or warning to Pakistan. General Kayani expressed outrage at the U.S. helicopter raid near Angor Adda on the Pakistan Afghan border that lasted 30-minute; three houses owned by the Wazir tribesmen were the target of the raid that killed 23 people, including women and children. What added insult to injury was the report that Prime Minister Gilani's National Security Adviser Major General (retd) Mehmud Durrani formally wrote to his U.S. counterpart Steven Hadley, on September 5, warning that Pakistan would not allow any foreign forces to operate on its territory. In his letter, Durrani made it clear that the rules of engagement of the coalition forces were well defined and there was no provision that allowed the US/NATO forces in Afghanistan to operate inside Pakistan.
On Thursday, September 11, the Pakistan Army was given permission to retaliate against any action by foreign troops inside the country. The same day, the Pakistan ambassador to the U.S. also met some national security advisers of the Bush administration and got the assurance that the U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan would not operate inside Pakistan or launch any strike. As if to rub salt in the wound, the same night the coalition forces launched another missile attack on Miranshah, killing more than 12 people.
What is happening? What is the U.S. up to? More importantly, what can Pakistan do?
Clearly, the U.S. is stung by Pakistan discovering who is the real enemy. Pakistan has decided to liquidate the TTP and is succeeding with popular support. The U.S. should have been satisfied that the Pakistan Army is pursuing the TTP, but it is not. Clearly, the TTP is the excuse not the target. The American objective is to destabilize Pakistan. I refer to the article titled ‘The Destabilization of Pakistan’ by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky of Global Research, Canada, in which it was revealed, before Feb. 18 elections, that U.S. sees an opportunity in the elections to advance its agenda and is supporting the terrorists inside Pakistan towards that end. He wrote:
“Washington will push for a compliant political leadership, with no commitment to the national interest, a leadership which will serve US imperial interests, while concurrently contributing under the disguise of "decentralization", to the weakening of the central government and the fracture of Pakistan's fragile federal structure.â€â€¦. "U.S. Special Forces are expected to vastly expand their presence. The official justification and pretext… to extend the "war on terrorism". Concurrently, to justify its counter-terrorism program, Washington is also beefing up its covert support to the "terrorists."
It has become apparent that the insurgency in the FATA and elsewhere in NWFP is aided and abetted by the US. It wants to weaken the control of the federal government over the provinces and regions of Pakistan and it does not care whether it is achieved by Islamists or by ethnic nationalists. It supports the BLA as well as Baitullah Mehsud. It maintains its contacts with the MQM, the ANP, Baloch Nationalists as well as the JUI. It came to court the PPP as it concluded it was not overly concerned with ‘national interests’. The economic conditions have been deteriorating so fast that the economy is being described as close to ‘melt-down’. The only remaining condition yet to be met for ‘destabilization’ to become unstoppable is the ‘demonization’ of the Pakistan Army.
That explains why General Kayani’s defiant statement was quickly followed by another Predator attack. Now the ball is in General Kayani’s court; will he be the one to blink first? Will he be forced by his civilian masters – Zardari and Gilani – not to follow up on his promise and become subject of ridicule? But Pakistan has options. First and foremost, the objectives of the so-called ‘war on terror’ would have to be revised; it must henceforth deal exclusively with clearing FATA and Swat of TTP, and pacifying the area.
The approach of the people of Pakistan towards the U.S. has been transformed by the raid on Pakistan’s soil. Until now, they thought that the U.S. presence in Afghanistan was no threat to Pakistan. They had a benign view of the war despite the horrendous civilian casualties. They thought the war brought funds for development and democracy in its wake. Now the support for U.S. presence in the region is zero. The people see the United States as the main enemy; the so-called extremists are the proxies and surrogates of the USA.
Second, the firm forthrightness of the Army Chief has made him popular and brought admiration for the armed forces, instead of being demonized. The PPP, which felt secure in power after the elevation of its co-chairman to the office of the President, is likely to feel threatened. The Prime Minster has already said that his Government would deal with the situation through diplomacy. But if the bombs continue to rain in FATA and more helicopter raids occur, the people would be outraged and demand retaliation. What would the Government do? It is time to be cool and act; diplomacy rarely works when it is mere talk. Since most of the raids are by air, Pakistan needs to deploy anti-aircraft weapons to protect outposts and villages. The U.S. and NATO would need to be informed that violation of air space would be considered ‘hostile’ and dealt with as such.
U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan depend on supply from or transit through Pakistan for a number of things. None need to stop but accidents do happen. After all, the U.S. did not solicit the assassination of Benazir Bhutto; they just let Baitullah Mehsud go through with what he was planning anyway. After deployment of anti-aircraft weapons on the border and ‘go slow’ strike on the tail from Karachi to Khybar, the ball would be in the U.S. court. It could take another step on the escalation ladder or sense might prevail.
However, Pakistan cannot afford to blink first. There will be rows between the civil and military leadership and it is hard to tell if the military advice would be accepted. But the Zardari Administration is already on the wrong side of the public opinion on the issue of restoration of the judges made dysfunctional by General Musharraf. He will be on the wrong side of the public opinion once again if he did nothing in the face of mounting casualties of soldiers and civilians a the hands of the USA.
Comments:
-> B. Mehsood was freed from G. Bay a few years back and that is the biggest proof of CIA support. On 28th of May Pakistan advised the CIA of the Mehsood's location but htey didn't use thier drones to attack his truck.
Musharraf was furious over this and was going to take an action but on the same day Zardari asked him to resign (co-incedent, I think not).
Good thing is that top Army brass is patriotic and has the same thinking as of Musharraf.
-> yea this is fact that USA, India, Israel and Afghanistan have been supporting Taliban against Pakistan. but it is also fact that these Talibans are actually creation of these coutries, just to threaten Pakistan and to impose war and pressure on the country, especially in such a political crices as rencent and chlidish Government. Immediate need of the time is to tell the nation about these facts and to destroy such so-called Talibans and Mujahiddins. Kiyani has done a great step and whole nation is behind him. I salute Gen Kiyani
And the ace up their (our) sleeve?
In the event that it becomes necessary to whip up American enthusiasm for a larger war in Pakistan, or some limited but horrific blow?
The Porkchop Transfer.
Pressure on the new Government
Perhaps there really is an awakening in the Pakistani leadership. A resistance to the US (and other foreign influence) for which the Marriott hotel may have been bombed.
Now economic pressure is being directed on Pakistan as well.
S&P's turns screw on Pakistan
By R M Cutler
Oct 9, 2008
MONTREAL - Pakistan's economic outlook, already darkened by internal violence, strife on its border with Afghanistan, soaring inflation and a plunging stock market, took a turn from bad to worse this week with the decision by Standard & Poor's to downgrade its foreign-currency rating...
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JJ09Df01.html
'Play or no pay' warning for Pakistan
By Jim Lobe
Oct 9, 2008
WASHINGTON - Calling Pakistan the "greatest single challenge" to the next United States administration, a bipartisan group of South Asia experts recommends cutting aid to the Pakistani army unless it commits itself to the counter-insurgency struggle against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
"The Pakistan military should understand that its failure to embrace this fundamental shift in outlook will significantly reduce US military assistance," according to the report by the "Pakistan Policy Working Group" of the government-supported US Institute of Peace (USIP) that was released with little fanfare in Washington late last week...
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JJ09Df04.html
Pakistan is nervous; it
Pakistan is nervous; it cannot believe that the United States can turn on its ally so fast and so easy.
Those ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it.
In Pakistan, the main terrorist organization - Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
I'm so dumb. I thought it was a tie between the CIA and the ISI.
 Although the story came out several weeks ago, the people of Pakistan
are still stunned by the revelation that the TTP is CIA sponsored.
Shocked! Shocked, I tell ya.
Pakistan army took a long time to read the signs because it just could
not believe that the U.S. could resort to such diabolical stratagem
against its ‘ally’.
Allegiance to profit. Loyalty to none! USA. We're number one.
What is happening? What is the U.S. up to? More importantly, what can Pakistan do?
Answer to the first:
...the American aim is the same: to fragment the nation and impose unpopular/weak governments that will bend to U.S. will.
the second:
Same old, same old.
the last:
Probably a lot of things. But most likely, Pakistan will do nothing.
good call The elite in any
good call
The elite in any client country will pretend not to know what is happening to fool their own people. They want to appear as victims even though they had known what was happening all along and actively conniving with their foreign puppet masters.
Perhaps the situation vis-a-vis the local population has made it impossible to maintain the previous relationship with the foreign masters (do everything asked of them - then shutup & collect paycheck), and this is putting the new leadership in a compromised position between the two.
poor Patsystan!!!
It figures that Pakistan has been used as a check on India's power seeing as how it borders both her *and* Afghanistan land of lawless turmoil where the drugs used to pay for covert ops off the books are grown, i.e. the key to the "Grand Chessboard"...
Drugs, drugs. Who's got the drugs?
Map of the week: The mystery of the missing opium
It's a mystery that has got British law enforcement officials and others across the planet scratching their heads. Put bluntly, enough heroin to supply the world's demand for years has simply disappeared.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) describes the situation as "a time bomb for public health and global security".
This week's Map of the Week comes courtesy of the UNODC. It shows their latest estimate of opium production in Afghanistan - another bumper year.
A crop of 7,700 tonnes will produce around 1,100 tonnes of heroin - it basically works on a 7:1 ratio.The mystery is that the global demand for heroin is less than half that. In other words, Afghanistan only needs to produce 3,500 tonnes to satisfy every known heroin user on the planet.
Look at the graph, though.
For the past three years, production has been running at almost twice the level of global demand.The numbers just don't add up.
There are two credible theories.
Theory 1: A large and undocumented market has opened up in countries which don't want to admit the problem. Russia has long been in denial over the scale of its heroin problem and the same may be true in emerging drug markets like Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.
The Iranians are certainly increasingly anxious about the opium fields on their doorstep. Border guards and police have been involved in deadly shoot-outs with smugglers with experts suggesting that there are now a million heroin users in Iran.
But the over-supply is so great that it is hard to conceive of it all disappearing in to the blood-streams of new addicts in Tehran and Ashgabat.
Theory 2: Vast quantities of heroin and morphine are being stockpiled. Antonio Maria Costa, head of the UNODC is convinced that is the only explanation. In a recent bulletin he issues an urgent order: 'Find the missing opium.' "As a priority, intelligence services need to examine who holds this surplus, where it may go, and for what purpose" he says. "We know little about these stockpiles of drugs, besides that they are not in the hands of farmers."
Further credibility is given to the stockpiling theory in that 'farm-gate' prices for opium remain pretty stable at about $70 per kilo.
So where are the thousands of tonnes of drugs that the UNODC describe as a "time bomb"?
Well a clue, perhaps, comes from a senior law enforcement official who told me that British undercover teams in Afghanistan are reporting seizures of "enormous quantities of precursors".
Precursors are the chemicals required to turn base opium into heroin.The intelligence suggests that, rather than export opium to established drug laboratories in, for example, eastern Turkey, smugglers are processing the crop in Afghanistan.
The likelihood is that vast quantities of heroin are being warehoused somewhere close to the fields where the opium grows.
But there is another mystery surrounding the heroin market at the moment. If the international drug cartels are so awash with product that they are prepared to risk hiding billions of dollars worth, why are there shortages on some British streets?
That is the peculiar state of affairs revealed in Drugscope's recent trends survey.
"Some areas are experiencing outright shortages or shortages of good quality heroin. The quality of street heroin had dropped in 12 of the 20 town and cities surveyed, with five areas - Penzance, Cardiff, north London, Luton and Birmingham - noticing a shortage of the drug on the streets" the report says.
The field-work, conducted in July and August, finds shortages had typically been in place for two months - a longer stretch than is usual in a market well known for its peaks and troughs.
The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) believes the heroin shortage in some parts of the country could have been sparked by a rise in the price of UK wholesale heroin. "Current intelligence suggests that some criminal groups are having difficulty getting hold of what they perceive to be good quality heroin."
One theory is that smugglers are using new routes, increasingly distributing heroin through East Africa.The switch in tactics may have led to a temporary pause in supply which is being felt in the UK.
But very few would claim the shortages are the result of police activity. The Drugscope survey concludes that "street level drug enforcement had little long-term impact on illegal drug markets." At best, operations only disrupt the flow of drugs for a few days or weeks and merely displace drug use and drug dealing for a short time.
One serious anxiety is that the economic downturn will herald a new wave of drug misuse.The recession in the 80s coincided with the British heroin epidemic. In the US it was crack cocaine.
It is not just that people turn to drugs to blot out the misery of a downturn. If the crisis pushes up unemployment, it is likely that, deprived of a legitimate way to make a living, some may turn to an illegitimate source.
Perhaps a global downturn is what the drug cartels, with their huge stockpiles of heroin, have been waiting for.
Update: 16:10
Since posting this article the Serious Organised Crime Agency has been in touch.
SOCA has a number of undercover operatives in southern Afghanistan. They tell me this: "Whilst the cultivation and production of opium in Afghanistan is in decline, intelligence suggests there is considerable stockpiling of narcotics by Afghan criminal networks in order to control prices in the growing markets in Russia, China and within the local region."
I also understand that Nato's top operations commander is calling for more aggressive tactics against the opium trade in Afghanistan. US General John Craddock will tell Defence Ministers gathering in Budapest that troops should focus on "high-end" targets like drug dealers and laboratories.
Some Nato ministers, however, are concerned that any crackdown would prompt a violent backlash against allied troops.
"A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."
~~ attributed to Senator Everett Dirksen
Here's what I don't get.
Why is opium production always translated as heroin production? There's a huge market for both natural and semi-synthetic (i.e. semi-natural) opioids, of which heroin is just one. (The amount needed to produce religion is another huge factor in demand for opiates.) I think I heard once that Turkey has the market cornered on opium poppy cultivation for "legitimate" use, but I'd like to track that down.
poppy seeds for bagels?
they *have* become quite popular...
Good point...
Also cake.
Cake?
Did I hear someone say cake?Â
"A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."
~~ attributed to Senator Everett Dirksen
Some certain radio talk show host said something yesterday...
 ... about a plan for a massive helicopter aerosol spraying application of opiates over large metropolitan areas in the event of r3VOLution.
DeBeers, the world's largest diamond mining company, stockpiles the best diamonds in vaults and destroys (burns?) many more to artificially keep prices inflated. Oil companies have shut down refineries to constrict and limit production, keeping prices elevated.  Maybe stockpiling of poppy harvests is being done for the same reason.
"A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."
~~ attributed to Senator Everett Dirksen
Joshua Foust has a post on Afghan opium economics
Hitch on Heroin, and Other Perspectives
http://www.registan.net/index.php/2008/10/08/hitch-on-heroin-and-other-perspectives/
"Water shortages, soil moisture and salinity, severe socioeconomic
inequality driving food insecurity, a poor presence of formal
institutions, all have decisive impacts on a household decision whether
or not to cultivate opium."
It might also factor into a long-term storage plan so as to be able provide product to steady customers in years where severe drought limits cultivation and/or changing political winds restrict production.
"A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."
~~ attributed to Senator Everett Dirksen
More on U.S. involvement in the Afghan Drug Trade
How Deeply is the U.S. involved in the Afghan Drug Trade?
by Eric Margolis
Experience in Indochina and Central America suggests that CIA, the principal paymaster for U.S.-backed Afghan warlords, may be more deeply involved in the drug trade than we yet know.
October 16, 2008
Afghanistan is in a `downward spiral,' the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, admitted last week, giving the most negative view of that conflict heard in Washington.
Military men are programmed to always be optimistic, so Admiral Mullen's grim words were particularly noteworthy. They also flatly contradicted the rosy claims of `progress' in Afghanistan made by the Bush administration and its increasingly dispirited allies in Canada, France, Germany, Italy and other NATO nations that were dragooned into this deeply unpopular war.
Most Europeans see the Afghan conflict as a 19th-century style colonial war for regional domination and resources. By contrast, Americans are still being misled by their corporate media and posturing politicians of both parties into believing the seven-year U.S. occupation of Afghanistan is a noble `anti-terrorism' mission that is defending women's rights and rebuilding a ravage nation instead of another brutal grab for energy, this time from the Caspian Basin.
In a troubling example of Vietnam-style 'mission creep,' the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, is calling for 15,000 more American troops on top of the 8,000 now slated to arrive in January 2009. His predecessor told Congress that 400,000 U.S. troops would be needed to pacify Afghanistan.
But McKiernan also called for talks with Afghan nationalists resisting western occupation collectively known as Taliban. Days earlier, it was revealed that senior British officers and diplomats in Afghanistan had called the US-led war `un-winnable' and advocated peace talks with Taliban.
Admiral Mullen also ordered U.S. and NATO forces to begin targeting Afghanistan's opium and heroin dealers. Under American tutelage, Afghanistan has become the world's leading narco-state, surpassing even Colombia, and now producing 90% of the world's heroin. Well over half of the nation's GDP consists of drug money. Considering this, Admiral Mullen's 'shoot on sight' orders seem rather overdue.
The 64,000 rupee question that arises from Admiral Mullen's new anti-drug policy is: Why was it not done seven years ago when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan? Why did Washington turn a blind eye to the Afghan drug trade and is only now taking some action?
The answer is simple and dismaying. America's local allies in Afghanistan, the politicians and warlords who overthrew Taliban in 2001, are up to their turbans in the heroin trade. Drug money is the blood that courses through Afghanistan's veins and keeps the economy limping along. The U.S.-installed Karzai regime in Kabul propped up by US and NATO bayonets has only two sources of income: cash handouts from Washington, and the proceeds of drug dealing.
When Taliban ruled 90% of Afghanistan from 1996-2001, it almost totally stamped out poppy cultivation as un-Islamic. The UN's drug control agency has confirmed this fact. The only remaining source of drug dealing was in the remote northeast of Afghanistan controlled by the Russian and Iranian-backed Northern Alliance, made up of Tajik Panshiri tribesmen, brutal Uzbek warlord Rashid Dostam, and the remains of the old Afghan Communist Party.
In 2001, the U.S. overthrew Taliban and put the drug-dealing Northern Alliance and Communists in power. Since then, Afghanistan's drug production has spread across the nation and exports have soared by 60-70%, making Afghanistan the source of nearly all the world's supply of heroin.
Washington called off efforts by the Drug Enforcement Agency to combat the Afghan drug trade for fear of endangering the power base of its former CIA `asset,' President Hamid Karzai. Starting with Karzai's brother, Ahmed Wali, the U.S.-installed regime's most important supporters are all involved in varying degrees with the heroin trade. As this writer has seen himself, almost every important warlord gets revenue from the drug trade. The Northern Alliance warlords are considered the biggest of the nation's narco-dealers. Ahmed Karzai denies involvement.
Moving against the drug warlords would have meant undermining Karzai's sole domestic support. So Washington held its nose and let the drug trade flourish in order to sustain the occupation. The faux `war on terror' and lust for Caspian energy trumped the old war on drugs.
Experience in Indochina and Central America suggests that CIA, the principal paymaster for U.S.-backed Afghan warlords, may be more deeply involved in the drug trade than we yet know.
Author Alfred McCoy's wrote a brilliant study in his ground-breaking `The Politics of Heroin' in which he documents how first French, then American intelligence was drawn into the heroin trade in Laos and Vietnam as a way of supporting anti-Communist guerilla fighters. The same thing happened in Central America where CIA collaborated with cocaine-dealing members of the anti-Communist Contras.
In both cases, drugs served as a currency and became more important than paper money. French and American spies even ended up transporting heroin for their local allies. The same may be happening in Afghanistan.
Equally disturbing, there is no way that simple Afghan farmers or Taliban fighters are running the drug trade, as Washington claims. Poppy sap is collected and converted into opium tar. Then it is smuggled to secret labs in Pakistan to be transformed into first morphine base, and then purified into heroin. None of these drugs would move south into Pakistan or be processed with imported chemicals without the full cooperation and assistance of the Afghan government, its supporting warlords, and local Pakistani officials. The drugs are then smuggled out of the port of Karachi, again under at protection by port and local officials. Pakistan is a key U.S. ally.
The Karzai regime has been totally corrupted by the drug trade, and so has parts of Pakistan's establishment. But the United States has also become corrupted in the sense that it has done nothing to combat this scourge and has collaborated with Afghanistan's drug barons by at minimum turning blind eye.
When the history of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan is written, Washington's sordid involvement in the heroin trade and its alliance with drug lords and war criminals of the Afghan Communist Party will be one of the most shameful chapters.
:: Article nr. 48016 sent on 17-oct-2008 06:54 ECT
www.uruknet.info?p=48016
Link: www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2008/10/15/how-deeply-is-the-u-s-involved-in-th...
-drug-tradeo.html
"A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."
~~ attributed to Senator Everett Dirksen
I think there is a lot of
I think there is a lot of significant changes taking place in Pakistan. For a country to be awakened that the CIA is behind allegedly "indigenous" terrorism is a big step. Once a country is aware of this type of deception, it gets a lot harder for the foreign meddlers to control media and information. An informed population will be a lot harder to deceive and is less willing to take crap either from the foreign meddlers or their local puppets.
I find it amazing that the article above was even written. If you google TTP and CIA you can now get quite a good list of interesting and revealing articles. Below is one of those. Note how the Israeli Mossad is implicated in the bombing of the Indian embassy in Turkey.
http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-bin/blogs/voices.php/2008/09/25/p2901...
09/25/08
The Real Story Behind Marriott Attack
Asif Haroon Raja
When Gen. Musharraf submitted to U.S. pressure after 9/11 and ditched the Taliban in Afghanistan, he provided air bases as well as logistics support and shared intelligence with CIA. He allowed CIA and FBI to recruit agents in FATA and other places and to establish their outposts. The focus of ISI and other agencies was shifted towards hunting and nabbing so-called terrorists all over the country, in monitoring dissident elements within the army and in political wheeling and dealings. The CIA acquired all the links ISI and MI had both sides of the Pak-Afghan border and gradually took most agents on ISI payroll within its fold. By virtue of having better technology and means the CIA was able to take over intelligence acquisition and dissemination system. As a consequence the troops operating in FATA became entirely dependent upon CIA inputs. Taking advantage of complete liberty of action, CIA succeeded in buying the loyalties of many tribal chiefs and notables in FATA by doling out dollars in sacks since it knew that the Pashtun could not be crushed by force but could be purchased. Those not falling in line were got killed.
In FATA, Nek Muhammad was first cultivated and provided logistic support. When he entered into a peace deal with Pak Army in July 2005, he was killed using precision guided missile. Abdullah Mehsud, an Afghan war veteran who had also fought the Northern Alliance in October-November 2001 was captured and brainwashed during his two years internment in Guantanamo Bay. He was released after agreeing to work on terms dictated by CIA and he soon was able to takeover the leadership role. His death at Zhob at the hands of Pak security forces was a loss for CIA.
Baitulah Mehsud and Fazlullah had not taken part in Afghan jihad and do not qualify to head Taliban; yet 30 year old Baitullah has managed to create Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Fazlullah calls the shots in Swat. Mulla Omar had never shown interest in establishing any links with Pakistani Taliban and had warned Nek Muhammad not to operate under the brand name of Taliban. It is being questioned as to how come Baitullah, Fazlullah and their spokesmen desperately wanted by Pakistan security forces have escaped the hawk eye of USA, particularly after they have been seen giving detailed interviews to media and using their cell phones? ISI had once given six figure coordinates of Baitullah and yet no Hellfire missile was fired on his hideout by CIA. The TTP that has spread its influence in all the seven agencies of tribal belt and in neighboring settled districts of NWFP has succeeded in making inroads into Punjab, particularly southern Punjab. Large number has been recruited from Chiniot, Bahawalpur, Dera Nawab, Bahawalnagar, Faisalabad, Sialkot and other places.
After Shakai peace deal with the militants in South Waziristan in July 2005, Pakistan was subjected to a calculated slander campaign. Having pushed more than one hundred thousand troops into the furnace of FATA it was scoffed at for not doing enough to control militancy in FATA. Pakistan was also accused of nuclear proliferation and IAEA kept up the pressure to hand over AQ Khan for interrogation. Musharraf accepted the charge and forced AQ Khan to make a confession to defuse the heat. The religious extremist threat was blown out of all proportions and it was repeatedly stated that Pakistan’s nuclear assets had become unsafe. Musharraf accepted this charge as well and promised to fight extremism and terrorism with full force.
After declaring Pakistan as the most dangerous country, FATA was declared as the most dangerous place on earth. Pakistan was blamed for growing turbulence in Afghanistan since in the view of U.S. military leaders and Karzai Pak army was not doing enough to control militancy. The phenomenon of missile attacks by drones commenced in January 2006 when a suspected target in Damadola was attacked killing scores of innocent civilians. Another deadly missile attack was launched on a Madrassa in Bajaur in October that year killing 80 students. Ever since, this phenomenon continues unabated.
Once the ISI was freed from the wild goose chase of so-called terrorists and came under pressure on account of missing persons, it started to concentrate on its primary task in the troubled spots. To its horror it found far too many militant groups and criminal gangs operating under the guise of religious militants and cultivated by foreign agencies.
They were the ones involved in carrying out gruesome beheadings of security personnel and torching girls’ schools to defame the real Taliban who had a peaceful agenda. Besides CIA and RAW, even Iran and Uzbekistan had developed their tentacles in Balochistan, Swat and Kurram Agency. Most of the pro-Pakistan groups had been purchased or neutralized and those not coming to terms were eliminated by groups sponsored by CIA. Things had gone topsy-turvy and ISI found itself at a loss how to differentiate between friend and foe.
It is when the ISI began to recover the lost ground and renewed its old contacts in FATA and started to expose and block clandestine activities of CIA, RAW and RAM that all hell broke lose on ISI. Instead of feeling ashamed of what they were doing, USA had the cheeks to start making hue and cry that ISI was linked with the Taliban and that it must be emasculated. The three colluding partners lost their cool when the Indian Embassy in Kabul was subjected to a suicide attack on 7 July 2008. The trio fumed with anger and blamed ISI without even carrying out preliminary investigations. It was alleged that the perpetrator of suicide attack belonged to Gujranwala. Adm. Mike Mullen and Deputy Director CIA Stephen Kappes came huffing and puffing to Islamabad on 12 July and expressed their concern in strong words. Both Gen Tariq and Gen Kayani were told to bring the ISI to heel and to control militancy on their side of the border. The details of suicide bomber provided by the visitors proved false. It transpired later on that it was a bomb planted in a parked jeep which was detonated with the help of a remote control and was masterminded by Mossad.
The month of September saw intensification of missile attacks and each attack resulted in loss of innocent lives. The idea was to antagonize pro-government Waziris and also to force them to migrate as had happened in case of Bajaur. To further up the ante, Pakistan was declared as a battleground and a first ever ground attack was carried out by U.S. troops on the night of 3 September at Angoor Adda killing 15 men women and children. A deadly missile attack was conducted on pro-Pakistan Jalaluddin Haqqani house in North Waziristan on 8 September killing 25 inmates mostly women and children. He was blamed for carrying out attack on Indian Embassy.
The intruding drone was forced to beat a hasty retreat on 12 September when Pakistani jets got airborne and started to track it. A ground attack on 15th was also thwarted by the troops and locals. So far, 62 border violations have been carried out by U.S.-ISAF forces including 36 after the takeover by PPP government in March 2008. So far 30 missile attacks have been made killing innocent people. In none of the attacks any Al-Qaada operative or militant Taliban was killed.
The nexus in Kabul is working upon a scripted plan to make FATA lawless and beyond the control of security forces, push militancy into settled areas and then into major cities and thus create a civil warlike situation to prove their contention that Pakistan was the most dangerous country in the world and that the extremists were on the verge of taking over power and nuclear weapons. After inflaming South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Mohmand Agency, Khyber Agency, Darra Adam Khel, Kurram Agency, Hangu and Swat, Bajaur Agency was built into a stronghold of militants where huge cache of arms and ammunition was dumped. By virtue of being located at the crossroad of the tribal belt and also linked with Dir, Swat and Afghanistan, it was to act as bulwark and a launching pad to provide reinforcement to other areas.
10,000 Indian troops are stationed in Afghanistan under the garb of supervising construction of road Jalalabad-Port Chahbahar project that has now been completed. Whereas India has officially declared 14 Indian consulates in Afghanistan, on ground they have 107 in which 20 intelligence units are burning their midnight oil to destabilise Pakistan. Many mercantile shops run by Indians have an intelligence office in the rear. In Wakhan, a religious Madrassa run by Indian Muslim clerics is functioning since 2002 under the patronage of RAW and Mossad. Very young boys, mostly orphans, destitute or homeless are recruited. Recruits are mostly Afghans, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Caucasians. The latter being fair skinned and resembling Europeans are trained to hit targets in Europe or in USA to once again create a 9/11 like situation.
Reportedly, 10,000 ideologically motivated terrorist and suicide bombers have been trained. Besides receiving military training, they have also been made to learn Pashto and customs of the Pashtun. They are regularly infiltrated into troubled spots of Pakistan. Posing as volunteers they join the rank and file of militants to fight the army. They are the ones who are destroying schools, CD shops, bridges and other installations and carrying out brutal beheading of captured personnel. The idea is to create chaos and confusion and also to defame the real Taliban that have not come under their influence. They are also responsible for creating cleavages within the people of FATA and in disrupting peace deals. In Kurram Agency, Afghan officers and soldiers are actively involved in the sectarian conflict by way of providing arms and ammunition to Shias belonging to Tori tribe and physically participating in duels with Sunnis. In Swat, Fazlullah led militants are supplied with war munitions as well as fighters.
Likewise, dissident tribal chiefs in Balochistan including late Akbar Bugti were also taken on board. The CIA helped in reincarnating BLA and providing all sorts of war munitions to Baloch militants belonging to Bugti, Marri and Mengal tribes and establishing over 60 Farari camps in Balochistan. Shamsi airbase that was handed over to USA in October 2001, houses Blackhawk helicopters primarily engaged in monitoring the entire length of Iranian border. CIA has cultivated Sunni Iranian Baloch Jandullah group (not the one that had operated against 5 Corps commander). It is anti- Iranian regime and was utilized by CIA to carryout acts of sabotage in Iran through Zahidan. Iran has now constructed a stone wall all along its border to prevent cross border terrorism from Baluchistan. It has clouded Pak-Iran relations since the latter feels that such activities could not have been undertaken without the blessing of Pak government.
It is now clear that our so-called friends have been playing a double game. Now that USA has bared its teeth and let its intentions known, to pretend that it would stop short of achieving its objectives will be like living in fools’ paradise. It is simply degrading to unashamedly say that we cannot fight the Americans. It is also preposterous to assume that Pakistan may not survive without American support. Pro-American elements within Pakistan on U.S. payroll have been parroting this theme since creation of Pakistan to safeguard their vested interest. North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Iran, Somalia are living examples who have survived despite adopting hostile posture against USA. It is high time that we gird up our loins and put our act together to face up to the challenge boldly.
The army under Gen. Kayani has expressed its resolve to confront the threat and safeguard country’s sovereignty irrespective of the consequences. It is now up to our week-kneed rulers oblivious of the ominous threat and still busy in power game as to how they stand up to the test. It will be naive to expect that the threat will be warded off with diplomacy alone. We must make USA realize that it will become exceedingly difficult for U.S. led allied troops to operate in Afghanistan if Pakistan opts out of fighting U.S. war of terror and refuses to provide transit facility to carry oil and food supplies to its troops in Afghanistan. The magnitude of dependence can be gauged from the fact each day over 400 containers ply from Karachi and Quetta to Afghanistan transporting food, munitions and 300 million gallons of fuel for U.S.-Nato troops in Afghanistan. We may also consider bridling CIA’s unchecked activities and closing down four bases in control of USA.
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
Asif Haroon Raja is a defence and a political analyst. This article was first published by the Asian Tribune.
© 2008 Asif Haroon Raja
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Just imagine if the US and Israel's population awaken to the deceptions and false flags committed by their governments on their own citizens.
I wonder
why don't the Pakistanis just kick the US out? That would end the illegal war on Afghanistan, end the terrorism in Pakistan, end the false-flag events, etc. Maybe they are afraid that the US will just invade them anyway? Is this just blackmail happening? The US gov't is shit. I bet those men in Marine uniforms really were Marines (spied carrying mysterious heavy metal cases into the Marriott prior to the blast).
E
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"It is difficult to get the news from poems yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there."
--William Carlos Williams (from the poem 'From')
From what I have read above,
From what I have read above, the Pakistani leadership (president and prime minister) are still US puppets. The army general praised in the articles is responsible for countering the US. It would probably take something like what happened to Venezuela, a truthfully pro people leader being elected into power before we see a sweeping change where overt and covert US, Indian & Israeli operatives are swept out of that country.
"TTP" in Barcelona
TTP claims responsibility for foiled terror plan in Barcelona
http://www.dawn.com/2008/09/19/top13.htm
MADRID, Sept 18: A Pakistani Taliban group linked to Al Qaeda claims it was behind suicide attacks that were planned for Barcelona but thwarted by police, a terrorism expert wrote in a Spanish daily on Thursday.
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), “claimed responsibility for the terrorist massacre planned in public transports in Barcelona at the beginning of the yearâ€, wrote Fernando Reinares, from the Madrid-based Royal Elcano Institute, in El Pais.
According to Reinares, the movement claimed in a video interview aired at the end of August that 12 of its men had been planning the attack.
In the video, a spokesman for the Taliban movement named Omar said the attack was planned due to Spain’s military presence in Afghanistan.
Created in late 2007, the TTP has between 30,000-35,000 members and is allied with Al Qaeda and directly linked to the Taliban in Afghanistan, said Reinares.
On January 19, a group of radicals, suspected of planning attacks in Barcelona, was dismantled by Spanish intelligence services.
Spain’s anti-terrorist court on June 5 charged 11 South Asians, most of them Pakistanis, with belonging to a terrorist group.
During the Barcelona raids, police recovered bomb-making equipment, but said it was not enough for an attack.—AFP
i thought the TTP was
pakistani...
pulled from your first article, juan:
"... In Pakistan, the main terrorist organization - Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – has political aims and it seeks to capture and control territory. The TTP is sponsored by the CIA, which provides it money, weapons and equipment."
Hi Kate, According to the
Hi Kate,
According to the article in the original post the TTP is a Pakistani group, but sponsored by the CIA rather than a completely indigenous effort.
Their role as alleged in the article is to destabilize Pakistani society and justify greater US intervention in Pakistan.
In the article you cited, they are now alleged to be active in Spain as well. There is no contradiction there. If the CIA is their sponsor, then terrorist acts can be blamed on them anywhere. These activities when linked to TTP serve to discredit the Pakistani government and makes them look like they cannot control their own territory and terrorists.
I would take all of these news with a grain of salt. Even the original article I posted above.
this article says that the
this article says that the Pakistan Army is on one side, on the other is the Pakistani political leaders, the CIA and the fake Taliban terrorists
http://www.ahmedquraishi.com/article_detail.php?id=528
Using mass media to destabilize Pakistan
This blog article covers the authors suspicion that a TV channel which claims to be a CNN affiliate is actually an arm of the CIA tasked to destabilize Pakistan.
Since I do not live in Pakistan, I have no way to verify the accuracy of the article, but I suspect that it is true to some extent.
http://pakalert.wordpress.com/2008/10/08/geo-tv-cnn-cia/
October 8, 2008
Is Geo TV a CNN affiliate or is it the psy-ops wing of the CIA?
Geo TV is the most controversial TV channel in Pakistan. There is a general public perspective that the owners of Jang Group (owns Geo TV, Daily Jang Urdu newspaper and The News English newspaper and other media) can make or break any government in Pakistan… basically expert in blackmailing and propaganda. The people of Pakistan witnessed the role of Geo TV in the recent political crises in Pakistan which finally tumbled Musharraf government. The following is another view on this issue by Moin Ansari - Rupee News.
Just because it is in Urdu doesn’t make it true! Just because it was broadcast by a Pakistani channel doesn’t make it right! Just because it shows the Pakistani flag doesn’t mean it it loyal to Pakistan or patriotic.
By Moin Ansari
http://rupeenews.com
QUESTIONS GEO CANNOT ANSWER: Why does Geo collude with foreign media? Why does it focus on creating chaos and general discontent? Why does it act like an instrument of an political party? Why does Geo behave like the arm of a foreign force? Why did Geo deliberately broadcast false bad news about the economy when the stock market was booming? What hand did Geo play in scaring the foreign investors away from Pakistan? Why did Geo repeat the false news about the growth figures which led to the crash of the stock market? Why does Geo show wrong Pakistani maps? Why does Geo almost never cover the insurgencies in India? Why is Geo so infatuated with Anti-Pakistan Bollywood films? Why is Geo bent upon creating a “Indianization†of Pakistan? Why does Geo pay so much attention to Bollywood? Why does Geo show dead bodies? Is this all part of a psy-op or is it part of an agenda? Mr. Husain Haqqani of the Hudson institute is on the payroll of JINSA and AIPAC (public information posted on Rupee News) is a known neocon with his own agenda. His wife Ms. Isphani is involved with VOA and Geo pursuing the same Neocon agenda.
A company is known by the company it keeps. Geo certainty deals with some “colorful†characters. Its genesis, consultants, and affiliations leave much to be desired.
We have attempted to put together a thesis and a case on why Geo has exacerbated the conditions in Pakistan and why it is biased. The article discusses the origins of Geo and its connections with shady operatives. We present the actual proof of the affiliates of Geo. The information on the CIA psy-ops discusses how the CIA operates in other countries...
SUMMARY OF ARTICLE
The bottom line of this article is that Geo has connived with shady characters who are associated with foreign powers and have been up up to no good. Geo’s track record in showing dead bodies, and repeating nonsense on the economy, and providing place and comfort to the enemy. These facts are described in detail with actual quites, references and pointers.
1) Questions that Geo cannot answer
2) General discussion of CIA ops
3) CIA is active in Pakistan. NY Times report
4) CIA Dirty Tricks Department
5) Details on efforts to destabilize Pakistan
6) Strange happenings at Geo that cannot be explained
7) Geo origins and the people who helped in starting Geo. Geo’s connections to some ver un savory characters
8, Geo links with David Hazinski a known Neocon with deep links to Neocon organizaitons that have spoken up against Pakistan
9) Discussion of Weinberger’s his beliefs and his association with Geo and Mr. Hazinski
10) Discussion of the beliefs of Mr. Hazinski’s
11) Detailed discussion of the Media’s role in destabilizing Pakistan
12) Appendices, Farah Ispahani role in VOA and Geo, Resume of Mr. Hazinski
AMERICAN MEDIA WITH GEO AND ARY UNLEASHES ANTI-PAKISTAN CAMPAIGN ON CUE:
When the Elephants dance, the grass gets crushed. The continued CIA involvement in Pakistan. Another Pakistani leaders falls to an internation game betwen the USA, and China and Russia, and Paksitanis again pay the priceCIA PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS (PSY-OP) FROM THE MANUAL: The declassified documents are old, but it gives us a glimpse into what can happen. New techniques are more sophisticated.
(The implements of psychological warfare are: open propaganda, subversion, special operations (sabotage, guerrilla warfare, espionage), political and cultural pressures, economic pressures. The principal effects sought are persuasion, sympathy, terrorization, confusion, division and physical interference. These operations, ancient in origin, are modernly employed, notably by Italy, Germany, the Soviet Union and other principal powers. The programs are planned more or less centrally in all nations, but executed by a variety of agencies. Memorandum on Intelligence for Psychological Warfare, by General John Magruder, Feb. 1943 )
THE COVERT US INTERVENTION IN PAKISTAN IS CONFIRMED BY THE NY TIMES OF JAN 6th, 2008
“At the White House and the Pentagon, officials see an opportunity in the changing power structure for the Americans to advocate for the expanded authority in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country. “After years of focusing on Afghanistan, we think the extremists now see a chance for the big prize - creating chaos in Pakistan itself,†one senior official said.
The new options for expanded covert operations include loosening restrictions on the C.I.A. to strike selected targets in Pakistan, in some cases using intelligence provided by Pakistani sources, officials said. Most counter-terrorism operations in Pakistan have been conducted by the C.I.A.; in Afghanistan, where military operations are under way, including some with NATO forces, the military can take the lead.
The legal status would not change if the administration decided to act more aggressively. However, if the C.I.A. were given broader authority, it could call for help from the military or deputize some forces of the Special Operations Command to act under the authority of the agency. NY Times Jan. 6th, 2007
When the Elephants dance, the grass gets crushed. The continued CIA involvement in Pakistan. Another Pakistani leaders falls to an internation game betwen the USA, and China and Russia, and Paksitanis again pay the priceIn the 1980s, President Zia ul Haq was blown up in a military plane and Benazir Bhutto became the Prime Minister. However she was fired from her job for corruption.
ISLAMABAD: Was Benazir Bhutto’s assassination part of a larger international conspiracy to destabilise and de-nuclearise Pakistan? This is the question that boggles many minds even in the government circles.
Although, the government has fixed the responsibility on Baitullah Mehsud and al-Qaeda on the basis of a telephonic conversation reportedly monitored by intelligence agencies, some government officials really smell a rat.
“It is not important to see who is pulling the trigger, also don’t bother much about the hired assassin. What is really important is to reach the hand that pulled the strings,†an official source said, believing that foreign factor (not al-Qaeda) could not be ruled out in this high-profile assassination that has badly shaken Pakistan.
The Pakistan People’s Party and spokesmen of Baitullah Mehsud and al-Qaeda had already rejected the interior ministry’s assertion, which had been further contradicted by certain news reports that claimed that the slain leader was in contact with Mehsud.
A senior journalist, Hamid Mir, even confirmed this fact in his column in Jang that appeared on last Monday. He also revealed the startling fact he was told by Benazir Bhutto before her death that she was informed by the Americans that Washington did not want the restoration of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar, when contacted, although did not rule out international dimension to Benazir’s killing but he was more convinced that it was a heinous plot hatched inside Pakistan. Ansar Abbasi in The News
OLD CIA DIRTY TRICKS DEPT. & CIA DOLLARS CREATE DEMONSTRATIONS: Tons of money was sent to Pakistan for a well organized campaign to launch street demonstrations against President Musharraf. Mr. Ahmed Quraishi has quoted $500 million in funds were disbursed. As in 1979, during the PNA demonstration millions of Dollars were dispersed among professional agitators. Uzbek and Tajiks were recruited to create mayhem in Pakistan.
* A shadowy group called the BLA, a Cold War relic, rose from the dead to restart a separatist war in southwestern Pakistan. . Bugti’s death was a blow to neo-BLA, but the shadowy group’s backers didn’t repent. His grandson, Brahmdagh Bugti, is currently enjoying a safe shelter in the Afghan capital, Kabul, where he continues to operate and remote-control his assets in Pakistan.
* Saboteurs trained in Afghanistan have been inserted into Pakistan to aggravate extremist passions here, especially after the Red Mosque operation.
* Chinese citizens continue to be targeted by individuals pretending to be Islamists, when no known Islamic group has claimed responsibility. . A succession of “religious rebels†with suspicious foreign links have suddenly emerged in Pakistan over the past months claiming to be “Pakistani Talibanâ€. Some of the names include Abdul Rashid Ghazi, Baitullah Mehsud, and now the Maulana of Swat. Some of them have used, and are using, encrypted communication equipment far superior to what the Pakistani military owns.
* Money and weapons have been fed into the religious movements and al-Qaeda remnants in the tribal areas.
* Like the proverbial Don Quixote, is Dr. Agha chasing the ephemiral Turkish armies disguised as windmills? Or is he like Sancho Panza, who doesn’t know where the knight is headed but follows him anyway. Does she have substanceLike the proverbial Don Quixote, is Dr. Agha chasing the ephemiral Turkish armies disguised as windmills? Or is he like Sancho Panza, who doesn’t know where the knight is headed but follows him anyway. Does she have substanceExploiting the situation, assets within the Pakistani media started promoting the idea that the Pakistani military was killing its own people. The rest of the unsuspecting media quickly picked up this message. Some botched US and Pakistani military operations against al-Qaeda that caused civilian deaths accidentally fed this media campaign.This was the perfect timing for the launch of Military, Inc: Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy, a book authored by Ayesha Siddiqa Agha, a columnist for a Pakistani English-language paper and a correspondent for “Jane’s Defence Weeklyâ€, a private intelligence service founded by experts close to British intelligence. (Ahmed Quraishi is an investigative reporter, currently hosting a weekly political talk show titled Worldview from Islamabad.)
The media has been unleashed about the so called “instability†in Pakistan creating a justification for continued and more abrasive offensive action in South Asia. This to create instability in Pakistan that will be used as an excuse to continue the perpetual mimetic warfare in the Muslim world. Pakistan has been facing the brunt of the US initiative to implement “Democracy†in Pakistan even though the credentials of the champions of democracy are very weak. Neither Egypt, nor Uganda, nor Congo, nor Haiti, nor Taiwan, nor China nor Israel nor Russia face the US medias pontification on how great democracy is. This expose of Geo origins has tries to uncover the reasons why Geo acts so strangely.
Geo employs a lot of good reporters, but it also employs program hosts whose credentials and loyalty to Pakistan is questionable. For example Mr. Shaharyar Azhar is a known follower of Neocon philosophy and ideas always highlighting the negative news about Pakistan and not taking India or other countries to task. There are reports in the press that Geo has been instrumental in the campaign of disinformation about Pakistan. It has become a willing or unwilling instrument of those who wanted to destabilize Pakistan. The governemnt of Pakistan and the ISI of Pakistan got wind of Geo plans and recommended to the President to take action against Geo. The Emergency imposed by the previous government was to thwart the campaign of disinformation that was running concurrently by Time magazine and Newsweek Magazine and the Neocon News agencies in the West.
Why does Geo generally show the Indian version of events and why does its news sound like a translation of CNN news? Geo’s dangerous general policies are the main reason that the Pakistan was not allowing Geo to resume its transmission. Amazingly Geo is now starting a new “English News†channel to continue its activities against the the country. Where is the funding for all this coming from?
Whether Geo is an unwilling victim of its sponsors and her affiliates in the USA or India, or is Geo running a planned campaign and got caught with its pants down.
All Geo viewers want to find out the truth!
THE DETAILS TO DESTABILIZE PAKISTAN ARE AVAILABLE IN THE MEDIA AND KNOWN TO THE PAKISTANI LEADERSHIP WHICH HAS TAKEN PREVENTATIVE ACTIONS
THE 4th BHUTTO ASSASSINATION IS A MESSAGE TO THE USA. Who did it? THE 4th BHUTTO ASSASSINATION IS A MESSAGE TO THE USA. Who did it?THE 4th BHUTTO ASSASSINATION IS A MESSAGE TO THE USA. Who did it?
Professor Michel Chossudovsky sheds some light on the plan:
* “ It has been known for months that the Bush-Cheney administration and its allies have been maneuvering to strengthen their political control of Pakistan, paving the way for the expansion and deepening of the “war on terrorism†across the region.
* Various American destabilization plans, known for months by officials and analysts, proposed the toppling of Pakistan’s military…
* The assassination of Bhutto appears to have been anticipated. There were even reports of “chatter†among US officials about the possible assassinations of either Pervez Musharraf or Benazir Bhutto, well before the actual attempts took place. (Larry Chin, Global Research, 29 December 2007)
* “Regime change†with a view to ensuring continuity under military rule is no longer the main thrust of US foreign policy. The regime of Pervez Musharraf cannot prevail. Washington’s foreign policy course is to actively promote the political fragmentation and balkanization of Pakistan as a nation.
* A new political leadership is anticipated but in all likelihood it will take on a very different shape, in relation to previous US sponsored regimes. One can expect that Washington will push for a compliant political leadership, with no commitment to the national interest, a leadership which will serve US imperial interests, while concurrently contributing under the disguise of “decentralizationâ€, to the weakening of the central government and the fracture of Pakistan’s fragile federal structure.
* The political impasse is deliberate. It is part of an evolving US foreign policy agenda, which favors disruption and disarray in the structures of the Pakistani State. Indirect rule by the Pakistani military and intelligence apparatus is to be replaced by more direct forms of US interference, including an expanded US military presence inside Pakistan.
* This expanded military presence is also dictated by the Middle East-Central Asia geopolitical situation and Washington’s ongoing plans to extend the Middle East war to a much broader area.
* “U.S. Special Forces are expected to vastly expand their presence in Pakistan, as part of an effort to train and support indigenous counter-insurgency forces and clandestine counterterrorism units†(William Arkin, Washington Post, December 2007).
* The official justification and pretext for an increased military presence in Pakistan is to extend the “war on terrorismâ€. Concurrently, to justify its counterrorism program, Washington is also beefing up its covert support to the “terrorists.â€
* …Already in 2005, a report by the US National Intelligence Council and the CIA forecast a “Yugoslav-like fate†for Pakistan “in a decade with the country riven by civil war, bloodshed and inter-provincial rivalries, as seen recently in Balochistan.†(Energy Compass, 2 March 2005).
* ….Continuity, characterized by the dominant role of the Pakistani military and intelligence has been scrapped in favor of political breakup and balkanization.
* ….This US agenda for Pakistan is similar to that applied throughout the broader Middle East Central Asian region. US strategy, supported by covert intelligence operations, consists in triggering ethnic and religious strife, abetting and financing secessionist movements while also weakening the institutions of the central government. The broader objective is to fracture the Nation State and redraw the borders of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan Professor Michel Chossudovsky
STRANGE HEPPENINGS AT GEO THAT CANNOT BE EXPLAINED: Here are some facts about Geo and some example of how Geo demorolizes the population and the general body of the Pakistani dispora.
* GEO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CRASH OF THE STOCK MARKET: Geo repeatedly telecasted false news about the Pakistani economy, the political situation and hence the stock market crashed in Pakistan In a pre-orchestrated campaign.
* Geo focuses on the negative news and instead of focusing on solutions it shows bodies of dead people in contradiction of PEMRA and all decency requirements.
* Geo focuses on petrol prices but does not inform the viewers that most private cars in Pakistan now run on CNG (liqufied petroluem gas) which costs $5 for a tank full. Most people driving cars are not affected by the rise in petrol (gasoline) prices.
* In a planned manner Geo supresses and ignores good news like 5.1 billion dollar of oil refinery in Pakistan
Geo usually ignores good news like $28 Billion Emar international island development
* Geo is averse to good news about Pakistan–there is no discussion of the Bullet Trains in Pakistan.
* Geo does not focus foreign interference in Pakistani affairs.
* Geo did not discuss the 89 separatist movements in India in 2007 …from Seven Northeastern sister states, to the Naxalite insurrection, to Bihar to Kashmir, to Assam etc…
* Geo Dramas: 50 percent of the dramas are Indian dramas on Geo and 25 percent are with mix cast (Indian and Pakistani) and Indian film
* Geo focuses on showing beheading of people and other depressing news.
* Why did Geo not focus on showing 250 million people sleeping on sidewalks in India?
* Geo did not cover for 36 hours the killing of 3000 Muslims in Gujrat?
* Urdu is not used by many hosts. Morning host shows are in English and “Urdlish†( a horrible combination). The Younger generation is being spoiled by using them as instruments of hedonism.
* Some of the shows are way beyond the pale on being modern. Nudity is not modernity. Science and Technology is modernity.
* Geo plays into the hands of the opposition parties. It does not discuss opportunities for development.
When Mr. Shaharayar interviewed the President of Azad Kashmir he interrupted him and did not allow him to speak about the problems with the article of accession of Kashmir to India (which is now lost) if it ever existed.
* Geo continues to use Indian jargon like “partitionâ€. Partition signifies a temporary dissection of the whole. India was never whole. Even during British times there were more than 500 states in the Subcontinent. Some of them banded together to make Pakistan and others banded together to make India.
* Discussion of Kashmir, Manvanagar, Junagarh are non-existent on Geo. Most Geo maps show Kashmir as part of Pakistan. Zad Kashmir is never shown. Some Geo maps sill show the Nothern Areas as part of India or partof Kashmir.
* Kamran Khan was getting RS 25 lakh per month. Income vs. salary? Dr. Shahid Mahmud used to get Rs 22 laks per month. He was a member of NSF student Hamid Mir the Editor of “Ausaf†get Rs. 22 Lakh per month.
* Nadia Khan gets Rs 6 lacs per month. Income vs. salary?When Geo was not able to broadcast the 8-hour cricket match, Geo said they lost 1 billion Rupees, After the ban Goo kept on broadcasting for 36 hours without any income?Let us investigate the players involved with Geo from information that is publicly available. We see these links which will be analyzed.
1) The controversial David Hazinski an ex US Navy Petty Officer with contacts with the State Department and the American Jewish Committee (AJC)
2) Who is Todd Fratz and why does Geo associate with such characters?
3) Casper Weinberger, Ronald Reagan’s indicted and pardoned Secretary of Defense who predicted the “Next War†with a rogue state like Iran. Why does Geo align itself with known war mongeres.
4) Geo has strategic links with SkyTV of the UK, CNN, IBN-CNN in India and the Voice of America (VOA). See article on VOA Geo alliance in Pakistan. http://www.usembassy.gov/pakistan/h05111301.html
ORIGINS OF GEO:
Geo was started with the help of an ex US Naval Petty Officer by the name of Hazinski who has links with Mr. Casper Weinberger and many Indian channels.
According to (http://www.intelligentmc.com/people.html) “Most recently, he re-designed the central International Broadcast Center for the Voice of America in Washington and is consulting on new network launches for the VOAâ€. Mr. Hazinski is the principal of the company called IntelligentMC (http://www.intelligentmc.com/Welcome.html,2870 Peachtree Road #713, Atlanta, GA 30305-2918, USA, email: info@intelligentmc.com, url: http://www.intelligentmc.com).the other principal of Intelligent MC is Mr. Todd Frantz. “Todd comes to IMC from 10 years at CNN in Atlantaâ€. He has links to “Cox Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research at The University of Georgiaâ€
David Hazinski, associate professor at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, is the principle architect of GEO-TV and managed the station’s launch. Hazinski was contacted by the Jang Group, Pakistan’s largest newspaper publisher and GEO-TV’s owner, after he shepherded the successful launch of a similar station in India in January 2001. Aaj Tak, the first all-news, Hindi-language channel in India, now has a 60% share of the news audience in India.
As one of the owners of Intelligent Media Consultants, an Atlanta-based company that helps its clients design efficient and profitable network operations through the creative application of broadcast technology, Hazinski has worked all over the world launching news operations in markets starved for unbiased reporting. “This is really the cutting edge of technology and journalism,†says Hazinski, a former NBC news correspondent who says he and his partners have helped launch at least a dozen news operations in the last 10 years. “These are new markets. They haven’t been exposed to lots of TV.â€
Because most of Intelligent Media’s clients are unfamiliar with broadcast news techniques, Hazinski says he is able to tailor unique approaches that maximize their limited budgets. “These people are willing to try new things because they don’t want to pay the outrageous costs associated with news production in the United States,†he says. “Right now, based on what we learned in Pakistan, we’re convinced we can launch a network today for half of what it would have cost three years ago. And no one would see any quality difference on the air - even if we aired it in the U.S.â€
At GEO-TV’s main broadcast center in Karachi, Hazinski built a newsroom around 24 Mac G4s running Final Cut Pro. News footage is captured with 40 Sony PD150s and 15 PD100s. NewTek Video Toaster 2 systems are used at bureaus in Islamabad and Lahore to switch between the main broadcast center.
In addition to designing a systems approach for GEO-TV, Hazinski helped teach the station’s staff how to use the equipment and how to produce television news. Greg Pope, a freelance editor and producer formerly with CNN, spent one month in Karachi this summer training GEO-TV’s news staff, which primarily consists of newspaper journalists. “We basically had to convert people from print journalists to TV journalists,†says Pope, adding that he had never taught production techniques in a classroom setting to non-English speaking students. “These print people were basically issued cameras and editing equipment and within months were transformed from pen and paper to this new electronic media. Some of them didn’t even know how to use a keyboard when we started.â€
Considering the steep learning curve for the Pakistani journalists, Pope says he was amazed at their perseverance and enthusiasm. “These people are tired of having Western news and government news shoved down their throats,†says Pope, who estimates that he taught 100 people to shoot and edit video. “They want their own voice. They want to represent themselves in their own way.â€
But there is still a chance that the government will shut down GEO-TV. Pope says that while he was training the news staff, it was widely believed that there were spies for PTV within their ranks. However, in recent years the Jang Group has won many battles for freedom of the press, so there is hope that GEO-TV will succeed.
“If they have minimal government interference, [GEO-TV] will change the face of Pakistan,†says Pope.
http://digitalcontentproducer.com/broadcast/video_voice_people/
WHO IS DAVID DAVID HAZINSKI? Why did Geo hire a known Neocon for help in content?
He owns Intelligent Media Consultants, LLC, a company responsible for training the staffs and helping to launch eight television networks around the world, mostly on the sub-continent. These include Aaj Tak and CNN-IBN in India and GEO TV in Pakistan. He has also consulted for broadcasters and publishers such as the Voice of America, Gramedia in Indonesia, and Alsumaria in Beirut and Baghdad. While on the faculty, Hazinski spent two years as writer, co-host and technology advisor of the internationally syndicated World Business Review with Caspar Weinberger, the Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan. Before coming to UGA, Hazinski served six years as an international correspondent for NBC News, covering the U.S., Europe, and Central America — and ten years before that as a TV reporter with stations in Charlotte and Pittsburgh. Office: 139, Fax Number: (706) 542-2183, E-Mail Address: hazinski@grady.uga.edu
Hazinski holds a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorship, the university’s highest teaching award and has been appointed a Senior Teaching Fellow and a member of the Teaching Academy. He has received more than a dozen local, state, and national journalism awards, including a Golden Quill for Investigative Reporting.
Mr. Hazinski has been advocating restricting what he calls “Citizenship jounalism†which he considers dangerous. (http://tinyurl.com/yvjoox),(http://tinyurl.com/26byuh)
Investigative reporters may scrutinize the details of Mr. resume posted at the bottom of this post. Also posted on (http://www.grady.uga.edu/CV/Hazinski.2005.pdf)
http://www.athensworld.com/2007/12/response-to-professor-david-hazinski....
WHAT DOES THE GEO CONSULTANT MR. HAZINSKI BELIEVE IN? His address to the American Jewish Council dated 12/13/2007. You can read his article at the bottom of this page.
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2007/12/12/citizened_...
WHO IS CASPER WEINBERGER? And why did Geo associate with a known war monger?
Caspar Willard “Cap†Weinberger (August 18, 1917 - March 28, 2006), was an American politician and Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan from January 21, 1981, until November 23, 1987, making him the third longest-serving defense secretary to date, after Robert McNamara and Donald Rumsfeld. He is also known for his roles in the Strategic Defense Initiative program and the Iran-Contra Affair.
Following his resignation as Secretary of Defense, Weinberger was placed under indictment by Independent Counsel Lawrence E. Walsh. The formal indictment charged Weinberger withseveral felony counts of lying to the Iran-Contra independent counsel during its investigation. Weinberger received a Presidential pardon from President George H.W. Bush on December 24, 1992, after Bush had failed to win a second term.
In 1996, Weinberger co-authored a book entitled The Next War, which raised questions about the adequacy of US military capabilities following the end of the Cold War. After he published his book, his colleagues from the Reagan administration broke contact and refused to speak with him.
Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (’GBE’) in 1988, awarded in recognition for an “outstanding and invaluable†contribution to military cooperation between the UK and the US, particularly during the Falklands War of 1982. Wikipedia
WEINBERGER DISCUSSES IRAN AND THE NEXT WAR: From Publishers Weekly
Weinberger, secretary of defense for most of the Reagan years, collaborates with Schweizer, president of the James Madison Institute, to present five possible near-future scenarios in which the U.S. goes to war. Scenario one is based on a North Korean invasion of South Korea that ends in stalemate after a limited nuclear exchange. Number two casts Iran as a rogue state using ballistic missiles to alter the Middle East’s balance of power. The third scenario postulates a radical Mexican government scapegoating the U.S. as the source of its country’s woes. A fourth describes the conquest of Europe by a resurgent Russia?again with the aid of nuclear weapons. In scenario five, the U.S. and Japan reignite the Pacific War of 1941-1945, this time using “cyberstrikes†against information systems, chemical warfare and a nuclear exchange. The authors tell their stories through the eyes of fictional participants. This format, familiar to readers of techno-thrillers, is an effective framework for dramatizing a set of pessimistic conclusions. Because of America’s reduction of its conventional armed forces and its failure to build a missile defense system, none of the scenarios have outcomes more positive than stalemate achieved at high cost. The authors’ lament for such a missile system and for the armed forces of the past won’t convince those who believe that the dominant modes of future conflict will be terrorism and guerrilla war, however. Weinberger and Schweizer nevertheless make a case deserving serious consideration by citizens and policy-makers alike. PUblisher’s Weekly posted on Amazon
DESTABILIZING PAKISTAN: Geo has been blamed for participating in and highlighting events per CNN instructions.
Why is Geo not reporting Gen. Kayani’s statement that he suspects a foreign hand in the assassination to destabilize and denuclearize Pakistan? The silence is deafening!
Saboteurs trained in Afghanistan have been inserted into Pakistan to aggravate extremist passions here, especially after the Red Mosque operation.
Chinese citizens continue to be targeted by individuals pretending to be Islamists, when no known Islamic group has claimed responsibility. . A succession of “religious rebels†with suspicious foreign links have suddenly emerged in Pakistan over the past months claiming to be “Pakistani Talibanâ€. Some of the names include Abdul Rashid Ghazi, Baitullah Mehsud, and now the Maulana of Swat. Some of them have used, and are using, encrypted communication equipment far superior to what the Pakistani military owns.
Money and weapons have been fed into the religious movements and al-Qaeda remnants in the tribal areas.
Exploiting the situation, assets within the Pakistani media started promoting the idea that the Pakistani military was killing its own people. The rest of the unsuspecting media quickly picked up this message. Some botched US and Pakistani military operations against al-Qaeda that caused civilian deaths accidentally fed this media campaign.This was the perfect timing for the launch of Military, Inc: Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy, a book authored by Ayesha Siddiqa Agha, a columnist for a Pakistani English-language paper and a correspondent for “Jane’s Defence Weeklyâ€, a private intelligence service founded by experts close to British intelligence.
This compares Geo with ARY and PTV
http://siteanalytics.compete.com/ptv.com.pk+arydigitaltv.com+geo.tv/?met...
This compares Geo with CNN and Foxnews websites.
http://siteanalytics.compete.com/cnn.com+foxnews.com+geo.tv/?metric=uv
Here are the statistics on the number of posts and discussion of Geo on various boards:
http://boardreader.com/tp/Geo+tv.html
If things do not change, Pakistanis should cancel Geo and let them suffer.
END OF ARTICLE
APPENDIX A
press releases: VOA Launches Urdu TV For Pakistan, 11/13/2005
Washington, D.C. - The Voice of America (VOA) will launch Beyond the Headlines-its new television program in Urdu-on Monday, Nov. 14. The half-hour program will air on GEO TV in Pakistan at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on selected international satellites, including AsiaSat (Virtual Channel 409) and IOR (Virtual Channel 420).
Beyond the Headlines (Khabron se Aage), a fast-paced, contemporary production designed with young and urban Pakistanis in mind, will continue VOA’s 63-year tradition of broadcasting accurate and balanced information. Programs will examine international developments, technology, politics, social issues, education, religion, sports, and entertainment.
“We look forward to opening this important new channel of communication between the American people and Pakistan,†said Steven J. Simmons, a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees all United States international radio and television services. Simmons is chairman of the BBG’s Voice of America Committee, and has played a key role in increasing radio and TV service to Pakistan, including Beyond the Headlines.
“We’re particularly delighted with our partnership with GEO TV, the leading cable/satellite broadcaster in the Urdu language,†Simmons added. “This new program, together with our expanded radio service, demonstrates our growing commitment to reach the people of Pakistan with new, engaging programs on both radio and TV.â€
“The links between Pakistan and the United States are strong and growing, and our new show is a reflection of that,†said VOA Director David S. Jackson. “Beyond the Headlines will focus not only on the big issues of the day, but also on features, business, and culture stories that illuminate the world we live in. For example, we’ll show how Pakistanis live and work and go to school in the U.S. We want to provide a unique mix of stories that viewers can’t find anywhere else.â€
Farah Ispahani is the managing editor and executive producer for Beyond the Headlines. She joined VOA earlier this year, bringing more than 20 years of experience in print and television media at such news organizations as CNN, ABC, and NBC. Before she joined VOA, Ispahani, who is a fluent Urdu speaker, was instrumental in the launch of CNN’s Paula Zahn Now and Anderson Cooper 360.
Anchoring Beyond the Headlines will be Aneka Osman. A familiar face to Pakistanis, Osman worked as an English language news anchor on Pakistan Television. She has covered regional and national security issues, Pakistan-India relations, the conflict in the Middle East, and Pakistan’s general elections. She has also worked on Prime Television, the UK-based Pakistani channel, and on the Business Plus Channel.
Ayaz Gul is VOA Urdu’s Chief Reporter and Pakistan Coverage Coordinator for Radio Aap ki Dunyaa (Your World Radio), VOA’s Urdu radio service, and Beyond the Headlines. Gul, who is based in Pakistan, has been filing on-the-scene reports in Urdu and English for VOA since 1996, and his reports are translated into numerous languages throughout VOA. Prior to joining VOA, he worked for the Japanese network NHK and for the German news agency DPA as a reporter specializing in Pakistan’s foreign and domestic news.
VOA’s Urdu Service broadcasts 12 hours a day of news and information to millions of Pakistanis and other Urdu speakers on Radio Aap ki Dunyaa. The program is distributed by medium wave at 972 kHz, digital audio satellite, the Internet and a three-hour shortwave broadcast. The launch of Beyond the Headlines adds two-and-half hours of television to the Urdu Service’s weekly broadcast schedule.
The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts more than 1,000 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 100 million people. Programs are produced in 44 languages.
For more information, call VOA’s Office of Public Affairs at or E-Mail publicaffairs@voa.gov
Unfettered ‘citizen journalism’ too risky By DAVID HAZINSKI, Published on: 12/13/07
You’re beginning to get a lot more news … from you.
It ranges from the CNN YouTube debates to political blogs to cellphone video of that sniper who opened fire at an Omaha Mall. These are all examples of so called “citizen journalism,†the hot new extension of the news business where the audience becomes the reporter.
David Hazinski, a former NBC correspondent, is an associate professor of telecommunications and head of broadcast news at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism.
Supporters of “citizen journalism†argue it provides independent, accurate, reliable information that the traditional media don’t provide. While it has its place, the reality is it really isn’t journalism at all, and it opens up information flow to the strong probability of fraud and abuse. The news industry should find some way to monitor and regulate this new trend.
The premise of citizen journalism is that regular people can now collect information and pictures with video cameras and cellphones, and distribute words and images over the Internet. Advocates argue that the acts of collecting and distributing makes these people “journalists.†This is like saying someone who carries a scalpel is a “citizen surgeon†or someone who can read a law book is a “citizen lawyer.†Tools are merely that. Education, skill and standards are really what make people into trusted professionals. Information without journalistic standards is called gossip.
But unlike those other professions, journalism - at least in the United States - has never adopted uniform self-regulating standards. There are commonly accepted ethical principles - two source confirmation of controversial information or the balanced reporting of both sides of a story, for example, but adhering to the principles is voluntary. There is no licensing, testing, mandatory education or boards of review. Most other professions do a poor job of self-regulation, but at least they have mechanisms to regulate themselves. Journalists do not.
So without any real standards, anyone has a right to declare himself or herself a journalist. Major media outlets also encourage it. Citizen journalism allows them to involve audiences, and it is a free source of information and video. But it is also ripe for abuse.
CNN’s last YouTube Republican debate included a question from a retired general who is on Hillary Clinton’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendersteering committee. False Internet rumors about Sen. Barack Obama attending a radical Muslim school became so widespread that CNN and other news agencies did stories debunking the rumors. There are literally hundreds of Internet hoaxes and false reports passed off as true stories, tracked by sites such as snopes.com.
Having just anyone produce widely distributed stories without control can have the reverse effect from what advocates intend. It’s just a matter of time before something like a faked Rodney King beating video appears on the air somewhere.
Journalism organizations should head that off. Citizen reports can be a valuable addition to news and information flow with some protections:
• Major news organizations must create standards to substantiate citizen-contributed information and video, and ensure its accuracy and authenticity.
• They should clarify and reinforce their own standards and work through trade organizations to enforce national standards so they have real meaning.
• Journalism schools such as mine at the University of Georgia should create mini-courses to certify citizen journalists in proper ethics and procedures, much as volunteer teachers, paramedics and sheriff’s auxiliaries are trained and certified.
Journalists generally don’t like any kind of standards or regulation. Many argue that standards could infringe on freedom of the press and journalism shouldn’t be regulated.
But we have already seen the line between news and entertainment blur enough to destroy significant credibility. Continuing to do nothing as information flow changes will further erode it. Journalism organizations who choose to do nothing may soon find the line between professional and citizen journalism gone as well as the trust of their audiences.
Associate Professor/Head, Broadcast News .
Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. 1987 to present. Teach upper level and graduate professional courses in radio/ television news production, broadcast news writing, documentary production and advanced television news. Leads a professional focused faculty which originated and administers student-produced, commercially broadcast college news and public affairs television programs.
NBC NEWS (NEW YORK, N.Y.)
Correspondent, 1981-1987. International network news correspondent based in the Atlanta, Ga. bureau, responsible for primarily hard news coverage in the Southeastern United States and Central America. Reports appeared regularly on the TODAY SHOW, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, NBC Weekend News, and the NBC and The Source national radio networks. Also responsible for primary field-testing and implementation of the NBC News computer system.
WPXI-TV (PITTSBURGH, PA.)
Service on international issues including the return of the Iranian hostages, the installation of Pope John Paul II, the rise of Solidarity in Poland and the ongoing civil war in Northern Ireland.
WSOC-TV (CHARLOTTE, N.C.)
Reporter, 1973-1976. Political and general assignments reporter. Morning and elections anchor. Freelance assignments for NBC News, Newsweek TV, United Press International Television, and the TVN international syndication service.
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
STAR ANANDA (KOLKATTA, INDIA), Associate Project Manager/Training Director, 12/2004 - 5/2005, Directed a team of international consultants who created, along with their Indian counterparts, a 24-hour local news and information channel in the Bengali language which launched in May, 2005. Took part in all levels of macro-planning. Specifically direct a two month staff training process which trained approximately 100 people in all phases of television news production.
PULS-TV (VIENNA, AUSTRIA), Associate Project Manager/Training Director, 4/2004- 7/2004. Co-direct a team of international consultants who created, along with their Austrian counterparts, a 24-hour local news and information city channel, the first in that country. Took part in all levels of macro-planning. Specifically direct a two-month staff training program which trained approximately 100 people in all phases of television production.
GEO-TV / JANG PUBLISHING GROUP (KARACHI, PAKISTAN), Associate Project Manager/Training Director, 4/2002- 9/2002. Co-direct a team of international consultants who created, along with their Pakistani counterparts, a 24-hour news channel based in Karachi, Pakistani with major centers in Islamabad, Lahore and Dubai, UAE. Took part in all levels of macro-planning. Specifically direct a three-month hiring and staff training process which processed 15,000 applicants and trained a staff of 300.
Vice President, 1985-present. Officer and part owner of a firm engaged in trucking, warehousing and freight consolidation with gross receipts exceeding three million dollars a year. Contributor to all levels of corporate decision making including future planning, personnel, equipment acquisition and finance.
VIDEO COMMUNICATIONS, INC. (ATLANTA, GA.)
President, 1989-present. Chief Executive Officer and equity owner of a firm engaged in television production, media consulting, satellite distribution, the production of video news releases, and industrial and instructional video materials.
INTELLIGENT MEDIA CONSULTING, LLC (ATLANTA, GA.)
Principal, 1999-present. Owner and executive officer of a firm engaged in international television and media startups and systems design. Projects include Aaj Tak in India, Gramedia’s launch of Channel 7 in Indonesia, and the re-design of the U.S. Voice of America’s International Broadcasting Bureau in Washington, D.C.
BROADCAST PRODUCER/TALENT, 1987-present. Engaged as an independent writer, producer, narrator and/or on-camera performer for both broadcast and instructional information, education and public service programming.
Clients included:
•National Association of Retired Persons •IBM (instructional and national video news releases)
•National Air and Space Museum •Bass Anglers Sportsman Society
•United Way •Sioux Nations
•Government of Indonesia •Apple Computers
•Georgia Board of Education •U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
•Federal Bureau of Investigation •American Guernsey Association
•Sylvan Learning Centers •MIT
•Atlanta Committee For The Olympic Games •Lucent Technologies
•BellSouth •AT&T
•Sterling Commerce
EDUCATION
Masters of Education, Educational Communications and Technology, Graduate School of Education, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1980.
Bachelor of Arts, Journalism, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1973.
MILITARY
U.S. Navy, Radioman, Second Class Petty Officer, discharged honorably, Da Nang, Republic of Viet Nam, 1968-70.
Navy Courses Completed:
- Basic Electronics and Electricity
- Radioman Class “A†program
COURSES TAUGHT
- Radio and Television News Production
- Advanced Radio and Television News Production
- Broadcast News Writing
- Documentary Production Management
- Broadcast Show Origination
- Television News Reporting
- originated CNN Newsource college affiliate program, made nationwide spring, 1990. 300 participating schools at this time.
- originated University News college news program, which on a half dozen commercial stations, with contributions from six other universities, 1987-1990. Superceded by a daily, live news program broadcast to three area counties, which continues.
- originated Broadcast News Bluejeans Workshop, bringing network level professionals to campus to work with students, 1988-present.
- originated, with Professor Al Wise, Camera South, magazine format entertainment program shown on commercial stations, spring, 1992.
- originated a broadcast news writing course now the foundation for the broadcast news sequence, 1990.
- created, with CNN Director of Technology Todd Fantz, a multimedia interactive program to teach broadcast news writing, 1994.
- principal faculty, with Clarke County School District, cooperative Micro-society Broadcasting Program, 1995.
- created, with Prof. Martha Cameron, Georgia GameDay, a student produced sports show, 1999.
- Initiated a new remote broadcasting system on campus which allows student journalists to report “live†via electric news vehicles and cable channel modulation, 2000.
- Initiated a joint venture with R/com Networks, inc. to certify distance learning courses and programs for adult education courses, 2000-present.
- Initiated remote field video editing for the construction of on-scene reports using laptop computers and digital cameras, 2001.
- Produced (to our knowledge), the first student television “live shots†over the internet, 2004.
- Expanded student “internet live shots’ to include wireless video-over-IP transmissions, 2005.
- Currently developing with IMC Principal Todd Fantz, an Apple-based newsroom information and video playback system that includes teleprompter, story management, rundown, news wire parcing, scripting and scheduling system.
* Management Consultant, Orange County Newschannel, 1990.
* Executive Producer, Production and Satellite Coverage, American Association of Retired Persons 1990 International Convention.
* Correspondent/Producer, American Association of Retired Persons 1988 International Convention.
* Executive Producer, TV satellite coverage, Bass Anglers Sportsman Society National Championship, 1987- 2000.
* Consultant, Office of the Attorney General of the United States, 1992-93.
* Consultant, Media Management & Crisis Communications, Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1990- 2000.
* Peabody Awards, faculty screening committee, 1987- 1999.
* National Association of Farm Cooperatives, judge, 1988-89.
* Golden Quill Awards, judge, 1986.
* Radio-Television News Directors Association, 1988- present.
* International Association of Business Communicators, judge, 1990.
* U.S. Army Headquarters, Forces Command, judge, Keith L. Ware Awards, September, 1991.
* Broadcast Education Association, 1993. Chair, National University News Network Committee.
* Broadcast Education Association, 1994-present, Co-chair, News Division.
* Executive Producer, CNN Broadcast News Training Program, 1993- 1995.
* Consultant, WJCL-TV, Savannah, Georgia, 1992-93.
* Consultant, new media systems design, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1995.
* Consultant, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, on media management and crisis communications, 1991-present.
* Education Task Force, Radio-Television News Directors Association, 1998-present.
* Turner Broadcasting/CNN Educational Committee, 1998-2000.
* Consultant, International Broadcast Bureau, Voice of America, 2001.
* Consultant, Gramedia International, Jakarta, Indonesia, 2001.
* Consultant, National Public Radio, Washington, D.C. 2002.
* Consultant, Weather News International, Tokyo & Norman, OK, 2004-present.
* Consultant, Alsumaria Television Network, Baghdad & Beirut, 2005-present.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- “Video News Release Labels Go Unreadâ€, Electronic Media, November 4, 1991.
- “Video News Releases That Workâ€, Outdoor ADventures, October, 1991.
- “Digital Compression’s Maiden Voyageâ€, Electronic Media, November 18, 1991.
- “A Powerful Tool For Publicityâ€, Outdoor ADventures, August, 1991.
- “Television Guideâ€, training pamphlet written for U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, spring, 1990.
- “Equal Timeâ€, Feedback, Broadcast Education Association, Winter, 1989.
- “Hi Tech/Low Cost College Computer Graphicsâ€, American Journal of Commercial Art, February, 1990.
- “Women See Opportunities in TV Newsâ€, Electronic Media, September 24, 1990.
- “The Future of TV Newsâ€, Electronic Media, October, 1992.
- “Crisis Communicationsâ€, training pamphlet written for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, summer, 1993.
- “Throwing Money After High Tech No Help to Newsâ€, Electronic Media, December 12, 1994.
- “(Almost) Free Live Shots Using Apple iChat AVâ€, DL Quarterly, January, 2005
- “New Age Broadcast News Instructionâ€, DL Quarterly, January, 2005.
HONORS AND AWARDS
- Kappa Tau Alfa, Journalism Scholastic Honorary.
- Winner, Meigs Department Teaching Award, 1992.
- First Place, Investigative Reporting, 1975, North and South Carolina Radio and Television News Directors Association.
- Co-winner, Best News Story of The Year, 1977, Pittsburgh Chapter, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
- Winner, Best News Story of The Year, 1978, Pittsburgh Chapter, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
- Winner, Outstanding Use of Television, 1981, Pittsburgh Chapter, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
- Winner, Golden Quill Award, 1981, Enterprise/Investigative Reporting.
- Winner, San Francisco State Media Award, 1981, Investigative Reporting.
- Winner, Golden Phoenix, 1994, Public Relations Society of America, Best Video News Release.
- First Place, News Division, 1995 Broadcast Education Association, juried faculty production.
- First Place, 1995 American Corporate Video Awards, Best Video News Release.
- Finalist, 1995 International Mercury Awards, International Academy of Communications Arts & Sciences, Video News Release.
- Silver Award, 1995, International Mercury Awards, International Academy of Communications Arts & Sciences, Video News Release.
- Award of Excellence, 1996, Apex Awards For Publication Excellence, Communications Concepts, Video News Release.
- Silver Award, 1996, International Mercury Awards, International Academy of Communications Arts & Sciences, Video News Releases.
- Award of Distinction, 1997, International Merc Mercury Awards, International Academy of Communications Arts & Sciences, Video News Releases.
- Distinguished Teaching Award,, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003. University of Georgia.
- Awarded Joshua Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorship, 2004.
- Appointed, Senior Teaching Fellow, 2004.
- Appointed, Teaching Academy Member, 2004.
SELECTED PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
SELECTED GRANTS AND DONATIONS
􀂾 Multi-machine video editing, University of Georgia, 1990, $23,000.
􀂾 Apple Computer digital editing, $75,000, 1994.
􀂾 CNN technology, $580,000, 1995.
􀂾 Georgia lottery matching grant, $240,000, 1995
􀂾 CNN Headline News set, $35,000, 1995.
􀂾 Sony Corporation video switcher, $55,000, 1996.
􀂾 Cox Broadcasting analog router, $220,000, 1997.
􀂾 Georgia Public Television satellite truck, $400,000, 1998.
􀂾 Fox Broadcasting Atlanta television set, $110,000. 1999􀂾 Remote digital broadcasting, University of Georgia, $98,000, 2000.
􀂾 VizRT Graphics Grant, University of Georgia/VizRt, $520,000, 2003.
COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY COMMITTEES
- Scholarship and Awards
- University Council
- University Unified Grievance Committee
- Faculty Affairs Committee
- Cox Center for International Training and Research
- Department Facilities Committee
- Joint Faculty/Staff Grievance Committee (Chair)
- National College News Network Committee, Broadcast Education Association, (Chair)
- Academic Honesty Committee
- 1999-2000 Facilities Self-Study
- University Technology Advisory Committee
- University CIO Search Committee
- University Provost’s IT Task Force Member
- Faculty Search Committee (Chair)
- College Informational Resources Committee (Chair)
- Department Admissions Committee
INNOVATIVE INSTRUCTION
CHARLOTTE BAY TRADING COMPANY (CHARLOTTE, N.C.)
MULTI MEDIA PRODUCTIONS “USAâ€, INC. (BOCA RATON, FLA.) Co-Host and Technology Advisor, World Business Review with Caspar Weinberger, 1996-1999. Write, co-host and advise the production of a weekly, internationally syndicated radio, television and Internet distributed program featuring interviews with CEO’s from Fortune 500 companies on their latest technology and business systems.
AAJ TAK / INDIA TODAY (NEW DELHI, INDIA) Project Manager, 4/2000-12/2000. In charge of an international team of consultants who created, along with their Indian counterparts, a new satellite and terrestrially distributed 24-hour national news channel in the Hindi language. Project involves creating a main facility from scratch, establishing 14 bureaus around the country, and the introduction of new technology and systems design. Project management included establishment of programming, policies and procedures, hiring and personnel guidelines, look and feel, contracted construction, the training of 250 initial staff, vendor oversight, and overall organizational structure and control.
David C. Hazinski
GEO TV and Moin Ansari
to my surprise i see the name of a friend/acquaintance of mine as author - Moin Ansari. If it is the same man, which i think it is from his writing style, he founded an interfaith group i am affiliated with called AJMA here in NJ. Great guy!
there is so much to read on this Pak-Alert site! thanks, JuanÂ
small world KoK
I hope truthers from India and Pakistan see our website and recognize that there is a common enemy preying on different countries. I also hope that international cooperation in solving this common problem will lead to an earlier solution.
Same story from a different blog
This blog entry reinforces the conclusions of the original post above. Terrorists in Pakistan are alleged to be supported by Indian intel agency RAW, US CIA. As before, I cannot verify the evidence presented here, but at least multiple blogs seem to corroborate the same narative (for what that is worth).
http://pakalert.wordpress.com/2008/10/16/isi-is-a-target-for-uncovering-...
October 16, 2008...6:54 am
ISI Is A Target For Uncovering American Betrayal
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The question that arises here is this: Why has this anti-ISI campaign been launched all of sudden when the ISI is considered to be a major tool in crushing terrorism and extremism? The ISI is suddenly the target of Washington, New Delhi and Karzai because the Pakistani spy agency has solved the mystery behind the funding and arming of anti-Pakistan insurgency in Balochistan and NWFP. The trail of evidence leads all the way to gates of CIA at Langley and RAW in New Delhi. ISI has handed over more than 500 terrorists to the Americans, but CIA has been backstabbing Pakistan by supporting terrorism against Islamabad. If one goes by the sequence of the anti-ISI statements by the Indians, by the Americans, by the Afghanis and the stance of pro-CIA media of the United States, it can be very easily figured out that there is a motivated campaign against the ISI, well coordinated by the American, the Indian and the Afghani leaderships.
By Makhdoom Babar
Editor-in-Chief, The Daily Mail
Friday, 1 August 2008.
WWW.AHMEDQURAISHI.COM
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—A leading U.S. newspaper, The New York Times, has reported that Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency ISI (Inter Services Intelligence) has links with the local militants and the Taliban. Earlier, the U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush, according to Pakistan’s defense Minister Mr. Ahmad Mukhtar, had expressed reservations over the functioning of ISI. Before that, the Indian national Security Advisor stated that ISI must be eliminated.
If one goes by the sequence of the anti-ISI statements by the Indians, by the Americans, by the Afghanis and the stance of pro-CIA media of the United States, it can be very easily figured out that there is a motivated campaign against the ISI, well coordinated by the American, the Indian and the Afghani leaderships.
As a comprehensive campaign, certain hands are constantly engaged in mudslinging and image tarnishing of Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency that is considered to be the main custodian of Pakistan’s security and is playing a very vital role in ensuring regional and global peace by eliminating terrorism.
The question that arises here is this: Why has this anti-ISI campaign been launched all of sudden when the ISI is considered to be a major tool in crushing terrorism and extremism?
The Daily Mail believes very strongly that this is because the ISI has solved the mystery behind the funding of the local militants and Taliban and it has discovered that the trail ends at the gates of Langley [the CIA headquarters] and New Delhi, since there a clear evidences that the American CIA and Indian RAW are in fact indirectly funding Baitullah Mehsood and other militants in Pakistan.
There are certain elements that are playing the role of a bridge between RAW-CIA and the local militants and are providing them with finances to continue their holy Jihad against the Pakistani State. The objective is to maintain a state of chaos and instability in Pakistan so that Pakistan’s nuke assets can finally be targeted. When the ISI figured it out, it perturbed all the dirty players of the game and a motivated and well-coordinated campaign was launched.
The author is the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Mail, an Islamabad-based newspaper that also publishes an international edition from Beijing. He can be reached at macbabur@hotmail.com
(end of post)
A more detailed account of the how ISI uncovered foreign support for the Pakistani terrorists, see the ff blog.
October 26, 2008
Arrested Militants: RAW, Afghan Agency Funding Pakistan Terrorism
http://pakalert.wordpress.com/2008/10/26/raw-afghan-funding-terrorism/
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