Kernel:
I found the land registry guy — known locally as an “patwari” — who mentioned how a guy named “Arshad” bought 3,700 (square) yards in 2004 from two to four people to build the compound for Rs.5 million ($60,000 to $65,000), which was 25 percent more than the market price in 2004.
Interestingly, neighbors I talked to told us there were two individuals — Nadeem and Arshad Khan, a Pashtun from Charsadah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – who lived there with the children.
And the house was known as “Wana Haveli,” or Wana Mansion.
The inhabitants kept to themselves and remained isolated. Obviously half-kilometer away from bin Laden’s compound was the Pakistan Military Cadet Training Center called, “Kakool Military Academy.”
Abbotabad and Wah Cant are the only two military regulated cities in Pakistan.
Prine of Departure: You and I have joked for what seems years now about how ISI runs with the fox and the hound when it comes to terror and the Americans.
In your opinion, could Osama bin Laden have been able to reside so close to the military academy if he wasn’t protected by those in high places?
Ali Chishti: After watching, examining the evidence and talking to individuals, there’s irrefutable evidence that bin Laden’s compound was a “safe house.”
Now, there could well be two possibilities — that bin Laden was provided a safe house by the ISI; or, that the ISI was watching him all along.
In both, circumstances, ISI and the Pakistanis knew of bin Laden’s residence and wanted to keep him away from the Americans. He was the cash-cow and, as we got to know from the Foreign Office’s statement today, that was considered as a “strategic asset,” whatever that is.
If you read on, Chisti believes that the Pak military is obviously culpable, he doesn't bring up the ISI by name (yes they and the Pak military establishment are joined at the head, so I suppose he took it as read). But he seems also to say that there may have been stovepiping going on, the "security establishmment" not knowing what the military establishment knew about Uncle Binnie's Rabbit hut. Hmmm. Not buying.
Going forward, he suggest that we should continue to work with the Pakistanis with provisos and eyes wide open:
"..the U.S. needs to cleverly engage Pakistan but make things absolutely clear to the Pakistani Military –another double game and there would be sanctions imposed and a complete stop to U.S. military aide to Pakistan’s army."
I couldn't disagree more. They have already engaged in the worst possible double game. I can't call it a betrayal, because we always knew they were double-dealing weasels, but it's something in the general neighborhood of betrayal. A brazen bold and inexcusable move. The sanctions should come NOW, the aide should be stopped NOW. Especially true given their direct involvment in killing our men in Afghanistan, and the great likelihood that Zawahiri is probably either firmly ensconced in Pak, or moving between Pak and Afghanistan with impunity.
From Chisti himself:
"The important guy is the Number 2, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri , who is in FATA now and close to the Haqqanis."
FATA you say? That would be the "Federally Administered Tribal Areas." That would be Federally Administered Tribal Areas of.... what country would that be? Any guesses folks?
Enough is enough. We are well beyond the "you get just one more chance" phase. And, why do the Paks call these areas "federally administered" when there ain't no federal administrating going on? Heck, with that kind of Orwellian double-speak as a template, I might as well call Hawaii "Doc Baker Administrated Land." Back during the Indian Wars, at least we had some federal forces actually out in the West. Pakistan? Not so much.
B.S. Meter pinging.
What was it Montgomery Scott said?
No comments:
Post a Comment