Upset by U.S. Security, Pakistanis Return as Heroes

[Awesome]

IMO, when u enter a foriegn land, u r suppose to respect their law and system.

How would this change if you're a local citizen? Can you then protect your civil liberties to not be forced nude?

 

[Bhushan]

Upset by U.S. Security, Pakistanis Return as Heroes

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A tour of the United States arranged by the State Department to improve ties to Pakistani legislators ended in a public relations fiasco when the members of the group refused to submit to extra airport screening in Washington, and they are now being hailed as heroes on their return home.

“People should be thankful, you made them so proud,” said Hamid Mir, the host of a popular national talk show, during an interview in his studio on Tuesday with four of the six politicians, who railed against the security precautions at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Meetings with the Obama administration’s top policy makers on Pakistan, including the president’s special representative, Richard C. Holbrooke, and visits to the Pentagon and the National Security Council, did not allay the anger the politicians said they felt at being asked to submit to a secondary screening on Sunday before boarding a flight to New Orleans. They declined to be screened and did not board the flight.

Pakistan is one of 14 mostly Muslim countries whose citizens must go through increased checks before they fly into the United States, a procedure mandated by the Obama administration in the wake of the failed attempt by a Nigerian man to blow up an airliner flying from the Netherlands to Detroit on Dec. 25.

The inclusion of Pakistan on the list was broadly criticized as an insult to a country that the United States calls an ally.

The leader of the parliamentary group, Senator Abbas Khan Afridi, said in an interview on Tuesday that before they were to board the flight for New Orleans, he and his colleagues were selected from a crowd of passengers at the airport and asked to stand aside.

They were then asked to accept a full-body scan by a machine, he said. Such body-scanning units are in use at 19 airports across the United States, and more are being installed.

One of Mr. Afridi’s colleagues, Akhunzada Chitan, told Mr. Mir on his “Capital Talk” program, “Going through a body scan makes you naked, and in making you naked, they make the whole country naked.”

The lawmakers were chosen to visit the United States by the Political Section of the American Embassy. American officials are eager to reach out to political figures from the underdeveloped and isolated tribal areas where the Pakistani Army is now fighting to reclaim territory from the Taliban.

The United States Agency for International Development pledged two years ago to spend $750 million on various projects in the tribal areas, but residents there complain that they see more of the Taliban than American assistance.

In preparatory briefings for their trip, the politicians were advised that they might have to submit to extra body searches, just as randomly selected Americans must submit to secondary screening by the new machines, two officials from the American Embassy said.

The Pakistanis were specifically warned that the United States was not a “V.I.P. culture,” unlike Pakistan, where politicians are often exempted from unpalatable procedures that other people have to tolerate, the American officials said.

“We are disappointed that the group took offense at the security procedures thousands of Americans and visitors must endure at airports every day,” said Larry Schwartz, the senior communications adviser at the American Embassy in Islamabad. “No offense was intended. Indeed, they were warmly welcomed at high levels in Washington.”

The American Embassy in Islamabad has been endowed with an extra $37 million by Congress to spend on exchange programs intended to show skeptical Pakistanis that the United States is a real ally, a country that wants to help, not hinder, Pakistan.

The people-to-people exchanges between Pakistan and the United States, which include American lecturers and teachers of English coming to Pakistan, is now the most ambitious of such efforts run by the State Department around the globe, Mr. Schwartz said.

About 2,000 Pakistanis are expected to participate in the strengthened educational and cultural programs this year, he said. Indeed, a prime motivation of the protest against the screening procedures by the tribal area politicians appeared to be an effort to appeal to their home constituencies, many of whom regard the United States as an enemy.

“Our people were very disturbed we were going to America,” Mr. Afridi said. “We were under threat for going to the United States. We took the risk to see if America was interested in solving the problems.”

The State Department paid each of the participants $200 a day for accommodations and food during their stay in the United States.

If the American taxpayers wanted the money for the expenses refunded, he would be happy to do so, said Mr. Afridi, 40, who described himself as a major trader in cement, with businesses across Pakistan and in Afghanistan.

“We can pay back the $200 a day, no problem,” he said.

Then, he drove off in his brand-new Hummer — an example of his affection for American autos, he said — to appear on another television program to tell his story of standing up to the American authorities.

Pir Zubair Shah contributed reporting.

 

[Imran Khan]

thats good they refuse to be insulted i am happy from them.

 

[Draft]

thats good they refuse to be insulted i am happy from them.

I second it. Good job by them. Wish George Fernandez and Sir Abdul Kalam Had done the same thing.

 

[gen x]

I second it. Good job by them. Wish George Fernandez and Sir Abdul Kalam Had done the same thing.

you are wrong brother no one and nothing is important then the security in USA rules are same for every one

 

[Draft]

you are wrong brother no one and nothing is important then the security in USA rules are same for every one

Bro, its OK from your point of view. But not us. How would you feel if Hillary Clinton was frisked at the airport? When dealing with important figures like politicians (only important ones....so did not include Shah Rukh)you need to show some respect. That is why I personally believe that Indian politicians should abstain going to US.

 

[gen x]

Bro, its OK from your point of view. But not us. How would you feel if Hillary Clinton was frisked at the airport? When dealing with important figures like politicians (only important ones....so did not include Shah Rukh)you need to show some respect. That is why I personally believe that Indian politicians should abstain going to US.

why not make your law strong

no one should be above the law but it is problem in India Indian leader are above the law

 

[IMADreamer]

why not make your law strong

no one should be above the law but it is problem in India Indian leader are above the law

well fully agree with your point no body should be above law...

 

[Draft]

why not make your law strong

no one should be above the law but it is problem in India Indian leader are above the law

Do all leaders irrespective of the countries go through this process in the US? It would be acceptable if its applicable to every leader of other countries goes through this process. In that case I would accept your statement. However, if only leaders of select countries are exposed to such laws then I would say it reeks bias.

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Upset by U.S. Security, Pakistanis Return as Heroes

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A tour of the United States arranged by the State Department to improve ties to Pakistani legislators ended in a public relations fiasco when the members of the group refused to submit to extra airport screening in Washington, and they are now being hailed as heroes on their return home.

“People should be thankful, you made them so proud,” said Hamid Mir, the host of a popular national talk show, during an interview in his studio on Tuesday with four of the six politicians, who railed against the security precautions at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Meetings with the Obama administration’s top policy makers on Pakistan, including the president’s special representative, Richard C. Holbrooke, and visits to the Pentagon and the National Security Council, did not allay the anger the politicians said they felt at being asked to submit to a secondary screening on Sunday before boarding a flight to New Orleans. They declined to be screened and did not board the flight.

Pakistan is one of 14 mostly Muslim countries whose citizens must go through increased checks before they fly into the United States, a procedure mandated by the Obama administration in the wake of the failed attempt by a Nigerian man to blow up an airliner flying from the Netherlands to Detroit on Dec. 25.

The inclusion of Pakistan on the list was broadly criticized as an insult to a country that the United States calls an ally.

The leader of the parliamentary group, Senator Abbas Khan Afridi, said in an interview on Tuesday that before they were to board the flight for New Orleans, he and his colleagues were selected from a crowd of passengers at the airport and asked to stand aside.

They were then asked to accept a full-body scan by a machine, he said. Such body-scanning units are in use at 19 airports across the United States, and more are being installed.

One of Mr. Afridi’s colleagues, Akhunzada Chitan, told Mr. Mir on his “Capital Talk” program, “Going through a body scan makes you naked, and in making you naked, they make the whole country naked.”

The lawmakers were chosen to visit the United States by the Political Section of the American Embassy. American officials are eager to reach out to political figures from the underdeveloped and isolated tribal areas where the Pakistani Army is now fighting to reclaim territory from the Taliban.

The United States Agency for International Development pledged two years ago to spend $750 million on various projects in the tribal areas, but residents there complain that they see more of the Taliban than American assistance.

In preparatory briefings for their trip, the politicians were advised that they might have to submit to extra body searches, just as randomly selected Americans must submit to secondary screening by the new machines, two officials from the American Embassy said.

The Pakistanis were specifically warned that the United States was not a “V.I.P. culture,” unlike Pakistan, where politicians are often exempted from unpalatable procedures that other people have to tolerate, the American officials said.

“We are disappointed that the group took offense at the security procedures thousands of Americans and visitors must endure at airports every day,” said Larry Schwartz, the senior communications adviser at the American Embassy in Islamabad. “No offense was intended. Indeed, they were warmly welcomed at high levels in Washington.”

The American Embassy in Islamabad has been endowed with an extra $37 million by Congress to spend on exchange programs intended to show skeptical Pakistanis that the United States is a real ally, a country that wants to help, not hinder, Pakistan.

The people-to-people exchanges between Pakistan and the United States, which include American lecturers and teachers of English coming to Pakistan, is now the most ambitious of such efforts run by the State Department around the globe, Mr. Schwartz said.

About 2,000 Pakistanis are expected to participate in the strengthened educational and cultural programs this year, he said. Indeed, a prime motivation of the protest against the screening procedures by the tribal area politicians appeared to be an effort to appeal to their home constituencies, many of whom regard the United States as an enemy.

“Our people were very disturbed we were going to America,” Mr. Afridi said. “We were under threat for going to the United States. We took the risk to see if America was interested in solving the problems.”

The State Department paid each of the participants $200 a day for accommodations and food during their stay in the United States.

If the American taxpayers wanted the money for the expenses refunded, he would be happy to do so, said Mr. Afridi, 40, who described himself as a major trader in cement, with businesses across Pakistan and in Afghanistan.

“We can pay back the $200 a day, no problem,” he said.

Then, he drove off in his brand-new Hummer — an example of his affection for American autos, he said — to appear on another television program to tell his story of standing up to the American authorities.

Pir Zubair Shah contributed reporting.

KIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA BAAT HAI ...

Its amazing that only the good people get harassed , the ones with bombs they all get escorted into planes even when there is intelligence reports on these characters

 

[Spring Onion]

The State Department paid each of the participants $200 a day for accommodations and food during their stay in the United States.

If the American taxpayers wanted the money for the expenses refunded, he would be happy to do so, said Mr. Afridi, 40, who described himself as a major trader in cement, with businesses across Pakistan and in Afghanistan.

“We can pay back the $200 a day, no problem,” he said.

The MPs from FATA would rather keep the Americans on L instead of being screened naked.


Good job

 

[Hyde]

good job.......... i am happy for them........... you are my hereos

 

[Hulk]

I back US security department, they did the right thing. Security comes first, no one should feel insulted if they undergo scan. I was asked to go through extra check, the man who did that asked me do you know why I am doing this, I said yes to make the flight safer. He was trying to provoke me, but since I have nothing to hide, why should I mind it at all. Think properly it is going to help us be secure. I wish India can do the same which US do, no VIP treatment, I hate it.

 

[Hulk]

The MPs from FATA would rather keep the Americans on L instead of being screened naked.


Good job

Elaborate, what do you mean by 'L' hope you do not mean what I am thinking.

 

[Hyde]

I back US security department, they did the right thing. Security comes first, no one should feel insulted if they undergo scan. I was asked to go through extra check, the man who did that asked me do you know why I am doing this, I said yes to make the flight safer. He was trying to provoke me, but since I have nothing to hide, why should I mind it at all. Think properly it is going to help us be secure. I wish India can do the same which US do, no VIP treatment, I hate it.

i want same machines to be installed on Islamabad Airport and when and if Obama and Manmohan Singh visit Pakistan they have to go through this procedure