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Visits by shadowy foreigners
Saleem Safi
It was a wise decision to side with the US after 9/11 as a tussle with an angry superpower would have been suicidal. But Pervez Musharraf failed to properly bargain and clearly demarcate the limits of cooperation with the US. His blind and unconditional support to the US was a clear-cut surrender. But the incumbent rulers have surpassed Musharraf in this regard and have been shamelessly toeing the American line.
No doubt, Pakistan is a poor and developing country dependent upon the US for economic and defence needs. But that does not mean we should be more loyal to the king than the king himself. Many smaller and poorer countries are living with a sense of national prestige and self-respect. Pakistan, by many yardsticks, is a more powerful and bigger country than most of the current UN members and therefore needs to protect its national prestige and self-respect.
Afghanistan, a poor and war-ravaged country, is being perceived as Pakistans backyard for so many years. In fact, Pakistan has more influence in Afghanistan than the US has in our country. Pakistan is dependent upon the US only for economic and defence reasons, but Afghanistan is dependent upon Pakistan even for the fulfilment of its food needs. Millions of Afghans are living in Pakistan for the last three decades. But despite all this dependence, the Afghan nation has never surrendered before Pakistan in any manner prejudicial to that countrys honour.
This writer has many close friends in Kabul, ranging from ministers, parliamentarians to journalists and ordinary people. I have had friendly relations with President Karzai for many years, and the Afghan ambassador in Pakistan and Pakistans ambassador in Kabul are aware of this relationship. Afghans also know that I am associated with the Geo network and the largest Urdu newspaper Jang, and The News. But despite these accomplishments and personal friendships, no Afghan ambassador has ever favoured me by violating Afghanistans visa-policy towards Pakistan. Pakistan issues a single-entry three months visa to Afghans; in response, the Afghan government also issues a three months single-entry visa to Pakistanis. Since I have frequently been traveling to Afghanistan on journalistic duties, my passport is stamped with countless Afghan visas. I have many times brought this issue to the notice of Afghan ministers and ambassadors and requested for a multiple-entry visa, but to no avail. They are of the opinion that unless Pakistan changes its visa-policy vis-à-vis the Afghans, Afghan authorities will not unilaterally change their countrys visa-policy towards Pakistanis.
But now consider our behaviour towards our American masters and archrival India. For the last few years and especially the last few months, our authorities have been issuing visas to Americans even on incomplete application forms. On the other hand, the US has a compulsory three-weeks waiting-period even for our former prime ministers, ministers, ex-generals and judges. These Pakistani VIPs are unsparingly subjected to the strict security clearance and finger-printing at US airports. The passports of some prominent Pakistanis lie with the American embassy for months without any visa stamps affixed, for unknown reasons.
In view of some reported suspicious activities from some American visitors in Pakistan, our foreign ministry inevitably changed the visa-policy towards Americans. This change was notified by the foreign ministry on Feb 23, 2010, to all Pakistani embassies. The notification had clearly directed that no foreigner be issued a visa by a third-country embassy. But the Pakistani embassy in the UAE clearly violated this order when it illegally issued visas to 150 Indians and 86 Americans, including six ladies who mentioned in their visa application forms that they would be staying either in the Presidency or Zardari House in Islamabad.
None of these visa applications had ever been sent to Pakistani security agencies for clearance. All the visas had been issued on the very day of the submission of application forms. In some cases, the visas were stamped even on official holidays, for which the visa offices were specially opened.
All these visas were issued on the instruction of Muhammad Owais Tappi, the man in charge of the Zardari House in Dubai. This individual, who is neither an official of the embassy nor associated with the interior ministry in any manner, is known as a stepbrother of President Zardari.
This serious violation of national security was reported by this writer in The News on Aug 15. The report, which was accurate and was based on irrefutable evidence, even contained the passport numbers of those Americans who had come to Pakistan for undisclosed and mysterious activities. But even after the lapse of almost a month, no official clarification has been issued in this regard. The news was contradicted neither by the Presidency nor the foreign ministry.
The question is: what were our intelligence agencies doing when these illegal visas were being issued by our embassy in the UAE? If such information can be obtained even by a journalist like this scribe, why could these agencies not receive it? Instead of tapping our telephones and humiliating patriotic journalists like Umar Cheema, why are they not chasing and arresting this kind of mysterious foreigners?
The purpose of the visit of these 150 Indians and 86 Americans is still unclear. If they were visiting Pakistan for legal activities, why did they not apply for visas at our embassies in Washington and New Delhi? Why are our rulers so concerned about the sensibilities of the Americans, who dont hesitate to disgrace and humiliate our military officers on official tours to Washington, or of the Indians?
People have a right to know who these Indians and Americans were and what they were doing, or have done, in Pakistan. Have they left the country? Or are they still lying low and indulging in mysterious activities? More importantly, are we weaker and more helpless than Afghanistan?
The writer works for Geo TV. Email: saleem. safi@janggroup.com.pk
Saleem Safi
It was a wise decision to side with the US after 9/11 as a tussle with an angry superpower would have been suicidal. But Pervez Musharraf failed to properly bargain and clearly demarcate the limits of cooperation with the US. His blind and unconditional support to the US was a clear-cut surrender. But the incumbent rulers have surpassed Musharraf in this regard and have been shamelessly toeing the American line.
No doubt, Pakistan is a poor and developing country dependent upon the US for economic and defence needs. But that does not mean we should be more loyal to the king than the king himself. Many smaller and poorer countries are living with a sense of national prestige and self-respect. Pakistan, by many yardsticks, is a more powerful and bigger country than most of the current UN members and therefore needs to protect its national prestige and self-respect.
Afghanistan, a poor and war-ravaged country, is being perceived as Pakistans backyard for so many years. In fact, Pakistan has more influence in Afghanistan than the US has in our country. Pakistan is dependent upon the US only for economic and defence reasons, but Afghanistan is dependent upon Pakistan even for the fulfilment of its food needs. Millions of Afghans are living in Pakistan for the last three decades. But despite all this dependence, the Afghan nation has never surrendered before Pakistan in any manner prejudicial to that countrys honour.
This writer has many close friends in Kabul, ranging from ministers, parliamentarians to journalists and ordinary people. I have had friendly relations with President Karzai for many years, and the Afghan ambassador in Pakistan and Pakistans ambassador in Kabul are aware of this relationship. Afghans also know that I am associated with the Geo network and the largest Urdu newspaper Jang, and The News. But despite these accomplishments and personal friendships, no Afghan ambassador has ever favoured me by violating Afghanistans visa-policy towards Pakistan. Pakistan issues a single-entry three months visa to Afghans; in response, the Afghan government also issues a three months single-entry visa to Pakistanis. Since I have frequently been traveling to Afghanistan on journalistic duties, my passport is stamped with countless Afghan visas. I have many times brought this issue to the notice of Afghan ministers and ambassadors and requested for a multiple-entry visa, but to no avail. They are of the opinion that unless Pakistan changes its visa-policy vis-à-vis the Afghans, Afghan authorities will not unilaterally change their countrys visa-policy towards Pakistanis.
But now consider our behaviour towards our American masters and archrival India. For the last few years and especially the last few months, our authorities have been issuing visas to Americans even on incomplete application forms. On the other hand, the US has a compulsory three-weeks waiting-period even for our former prime ministers, ministers, ex-generals and judges. These Pakistani VIPs are unsparingly subjected to the strict security clearance and finger-printing at US airports. The passports of some prominent Pakistanis lie with the American embassy for months without any visa stamps affixed, for unknown reasons.
In view of some reported suspicious activities from some American visitors in Pakistan, our foreign ministry inevitably changed the visa-policy towards Americans. This change was notified by the foreign ministry on Feb 23, 2010, to all Pakistani embassies. The notification had clearly directed that no foreigner be issued a visa by a third-country embassy. But the Pakistani embassy in the UAE clearly violated this order when it illegally issued visas to 150 Indians and 86 Americans, including six ladies who mentioned in their visa application forms that they would be staying either in the Presidency or Zardari House in Islamabad.
None of these visa applications had ever been sent to Pakistani security agencies for clearance. All the visas had been issued on the very day of the submission of application forms. In some cases, the visas were stamped even on official holidays, for which the visa offices were specially opened.
All these visas were issued on the instruction of Muhammad Owais Tappi, the man in charge of the Zardari House in Dubai. This individual, who is neither an official of the embassy nor associated with the interior ministry in any manner, is known as a stepbrother of President Zardari.
This serious violation of national security was reported by this writer in The News on Aug 15. The report, which was accurate and was based on irrefutable evidence, even contained the passport numbers of those Americans who had come to Pakistan for undisclosed and mysterious activities. But even after the lapse of almost a month, no official clarification has been issued in this regard. The news was contradicted neither by the Presidency nor the foreign ministry.
The question is: what were our intelligence agencies doing when these illegal visas were being issued by our embassy in the UAE? If such information can be obtained even by a journalist like this scribe, why could these agencies not receive it? Instead of tapping our telephones and humiliating patriotic journalists like Umar Cheema, why are they not chasing and arresting this kind of mysterious foreigners?
The purpose of the visit of these 150 Indians and 86 Americans is still unclear. If they were visiting Pakistan for legal activities, why did they not apply for visas at our embassies in Washington and New Delhi? Why are our rulers so concerned about the sensibilities of the Americans, who dont hesitate to disgrace and humiliate our military officers on official tours to Washington, or of the Indians?
People have a right to know who these Indians and Americans were and what they were doing, or have done, in Pakistan. Have they left the country? Or are they still lying low and indulging in mysterious activities? More importantly, are we weaker and more helpless than Afghanistan?
The writer works for Geo TV. Email: saleem. safi@janggroup.com.pk
