Blackwater, the CIA’s deadliest sidekick, has launched a massive operation to promote insurgency in Balochistan, especially in the coastal areas, as part of its efforts to destabilize the country, it is learnt. The CIA and Blackwater (now Xe Services) operating from the USA have two major designs in Pakistan – to control the entire business of the Gwadar port and to carry out colossal suicide attacks across central Punjab and north-western areas of the country to tell the world that the first atomic Islamic power is ungovernable.
“They wish to have complete control over the entire Balochistan, especially the Gwadar port, and seize the nuclear assets of Pakistan,” said former Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Punjab chief Brigadier (r) Mohammad Aslam Ghuman.
The Gwadar Port in Balochistan (one of Pakistan’s tribal regions) has been headline news in Pakistan, India and China this month. Interesting that I can’t find one mention of it in the western media – not even in on-line publications. Since many Pakistani commentators trace the US shift in military focus from Iraq to Afghanistan to the completion of the Chinese-built deep water port in 2005. I myself never heard of the Gwadar Port until I came across an obscure Pakistani blog by Khalid Baig. I was so concerned about its content that I assisted his translator in polishing the English and republished it on OpEdNews.
In fact the only US article I can find about the Gwadar Port is a May, 10 2010 Forbes article
It explains how the province of Balochistan is well endowed with oil, gas, copper, zinc, gold, coal and a deepwater port at Gwadar the Chinese built for Pakistan in 2005. And how Balochistan also happens to be China’s link to its sizeable investments in Iranian gas and oil.
China’s stated goal in building the deep water port was to capture the transit trade (via the old ’silk road’) of fossil fuels and minerals of landlocked countries like Afghanistan, as well as encouraging the transhipment of resources bound for other countries reliant on central Asian resources. China has invested well over $15 billion in Balochistan projects, including an oil refinery and zinc and copper mines, in addition to the Gwadar Port and its connecting highways.
The Forbes article doesn’t mention that Balochistan will also be a connecting hub for the Iran-Pakistan-India oil pipeline, which is looked to take the place of the planned Turmanistan-Afghanisan-Pakistan-India pipeline (the one the US supported). India recently pulled out of that one because the Afghan Taliblan kept blowing up the bridges and other critical infrastructure of the Afghan section.
Forbes also doesn’t mention that Iran definitely favors shipping oil and gas via Gwadar rather than the current route through the Strait of Malacaa, where oil tankers are subject to Somali pirates and US naval exercises. Nor that many Asian commentators expect Gwadar to outstrip Dubai as a trade and commercial center, given the immense demand for resources generated by China’s burgeoning middle class.
The US War on Pakistan: the Real Reasons
Nor, of course, the increasing belief by many Pakistani commentators that Gwardar is the real reason for American’s current “proxy war” in Balochistan and the other Pakistani tribal areas. Quetta, north of Gwadar, happens to be a major target of the CIA and Pentagon military operations because of the Taliban leaders who are allegedly hiding out there. Of course it isn’t really clear whether these are “good” Taliban (the ones Hamid Karzai has invited to participate in government – see Sept 12 blog
Interesting, though, the sightings of US marines and Blackwater (Xe) mercenaries (read paid assassins) in Gwadar, which is more than 500 miles south of Quetta.
Khalid Baig and others express concern that Blackwater and RAW (Indian intelligence) agents are stirring up the Balochistan separatist movement by recruiting jobless Balochistan youth and paying them to commit random terrorist acts – such as the rocket that landed in the Gwadar Port a week ago.
Brigadier (r) Mohammad Aslam Ghuman said the insurgents in Balochistan are Indians operating in connivance with Blackwater. “Pervez Musharraf provided safe passage to the Indian intelligence agency RAW, which has established dozens of consulates in Afghanistan along the border with Balochistan,” he added. The former ISI Punjab chief further said days after the Russian federation collapsed, CIA, RAW and Mossad carried out a comprehensive analysis and recommended launching a major operation inside Pakistan, especially Balochistan, to shake the state.
“Yes, the CIA in connivance with RAW and Blackwater is operating in Balochistan and other parts of the country. They cannot absorb any Islamic atomic state,” he remarked.
He urged the politicians especially President Zardari and PM Gilani to shun their silence and “show sincerity to the country”, adding that like in other countries, in Pakistan Blackwater has multiplied its network honeycombed with the CIA, the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Pentagon and the State Department in conducting a variety of terror operations in the country.
Jeremy Scahill, author of a book ‘Blackwater’, in his article ‘The Secret US War in Pakistan’ has already stated: “At a covert forward operating base run by the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, members of an elite division of Blackwater are at the center of a secret program in which they plan targeted assassinations of suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives, snatch and grabs of high-value targets and other sensitive action inside and outside Pakistan.”
Reportedly, about 180 US Cobras recently been landed in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, while over 6000 Xe personnel have been positioned in Balochistan especially in Quetta. There are also reports that about 650 US nationals, including 200 US Marines have arrived already on multiple entry visas granted by the Pakistan Embassy in Washington. The reports say the notorious agency, based in the US state of North Carolina, trains more than 40,000 people a year, mostly from the US or foreign military and police services.
It is still unclear whether the US military seeks to take over and occupy Pakistan’s tribal areas; whether they want to support Balochistan in separating from Pakistan to form an independent US friendly independent oil, gas and mineral rich independent state (like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in Eastern Europe); or if they will be content with their continuing campaign of terrorist activity and economic sabotage. There is no question that the military activity is disrupting the development and operation of the port.
It seems incredibly cynical and hypocritical for the US to carry on this ruthless economic sabotage against Pakistan – especially with the recent floods that have virtually destroyed the country’s economy – and then to demand, via the World Bank, that Pakistan repay $50 billion in foreign debt.
Apart from its agenda in Afghanistan, the US had defined objectives set for Pakistan as well. Under the ruse of alliance, America wanted to denuclearize Pakistan and turn it into a compliant state subservient to India.
For the accomplishment of its objectives, the US in connivance with Israel, Britain and India chalked out a comprehensive covert plan spread over 7-8 years to weaken it from within. On the pretext of helping Pakistan’s agencies in tracing and nabbing Al-Qaeda and Taliban runaways as well as those harboring them, a secret deal was struck with Gen Musharraf in December 2001 and later renewed in March 2008 that CIA and FBI operatives would be allowed complete liberty of action and immunity from criminal jurisprudence to operate in any part of the country and provided full cooperation by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Under the plea of keeping a watch on terrorists and netting them, CIA and FBI established Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The two agencies soon took complete control over intelligence gathering and dissemination and marginalized the role of ISI and MI. These FOBs became spying and clandestine operations hideouts to destabilize FATA and Balochistan. Their task was not to control terrorists but to fan terrorism, sectarianism, ethnicity and separatism by subverting the loyalties of people, cultivating agents within militant and criminal groups and using them for assassinating important personalities, clerics and pro-government tribal elders and for sabotage and subversion. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in FATA and Baloch Liberation Army in Balochistan were the creation of CIA duly helped by RAW. Banned Jihadi groups were goaded to join up with TTP.
Blackwater elements under the supervision of CIA started operating in Pakistan from 2008 onwards under various guises with a view to expand covert war in major urban centres, pass on information about sensitive installations, gain maximum information about nuclear facilities and draw road maps leading to these sites. DynCorps Pvt Ltd Security Company run by a retired army captain was an offshoot of Xe-World (new name of Blackwater) or Xe Services. Its main office was established in Islamabad and its main function was to distribute weapons procured from abroad.
Xe-Services also had a proper recruiting and training centre in a hired house with a large compound at Sihala next door to police academy. This facility was opened to train the police but it was misused to train a local force for multiple purposes and to keep a close eye on Kahuta nuclear plant. Retired army and police commandoes and ex soldiers were hired on handsome salaries and trained for providing local intelligence, security duties and protection of private contractors and safe houses. Group attack practice to militants was imparted in this building. Sihala centre and Dyncorps office were closed after public protests and media pressure, but Interior Minister maintained all along that there was no Blackwater operative in Pakistan.
Another training centre was opened at Warsak to train Frontier Corps but was used for other purposes as well. Trainers were under cover CIA operatives and were linked with a private residence hired in Peshawar University Chinar Road converted into a safe house. Xe Services provides security contractors to CIA. USA, Israel and India fund this Company since the private contractors act as double agents and execute clandestine operations for the three countries.
Brigadier (r) Yasub Ali Dogar said Blackwater, which is against the interest of Pakistan, has been actively involved in assassinating pro-government Maliks, clerics and notables in FATA, religious scholars in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, political figures, and target killings in Quetta and in Karachi. He said it provides surveillance and support to terrorist groups such as BLA and BRA in Balochistan and Tehrik-e-Taliban-Pakistan in FATA and Swat.
Sources in the Foreign Ministry said the US Embassy in Islamabad is being expanded as $115 million have been earmarked, which include $5 million for Marines quarters, $53.5 million for housing infrastructure, $18 million for general services and office area, $36 million for temporary duty quarters and community staff facilities. As many as $800 million have been allocated for the protection of enlarged and fortified Embassy through private security contractor DynCorp, sources added.
Sources said the US has also purchased a large chunk of land in Sihala and has seemingly established a secret military training camp adjacent to the Police Academy a few kilometers from Islamabad and Kahuta. “In 2006, the US acquired land near Tarbela with a view to build a military base,” they added.
Reportedly, the US opened a JSOC unit in Balochistan where Marines are coming in via Islamabad. Marines as well as heavy contingents of Blackwater operatives (total 11,000) have been spotted in Balochistan. They, in collaboration with BLA and BRA, are mostly carrying out target killings. Four airbases in Balochistan were leased to the US military in September 2001 and these bases at Jacobabad, Pasni, Dalbaldin and Shamsi are still in their use. It is now an open secret that Shamsi airbase is under use by US drones where Blackwater was hired for loading hellfire missiles and 500lbs laser guided bombs on Predators. Similar job is being performed at Jalalabad airbase to strike targets in Pakistan.
Moreover, Blackwater has hired seven private houses in defense area and acquired hundreds of acres of land near Pataro in Sindh to launch an agricultural research institute. There are reports of secret construction of operational facilities in Gharo in Sindh to serve as a base for 200 Marines and that a sizeable number of American armoured carriers had arrived at Port Qasim, with 3,000 Humvees awaiting dispatch.
According to a defense analyst, there have already been 700 Blackwater personnel in various offices established in Islamabad, Peshawar and Karachi. They have also rented 228 homes for the accommodation of these mercenary soldiers of Blackwater in which 37 are in F-6 sector, 40 in G-6 sector, 47 in sector F-7, 48 in F-8, 20 in F-10, 25 in F-11 and 9 houses in I-8 sector. Most alarming is that two of these houses are located near the residence of Dr AQ Khan in E-7 sector of Islamabad, the analyst said.
Unfortunately, the analyst said, the Afghan government has fallen to RAW policies by providing shelter to Brahamdag Bugti and allowing RAW to operate in Balochistan in connivance with newly-established Afghan intelligence agency RAAM (earlier name KHAD). RAW has organised a network of training schools/centres throughout Afghanistan, including in Kabul, Jalalabad, Khawaja Ghar (Takhar Province), Khost, Paktia, Urgun, Khandar, Spin Boldak and Dranj (Badakhshan Province), according to the analyst.
Xe-Services elements as well as CIA, FBI, Mossad and RAW agents including over 1000 under cover operatives of US Special Forces work in tandem and are still active in provincial capitals and are responsible for escalating incidents of terrorism. These elements are behind most terrorist attacks including attacks on mosques, shrines of saints and religious places. In addition, a specially trained force of 3000 ex Afghan soldiers trained by CIA had been inducted in FATA sometime in 2007/08 to carryout target killings of pro-government and anti-US notables and sympathizers of anti-US militants and also to beef up TTP.
Aid under Kerry-Lugar Bill was designed to induct greater number of agents belonging to Special Operations on the pretext of coordinators and distributors of funds for approved projects. CIA agents belonging to US Special Forces started slipping into Pakistan in various garbs. Large numbers of private houses were hired in 2009 in Islamabad and provincial capitals to accommodate new faces.
Under cover CIA agents posing as diplomats, officials, businessmen, consultants and security contractors are provided official residences in posh areas duly protected by Blackwater security guards; they move in official cars with diplomatic number plates. Each one of them comes well trained and well equipped. They are given heavier perks, privileges and pay compared to US military personnel engaged in combat in Afghanistan. Since these undesirable elements under fake identity have sneaked in without scrutiny and in big numbers and fanned out in different urban centres, it becomes that much problematic for security agencies to track them.
The US and Indian Embassies in Islamabad as well as consulates have become dens of espionage within Pakistan and safe houses for Raymond Davis like terrorists. The so-called diplomats and staff posted in US and Indian Embassies and consulates are mostly involved in espionage. US media has disclosed that Davis was part of a covert intelligence network involving hundreds of spies operating in Pakistan without the knowledge of security agencies. Death of three US Special Forces trainers in Lower Dir as a result of suicide attack, arrest of Davis in Lahore, and Aaron Mark De-Haven from Peshawar and identification of Jonathan Banks as chief supervisor of drone attacks and detection of Blackwater activities gives an idea about the scale of organized CIA network in Pakistan.
The US plans to convert its embassy in Islamabad into the biggest and most modern embassy in the world surpassing its Baghdad Embassy. 16 acres of extra land has been acquired and work is underway. It plans to station 1000 Marines and greater number of CIA and Blackwater elements along with APCs, large fleet of vehicles including Humvies and other latest gadgets so as to expand its intelligence network and improve its staying power as well as its quick reaction capability. This force can also act as the staging section to guide the main assault group against a specified target. Pentagon has made contingency plans for quick seizure or destruction of our nuclear arsenal.
US Consulates in Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi as well as Xe Services offices are connected with several Joint Special Operation Command (JSOC) and FOBs. Based on policy guidelines received from US Ambassador in Islamabad, the JSOCs plan, coordinate and monitor the activities of field operatives as well as provide intelligence for drone strikes. Efforts are now in hand to open another consulate in Quetta to be able to add fuel to the dying fire of separatist movement led by a small band of Baloch rebels. Pressure on Pakistan to mount an operation in North Waziristan is with a devious intent. Departure date from Afghanistan has not been extended by USA to 2014 to convert its defeat into victory but to steal Pakistan’s nukes.
There have been numerous cases wherein the US diplomats and officials have been found breaking the law of the land in Islamabad and in Lahore. Some were in possession of unlicensed and prohibited bore weapons, grenades and explosives and traveling at ungodly hours of the night. Each time they were apprehended by the police, they were let off scot-free. The Interior Minister has always been coming to the rescue of the culprits, while our Ambassador in Washington Hussein Haqqani assists the undesirables in obtaining visas and getting clearance from Foreign Office.
If the going still gets tough, the PM or the President removes all bottlenecks created by ever watchful ISI. It is owing to our over keenness to keep Washington pleased that our rulers feel no qualm in violating own laws and rules. Laxity in abiding with rules and regulations has resulted in massive inflow of US citizens with criminal background.
Heavy inflow of undesirable American citizens from 2008 onwards without proper checks at Embassy’s end was objected to by ISI after several incidents of terrorism took place in Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore in which hand of Blackwater was visible. Certain US officials involved in suspicious activities and deported from Pakistan had been re-issued visas by our Embassy in Washington. Raymond Davis was twice declared persona non-grata and sent back and yet he managed to return to Pakistan and this time he killed two Pakistanis.
On repeated complaints of ISI when restrictions were imposed on issuance of visas and credentials of each entrant were checked, Washington pulled a long face and resorted to its usual practice of threats asserting that aid under Kerry-Lugar Bill will get affected. Based on the complaint of Hussein Haqqani that the ISI and Foreign Office were causing unnecessary problems in clearing visas of US nationals, Rahman Malik prevailed upon PM Gilani and convinced him to issue an executive order in July 2010 empowering Haqqani to issue visas to Americans without any scrutiny.
Our Embassy in Washington issued 500 visas in one week and has ever since continued to issue visas freely. Record of visas issued in last three years indicate 3528 in 2008, 3784 in 2009 and 3555 in 2010. It is not known as to how many out of 11567 visas issued by Haqqani are CIA, Mosad and RAW agents under the garb of diplomats. Despite the spy network been exposed, the US is still unwilling to wind up and withdraw it’s under cover agents in hundreds from Pakistan. Ongoing spate of bomb and suicide attacks gives rise to suspicion that under cover agents are resorting to yet another kind of pressure tactics to get Davis released.
Hussein Haqqani owes an explanation to 170 million people of Pakistan for dispatching faceless CIA agents wearing numerous masks to Pakistan and endangering their lives. He got the rules on visas relaxed and did away with basic verification and security checks of visa applicants. He did this merely to please USA but in the process allowed hundreds of Raymond Davis type assassins to play havoc in Pakistan. He and Rahman Malik are mainly responsible for this inexcusable offence and must be held accountable. Gilani should be asked as to why he blindly agreed to illegal request made by Haqqani and recommended by Malik. He should cancel the executive order forthwith. It is high time that we gird up our loins and get rid of the foreign assassins as well as snakes in the grass at the earliest.
