The following is research published today from MEMRI’s Special Dispatch Series and the MEMRI TV Project.
Inquiry & Analysis No. 682—South Asia Studies Project/Pakistan
Pakistan's Blackwater – Recruitment of 'Mercenaries' for Deployment in Bahrain
By: Y. Carmon and Tufail Ahmad*
During the uprisings in Bahrain, it emerged that there are organizations of former Pakistani soldiers, which recruit former and current Pakistani soldiers as well as youth to work in security-related jobs in the Middle East, similar to a role played by Blackwater and other private security firms. These organizations are known as ex-servicemen societies. The information about the activities of these organizations was revealed when several Pakistanis were killed by Shia protesters in Bahrain for serving in the Bahraini security forces and supporting the Sunni regime there. Also, Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa recently held meetings in Islamabad, where the two sides agreed to augment defense cooperation.
While the expression "Ex-Servicemen Society" may refer to many organizations of former Pakistani soldiers, it is mainly used by the Pakistani media to refer to the Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Association (PESA), one of the leading organizations of former Pakistani soldiers. Some other leading ex-servicemen societies are the Fauji Foundation and Bahria Foundation.
PESA's most visible face in Pakistan is Lt.-Gen. Hamid Gul, who is known to have nurtured the Taliban when he was the chief of the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the 1980s. In 2008, senior Pakistani journalist Ansar Abbasi reported that the U.S. handed over a list of four former ISI officials, including Lt.-Gen. Hamid Gul, to the UN Security Council to put them on the list of international terrorists under UN Security Council Resolution 1267.
To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5177.htm.
Special Dispatch No. 3742—South Asia Studies Project/Pakistan
Former Pakistani Military Officer: Tribesmen Should be Permitted to Take Revenge Against the U.S. for Drone Attacks; The Time has Come for Pakistan to Exit the War Against Terror
On March 17, 2011, a day after CIA contractor Raymond Davis was released by a Pakistani court under a blood-money deal, U.S. drones fired four missiles in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, a Taliban and Al-Qaeda sanctuary. At least 38 people, including civilians and policemen, were killed in the attacks. Davis's release came as anti-U.S. protests were at their peak in Pakistan, threatening to further seriously damage Pakistan-U.S. relations. The drone attacks further ignited the anti-U.S. sentiments in Pakistan.
Following the drone attacks, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a key commander of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP or the Movement of Pakistani Taliban), threatened to break a peace accord agreed to with the Pakistani military since 2008. The tribesmen belonging to the affected area held a press conference in Peshawar, allegedly at the behest of Pakistani officials, and vowed to wage jihad against the U.S. if the drone attacks did not stop. In an unprecedented step, Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani also formally criticized the U.S. drone attacks, while in protest Pakistan pulled out of the tripartite talks involving the U.S. and Afghanistan in Kabul.
A few days later, the Urdu-language daily Roznama Ummat interviewed former Pakistani military officer Brigadier (retired) Mahmood Shah, who has served as secretary of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATAs) of Pakistan. He has also served as chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. In addition to serving in senior positions in the Pakistani military and government, Brigadier Shah is also a well-known columnist and commentator on political and security issues in Pakistan. In the interview, the former Pakistani officer urged the Pakistani establishment to give a clear message to the tribesmen to that they have a right to avenge the U.S. drone attacks.
To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5179.htm.
Special Dispatch No. 3741—Afghanistan/Taliban/Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor
TV Report on Taliban in Pech Valley, East Afghanistan: Tribal Leaders Give Afghan Army Assurances of Safety after U.S. and NATO Evacuate Bases
Following are excerpts from a report on the Taliban in Pech Valley, Afghanistan, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on March 8, 2011:
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2882.htm.
Reporter: "The route through Pech Valley, in the Kunar province of East Afghanistan, has [recently] been opened to the Taliban armed fighters. Their deployment along the main route connecting Kunar with the neighboring Nuristan province is no longer a secret. This development took place only two days after NATO forces evacuated their military base in Manugay, East Afghanistan."
To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5178.htm.
To view this report, you must be a paying member of the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Project (JTTM). For membership information, send an email to jttmsubs@memri.org with "Membership" in the subject line.
Posts
