Highly-placed sources disclosed to The Nation that the government has strongly conveyed to the Interior and Foreign Ministries and Pakistan’s Embassy in Washington that no more visas will be issued to US undercover agents in future.
Sources further informed that a few Raymond likes who are still in Pakistan ‘have been asked to pack up’ before it is too late.
A few CIA-operatives are left in the country but they are just staying inside their luxurious bedrooms.
‘We know a lot about them and we are waiting for the expiry date of their visas. They have been put under scanner’, a top official in the Federal government told this reporter on Monday. When asked about the exact numbers of such undercover agents, the official did not mention but said that they are less than a dozen and they are ‘impotent’ as far as their spying activities are concerned.
‘The entire CIA spying network has been smashed. Therefore, Washington is too hostile towards Islamabad and has launched media war against Pakistan using CIA agents in Western news media’, the official maintained.
Pakistan-US relations started declining with the arrest of CIA agent Raymond Davis after he had committed double murder in broad daylight at crowded Mozang Chowk in Lahore in January this year.
He was immediately declared as staff member of the US Consulate in Lahore by US Embassy. Americans stated that Raymond Davis enjoyed diplomatic immunity for being member of the corps of diplomats.
This lie was conveniently spoken by the US top hierarchy including US President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen and others.
However, it was revealed later that he was acting head of CIA in Pakistan.
‘With his arrest there was a visible pause in drone attacks in Fata area. Complete American administration was evidently upset. Probably there was too much at stake that forced American administration into lying’, another official familiar with these incidents said.
How correct US Defence Secretary Robert Gates was who recently stated, ‘Most governments lie to each other’, the official ,added, while referring to Gates remarks when he responded to Senator Patrick Leahy’s question, ‘Do they (Pakistani’s) also arrest the people that help us, when they say they’re allies?’.
Senator Patrick Leahy had asked really an innocent question but it certainly underlined American emotions of care and love for those who collaborated with CIA in accomplishment of its mission.
‘No sovereign State can allow intelligence agency of another country to operate within its boundary, irrespective of their mutual relations. It will be absolutely naive of American lawmakers to think that such a possibility exists’, the official underlined.
The US intelligence imprint was exposed by the arrest of Raymond Davis who was managing CIA network in tribal agencies and was in contact with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Pakistani Taliban, mostly responsible for terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
It would be eccentric and incredible if immunity is asked for those who violate law of the land. Yet it is reported that CIA Director Leon Panetta, during his last trip to Islamabad and in his meeting with military and intelligence officials, had raised the issue of the CIA-informants arrested by Pakistani intelligence agencies for collaborating with Americans on the raid that led to the killing of Osama Bin Laden on May 2.
Reported arrest of the informants and American response raises two questions.
‘Firstly, what degree of compliance Americans expect from Pakistan, and secondly what option Pakistan has’, a Lahore-based defence expert said.
‘Hopefully, another facet of CIA operations in Pakistan will be uncovered as a result of investigation of US intrusion and killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbotabad.
It is absolutely natural for the intelligence agencies of the country to dig out the informants and those who are and were collaborating with foreign intelligence agencies’, he added.
In the process complete network of the CIA has been compromised. That is what must be worrisome for Senator Patrick Leahy rather than love for the informants.
No nation can stoop so low, if compliance of such degree is expected and probably that won’t be possible.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment