OBAMA ADMINISTRATION STONEWALLING ON BEHGHAZI?

Senators Again Urge Obama to Answer Key Questions about Benghazi Attack

Robert Zarate

October 31, 2012 11:51 AM/Weekly Standard

http://www.weeklystandard.com/print/blogs/senators-again-urge-obama-answer-key-questions-about-benghazi-attack_659895.html

Four senators sent a letter to the White House today, urging President Obama and his advisers to answer the growing list of questions about the 9/11 attack in Benghazi, Libya, which lawmakers have posed in writing to his administration over the last month. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), and Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), the authors of the letter, explain to the president:

The American people deserve to know all the facts surrounding the terrorist attack in Benghazi on September 11, 2012, that resulted in the murder of four Americans—including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Unfortunately, you and your senior administration officials have not been forthcoming in providing answers to the many questions that have emerged.

On October 9, 2012, we sent a letter to the senior intelligence officials in your administration in an effort to obtain answers to these questions. More than three weeks have passed, and we still have not received a response. To make matters worse, since that original letter, we sent several subsequent letters to you or to your senior administration officials asking a number of questions, and we have failed to receive a single letter in response.

 

The American people and their representatives in Congress need to understand what you knew about the Benghazi terrorist attack and when you knew it. We also have a right to know what steps you and your administration took—or failed to take—before, during, and after the terrorist attack to protect American lives….

Your failure to answer these important questions will only add to the growing perception among many of our constituents that your administration has undertaken a concerted effort to misrepresent the facts and stonewall Congress and the American people. We look forward to a prompt and thorough response to these questions. The American people deserve a full accounting of what happened in Benghazi where four brave Americans were murdered.

Here's entire text of the letter:

McCAIN-GRAHAM-AYOTTE-JOHNSON LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA:

October 31, 2012

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

The American people deserve to know all the facts surrounding the terrorist attack in Benghazi on September 11, 2012, that resulted in the murder of four Americans—including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Unfortunately, you and your senior administration officials have not been forthcoming in providing answers to the many questions that have emerged.

On October 9, 2012, we sent a letter to the senior intelligence officials in your administration in an effort to obtain answers to these questions. More than three weeks have passed, and we still have not received a response. To make matters worse, since that original letter, we sent several subsequent letters to you or to your senior administration officials asking a number of questions, and we have failed to receive a single letter in response.

The American people and their representatives in Congress need to understand what you knew about the Benghazi terrorist attack and when you knew it. We also have a right to know what steps you and your administration took—or failed to take—before, during, and after the terrorist attack to protect American lives.

In order to facilitate an immediate response to our important questions on behalf of the American people, below are the questions from the letters we have sent over the last three weeks.

In our October 9, 2012, letter that we wrote with Senator Saxby Chambliss, we asked the following questions of Director of National Intelligence, James R. Clapper, Jr.; Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, David H. Petraeus; and Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism and Deputy National Security Advisor, John Brennan:

• Within 48 hours of the attack, was there credible information and reporting to suggest that the assault on our Consulate and other U.S. facilities in Benghazi should be characterized as a terrorist attack?

• At what time did intelligence community agencies or elements first assess that the events in Benghazi were a terrorist attack?

• What information did the intelligence community provide to senior policymakers that led some of them to draw the conclusion as late as five days after the attack in Benghazi that it was the result of a spontaneous demonstration, not a terrorist act?

• Was there no credible evidence at that late date that was compelling enough for the intelligence community and the senior policymakers to draw a conclusion with at least moderate confidence that the attack in Benghazi was a terrorist act?

On October 15, 2012, Senator Graham sent letters to Mr. Brennan, Director Clapper, Director Petraeus, as well as National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon. The letters highlighted the fact that on June 6, 2012, assailants placed an improvised explosive device (IED) on the north gate of the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. The IED detonated and ripped a hole in the security perimeter that was described by one individual as "big enough for forty men to go through." This attack was preceded by an earlier IED attack against the Consulate in April 2012. Based on these facts, the letter included the following questions:

• Were you aware of these attacks?

• Did you inform the President of these attacks?

• If so, what action was taken to protect our Consulate?

• If you did not inform the President, why not?

On October 15, 2012, Senator Graham sent you a similar letter asking the following questions:

• Were you informed of these attacks on our Libyan Consulate?

• If not, why not?

• Did you consider these serious events?

• If you were informed, what action was taken to protect the Consulate?

On October 19, 2012, we sent a follow-up letter to the same three senior intelligence officials in your administration noting that ten days had elapsed since we sent the October 9 letter.

On October 24, 2012, we sent a letter to you asking the following questions:

• Why did your administration insist that a spontaneous demonstration was responsible for the attack on our Consulate, but as the State Department later divulged, no demonstration even occurred in Benghazi?

• Why were requests for greater security assistance by officers on the ground not fulfilled, especially in light of the fact that there had already been two attacks on our Consulate in Benghazi this year and an attempt to assassinate the British Ambassador-events about which you should have known?

• In light of the deteriorating security situation in Benghazi and the escalating series of attacks in the preceding months, why were there not rapid reaction forces or other military assets available in the region to deploy to Libya in the event of an emergency on September 11, 2012-a day that our intelligence agencies consistently cite far in advance as a moment of heightened security threat for the United States and our citizens and interests abroad?

On October 26, 2012, we sent a letter to Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta; Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, David H. Petraeus; and Attorney General, Eric H. Holder requesting the immediate declassification of the surveillance video in and around the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi for the two days-September 11 and 12, 2012-that it and related U.S. facilities were under attack.

On October 27, 2012, Senators McCain and Portman sent a letter to Secretary Panetta asking the following questions:

• What military forces were available to provide support to U.S. personnel in Libya?

• What military forces were requested to provide support to U.S. personnel in Libya, by whom, and what forces were provided?

• What communication and coordination did you have with the President and other members of the National Security Council regarding possible Defense Department support in Libya?

Your failure to answer these important questions will only add to the growing perception among many of our constituents that your administration has undertaken a concerted effort to misrepresent the facts and stonewall Congress and the American people. We look forward to a prompt and thorough response to these questions. The American people deserve a full accounting of what happened in Benghazi where four brave Americans were murdered.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

John McCain
United States Senator

Lindsey Graham
United States Senator

Kelly Ayotte
United States Senator

Ron Johnson
United States Senator

Cc: The Honorable Leon E. Panetta, Secretary of Defense;
The Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney General of the United States;
The Honorable James R. Clapper, Jr., Director of National Intelligence;
The Honorable David H. Petraeus, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

DAVID IGNATIUS ON BENGHAZI COVER UP

Lingering questions about Benghazi

By David Ignatius, Published: October 30/Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/david-ignatius-benghazi-questions-the-administration-must-answer/2012/10/30/02d02538-22e2-11e2-8448-81b1ce7d6978_story.html

... But Fox News has raised some questions about the attack that deserve a clearer answer from the Obama administration.

Fox’s Jennifer Griffin reported Friday that CIA officers in Benghazi had been told to “stand down” when they wanted to deploy from their base at the annex to repel the attack on the consulate, about a mile away. Fox also reported that the CIA officers requested military support when the annex came under fire later that night but that their request had been denied.

The Benghazi tragedy was amplified by Charles Woods, the father of slain CIA contractor Tyrone Woods. He told Fox’s Sean Hannity that White House officials who didn’t authorize military strikes to save the embattled CIA annex were “cowards” and “are guilty of murdering my son.”

..... what did happen in Benghazi on the night of Sept. 11, when Woods, Ambassador Christopher Stevens and two others Americans were killed? The best way to establish the facts would be a detailed, unclassified timeline of events...That’s a must, even in the volatile final week of the campaign. In the meantime, here’s a summary of some of the basic issues that need to be clarified.

First, on the question of whether Woods and others were made to wait when they asked permission to move out immediately to try to rescue those at the consulate.

...The main reason for the delay, several sources said, was that CIA officials were making urgent contact with a Libyan militia, known as the February 17 Brigade, which was the closest thing to an organized security force in Benghazi. The United States depends on local security to protect U.S. diplomatic facilities everywhere, and officials wanted to coordinate any response to the consulate attack. After this delay, Woods and his colleague proceeded to the consulate.

Here’s my question: Was it wise to depend on a Libyan militia that clearly wasn’t up to the job? Could it have made a difference for those under attack at the consulate if Woods had moved out as soon as he was, in one official’s words, “saddled and ready”?

Second, why didn’t the United States send armed drones or other air assistance to Benghazi immediately?

What more could have been done? A Joint Special Operations Command team was moved that night to Sigonella air base in Sicily, for quick deployment to Benghazi or any of the other U.S. facilities in danger that night across North Africa. Armed drones could also have been sent. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta summarized last Thursday the administration’s decision to opt for caution: “You don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s going on.”

...The Obama administration needs to level with the country about why it made its decisions.

SAUDIS TO BEGIN MAJOR IDEOLOGICAL ASSAULT ON AFGHANISTAN

This is the beginning of the end.

Look what happened to Pakistan once the Saudis embarked on their “ideological warfare” to purify those who were in “jahilliyyah.” Their view.

They built the Faisal Mosque which was their “show of force/dominance” as Pakistan’s elite/military sold their souls. Weird crap is happening to this post....please see below











The rest...

Things ever since have gone downhill for Pakistan.
And then, via the Saudi funded madrassas, with their hateful and intolerant worldview, emerged those gullible Pushtun orphans and war veterans who set out to destroy their own motherland in the name of the “true faith.”
The Taliban’s taqlid, following the wishes of their paymasters, showed no respect or tolerance towards Afghanistan’s Sufi variant of Sunni Hanafi Islam (and also targeted the Shias) per their marching orders. 

If you take money from such ideologues, who are one of the primary actors (Iran and Pakistan have also contributed their share of damage) behind your country’s destruction, you must then be prepared to accept the dire consequences.

You will be abids of the Saudis.

Do you want to live in Afghanistan, as in the days of your ancestors, as free independent men? Or, do you want to sell your souls, your culture & way of life to the highest bidder for a few gold coins and a “grand and unique” mosque???

Have you not learnt yet from what has happened across that Durand Line?? Now you will have no one to blame but yourselves.

Go ahead…let in the Wahhabi/Salafi…yes, the same who funded those Arab “guests” who swore bayah but betrayed you and let you bear the brunt of 9/11. But do not shed tears of gham and servitude.

It will be painful to see where this new train wreck is heading during the next decade.

Haven’t your so-called “democratically elected” leaders any nang left??? Weren’t the spoils from the generous feringhi not enough for your grasping hands???

Wonder what Pir Roshan, Khushal Khan, Mirwais, Abdali etc etc would make of your betrayal to the enemies of the Afghan qaum?

READ AND WEEP….
SAUDIS TO BUILD MAJOR ISLAMIC CENTRE IN AFGHANISTAN

GULF TIMES, OCTOBER  29th, 2012. AFP/RIYADH

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=540439&version=1&template_id=41&parent_id=23

Saudi Arabia will build a massive Islamic centre complete with a university and a mosque in Afghanistan, an Afghan minister said yesterday, describing the project as “grand and unique”.
Estimated to cost up to $100mn, the centre on a hilltop in central Kabul will house up to 5,000 students, Dayi-Ul Haq Abed, the acting Haj and religious affairs minister said.
It will be named after Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the minister added.
“The agreement was signed last week in Jeddah. The construction will start next year, in couple of months or so,” Abed said.
The mosque, similar to the Faisal Mosque in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad that was also built by oil-rich Saudi Arabia in 1980s, will hold 15,000 worshippers at a time.
The minister said the centre will be run jointly by the Saudi and Afghan ministries of religious affairs. Other universities in Afghanistan are run by the higher education ministry.
Saudi Arabia was one of only three countries — along with Pakistan and the UAE — that recognised the Taliban regime during its rule.

 

 

GENERAL CARTER HAM FIRED FOR TRYING TO SAVE AMERICAN LIVES???

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/10/has_general_ham_been_fired.html

AMERICAN THINKER
October 28, 2012

Has General Ham Been Fired?

Mike Johnson

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Has General Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command, been fired for defying Leon Panetta on Benghazi?

Glenn Reynolds, the Instapundit, ran a piece Saturday afternoon titled "Interesting Rumor Concerning General Carter Ham and Stand Down Order." This piece is presented as a rumor. It suggests that General Ham was told to stand down from sending aid to Benghazi, that General Ham on his own decided to proceed, and that he was then relieved of his command. Remember, all rumor at this point.

On 18 October 2012, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta participated in a "DOD News Briefing on Efforts to Enhance the Financial Health of the Force." In his introductory remarks, Mr. Panetta said: "Today I am very pleased to announce that President Obama will nominate General David Rodriguez to succeed General Carter Ham as commander of U.S. Africa Command . . ."

I'll have a lot more to say about General Carter Ham's service in the months ahead, but let me say this. Under his leadership, AFRICOM has played a very central role in some very important missions, from the NATO campaign in Libya that led to the fall of Gadhafi; to successful counterterrorism efforts in Somalia and Yemen; to efforts that we are now involved in, in Nigeria, Mali and elsewhere. General Ham has really brought AFRICOM into a very pivotal role in that challenging region. Myself and the nation are deeply grateful for his outstanding service. This is not a rumor, but it also does not provide a reason for the change. Note that Mr. Panetta gives no insight into General Ham's future. General Ham is not quite 61 years old and so has three years left before mandatory retirement age of 64. General Ham has been commissioned for 36 years but did serve as an enlisted man prior to gaining his commission, so he might have the mandatory retirement 40 years of service.

The New York Times ran an article by Elisabeth Bumiller titled "Panetta Says Risk Impeded Deployment to Benghazi." The article refers to the night of 11/12 September and includes the following: As a result, Mr. Panetta said, he and two top commanders "felt very strongly that we could not put forces at risk in that situation." The commanders are Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Carter F. Ham of Africa Command, which oversees American military operations in Africa, including Libya. You probably have seen similar clips on TV. The impression being given by Mr. Panetta is that the three of them agreed upon the course of action.

Not how it works in the military.

Note also that the NYT piece, written eight days after Mr. Panetta's announcement, makes no mention of General Ham being replaced as commander of U.S. Africa Command. Is it not relevant?

BENGHAZI 9/11: BETRAYAL OF THE HIGHEST ORDER...

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/26/cia-operators-were-denied-request-for-help-during-benghazi-attack-sources-say/

Fox News has learned from sources who were on the ground in Benghazi that an urgent request from the CIA annex for military back-up during the attack on the U.S. consulate and subsequent attack several hours later on the annex itself was denied by the CIA chain of command -- who also told the CIA operators twice to "stand down" rather than help the ambassador's team when shots were heard at approximately 9:40 p.m. in Benghazi on Sept. 11.

Former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods was part of a small team who was at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When he and others heard the shots fired, they informed their higher-ups at the annex to tell them what they were hearing and requested permission to go to the consulate and help out. They were told to "stand down," according to sources familiar with the exchange. Soon after, they were again told to "stand down."
Woods and at least two others ignored those orders and made their way to the consulate which at that point was on fire. Shots were exchanged. The rescue team from the CIA annex evacuated those who remained at the consulate and Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight.
At that point, they called again for military support and help because they were taking fire at the CIA safe house, or annex. The request was denied. There were no communications problems at the annex, according those present at the compound. The team was in constant radio contact with their headquarters. In fact, at least one member of the team was on the roof of the annex manning a heavy machine gun when mortars were fired at the CIA compound. The security officer had a laser on the target that was firing and repeatedly requested back-up support from a Spectre gunship, which is commonly used by U.S. Special Operations forces to provide support to Special Operations teams on the ground involved in intense firefights. The fighting at the CIA annex went on for more than four hours -- enough time for any planes based in Sigonella Air base, just 480 miles away, to arrive. Fox News has also learned that two separate Tier One Special operations forces were told to wait, among them Delta Force operators.
Watch "Special Report Investigates: Death and Deceit in Benghazi" on Fox News at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, 3 p.m. on Sunday and 10 p.m. on Sunday.
A Special Operations team, or CIF which stands for Commanders in Extremis Force, operating in Central Europe had been moved to Sigonella, Italy, but they were never told to deploy. In fact, a Pentagon official says there were never any requests to deploy assets from outside the country. A second force that specializes in counterterrorism rescues was on hand at Sigonella, according to senior military and intelligence sources. According to those sources, they could have flown to Benghazi in less than two hours. They were the same distance to Benghazi as those that were sent from Tripoli. Spectre gunships are commonly used by the Special Operations community to provide close air support.
According to sources on the ground during the attack, the special operator on the roof of the CIA annex had visual contact and a laser pointing at the Libyan mortar team that was targeting the CIA annex. The operators were calling in coordinates of where the Libyan forces were firing from.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that there was not a clear enough picture of what was occurring on the ground in Benghazi to send help.

Fox News has learned that there were two military surveillance drones redirected to Benghazi shortly after the attack on the consulate began. They were already in the vicinity. The second surveillance craft was sent to relieve the first drone, perhaps due to fuel issues. Both were capable of sending real time visuals back to U.S. officials in Washington, D.C. Any U.S. official or agency with the proper clearance, including the White House Situation Room, State Department, CIA, Pentagon and others, could call up that video in real time on their computers.
Tyrone Woods was later joined at the scene by fellow former Navy SEAL Glen Doherty, who was sent in from Tripoli as part of a Global Response Staff or GRS that provides security to CIA case officers and provides countersurveillance and surveillance protection. They were killed by a mortar shell at 4 a.m.Libyan time, nearly seven hours after the attack on the consulate began -- a window that represented more than enough time for the U.S. military to send back-up from nearby bases in Europe, according to sources familiar with Special Operations. Four mortars were fired at the annex. The first one struck outside the annex. Three more hit the annex.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/26/cia-operators-were-denied-request-for-help-during-benghazi-attack-sources-say/#ixzz2AQn1isXo

and covered by the Christian Science Monitor on OCT 28...

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2012/1027/Benghazi-attack-Urgent-call-for-military-help-was-denied-by-chain-of-command

 

Benghazi attack: was US consulate plea for military help 'denied' by government?

Brad Knickerbocker | The Christian Science Monitor | Oct 28, 2012

Citing “sources who were on the ground” in Benghazi, Libya, Fox News is reporting that an urgent request for military help during last month’s terrorist attack on the US consulate there “was denied by the CIA chain of command.”

 

THE GAEL...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U89Qtbnk-Q4&feature=list_other&playnext=1&list=RD02hg1xqAjQ5e4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b11-37Me_a4&feature=list_other&playnext=1&list=RD02M0d4qM7gCH8

GHAZALA JAVED WAS PUKHTUNKHWA'S NIGHTINGALE SO THEY KILLED HER

Note: The TTP are another faction of a contagion that is now sweeping the globe in the name of Islam. These orthodox literalists want to silence the music, kill anything beautiful and murder schoolgirls who want to go to school. They are diehard ideologues and there is NO ROOM for negotiation w/such scum.

 

With Ghazala Javed’s death, music is subdued in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

Kiran Nazish | 3rd September, 2012   DAWN

 

http://dawn.com/2012/09/03/with-ghazala-javeds-death-music-is-subdued-in-khyber-pakhtunkhwa/

A little over two months ago, news of a popular Pashtun female singer’s death streamed local and global media, fuelled by rumours of the Taliban’s involvement in her murder. Ghazala Javed, 24, and her father were shot dead on June 18, in Peshawar’s Dabagari Garden area.
“She was shot six times by gunmen as she left a beauty salon,” said a police officer working on the case. These shots were not fired by the Taliban. The police claim that her ex-husband, who had remarried and would force his first wife to quit singing, was the prime suspect and was hence arrested last week. Her sister, who filed the FIR said, “When Ghazala found out that he had a second wife, she asked for a divorce. This really annoyed him as it is against family honour for a husband to be asked to

Ghazala Javed – Image taken from YouTube video grab

leave.” Although Javed’s family did not specify their suspect, local police claimed her ex-husband’s involvement with much confidence.
Ghazala’s death has raised several questions about the law and order condition in KPK, the government’s responsibility in dealing with the issue of security and the threat of extremism, all of which squeezes the margin of survival of musicians and artists in the area.
Ghazala who originally hailed from the Banrr village in Swat, which fell to Taliban rule in 2007, had fled to pursue her music career away from their tyrannical insolence and continued to sing in Peshawar, 170 kilometres away from her hometown.
She enjoyed tremendous following in the region, not just among boys and girls but middle-aged and elderly locals as well. She sang of youthful love and desire, mostly self-written. The threats she faced from the Taliban were easily countered by the respect she enjoyed from her progressive ethnic Pashtun fans, both for her music and her boldness. Ghazala would travel to Dubai for her recordings, in order to keep the music-related activity to a minimum in the Taliban-threatened region.
One of her seniors in the music industry, who does not want to be named said, “Ghazala Javed was a remarkably talented young lady. When she entered the music industry, she instantly developed a fan following, not just in Peshawar, but across Pakistan.”
Perhaps it was her beauty that initially attracted most listeners, but her fans kept growing in the region for her angelic voice and the sense of ethnic music. She defied the Taliban and continued to take on whatever problems came with it. “As a musician I know that is not easy, not something I will be able to keep up with,” said the musician.

Even though Ghazala was not killed by the Taliban, but the constant threats she received have overshadowed the plot. She was that quintessential inspiration for an artist in KPK and her tragic murder will have a pronounced impact on the careers of young singers. Especially the female singers who want to pursue their career in music, in the deeply orthodox society of KPK.
One of Ghazala’s fans and recent students, Anila says that she might not have the courage to sing after loosing her mentor and teacher to an unknown death. “It shocked me, it made me cry, but it also made me fear in the wonder, if I will be able to have a safe career if I pursue the things my mentor taught me.
“They talk about freedom of expression. What is it? Freedom of expression does not necessarily come with writing or activism. To me, singing is my freedom. And that I don’t have. But I have decided to certainly try to pursue what I am passionate about.”
Most other female singers in the area did not express their pain openly as they felt the fear of a backlash. A close friend of Ghazala’s also a singer anonymously said, “We could be targeted for saying anything for or against her, but I would just like to pay my due respect to her. She was certainly a role model for many young singer and a great fellow of mine.”
KPK is an in-friendly domicile for artists, musicians or poets and is mostly obsessed with conventional social and religious constraints. Apart from the religious justifications against such professions, there are other social and family pressures. Additionally the security concerns from different militants and extremists groups usually overshadow the talent that the Pushtoon community has the potential to enjoy.

Considering how recently the Taliban poetry is making rounds in the local and global media, it becomes increasingly intriguing, what really is the benchmark behaviours they expect from people.
There are about 150 known musicians in different areas of KPK, most of whom will not say anything about their conditions in public out of the fear. A 22-year-old harmonium player, Imran Khan from the district of Dabagari, was abrasively beaten up by an unknown group for speaking openly about Ghazala’s grief. “I just spoke about the unnecessary fear that creative people in our town generally have to face. Everyone should have the freedom to choose their profession, as freely as in the rest of the country.” Imran who got scars from the beating concluded, “If music serves my soul, then my soul should die, or I should die.”
What killed Ghazala could be a prevailing patriarchal mindset and indeed, in some way, the Taliban ideology now deeply ingrained in the Pashtun society. 

HUBRIS OR EXTREME NAIVETE? IMRAN KHAN"S WAZIRISTAN PEACE MARCH

Imran Khan should have quietly retired to focus on charity work after his career of playing cricket. The man is so far removed from his Waziristan roots (on his mother's, a Burki, side) that he doesn't have a clue about Pushtunwali and what it entails. If he did he wouldn't dream of arrogantly announcing to the public that he would lead a "Peace March" to Waziristan to protest the "evil drone strikes."

What makes his actions even more egregious is that he is taking gullible Westerners (mostly female) along for his suicidal ride. I doubt the Paks will let him proceed...more showmanship at the expense of the Waziristanis who have been pawns in a dangerous game hosted by the Pak Army.  

Imran Khan has the right to claim to be a Pushtun by ancestry (the Burkis even today mostly marry within the tribe or tribes they are closely aligned with), but culturally and due to his life in Lahore (Punjab) he thinks more like a Punjabi than a Pushtun. The proof is clear in this Quixotic like endeavor (to go to Waziristan).

First rule of Pushtunwali is that every man worth his salt must defend his zar, zan and zamin. Yes, IK's mother has roots in SWA but not his father. And, his first and crucial error was that he didn't--behind the scenes-- confer with the maliks and spin ghiris (white beards) to try to get them to put forth an invite to their zamin. Placing the cart before the horse, he declared to the world his hairbrained Waziristan trip as though it was his God given right!!

This not only goes against the grain of Pushtunwali traditions; worse it is akin to a slap in the face for all tribes in the area.

You just don't invite yourself to tea in the Tribal Belt. And, the only time you consider such an uninvited "trip" is if you are a desperate fugitive seeking panah by invoking "nanawatai." That too carries a heavy load.

Second, only after the TTP responded that they would kill the liberal" -i.e. IK-- should he dare enter their motherland, did IK seek the approval of the spin giris and maliks.

Third, and worst of all, he invited westerners (i.e. kufar) from liberal (read: non-believing) groups who comprise mostly of women!!!

Imran Khan is a dangerously naive man being used by the powers that be in Pakistan who are leveraging his rather large ego for their own ends.  If he isn't careful his demise will sadly be at the hands of his own Pushtun kin who perceive him as "compromised."

Some recent quotes from the papers (take heed):
“Imran Khan’s decision to hold the peace rally was merely a sentimental move,” KP Governor Barrister Masood Kausar said adding: “Imran is an ignorant man and likes to live in his dreams but the government is fully cognisant of its responsibilities and cannot allow any adventurism in the tribal areas where the situation is already fragile.”

Waziristan is a complex place these days...one where the Pakistan Army played havoc with the populace, which has yet to recover and remains (to a large extent) displaced from their motherland. IK is perceived to be close to the Army. Enough said.

I don't wish the man ill...but one does condemn him for his arrogance and naivete that will get people killed if he isn't more cognizant of the cultural and social land mines that await his motley group.

It would have made far more (logical) sense to lead a "peace parade" to the Islamabad's diplomatic enclave and deliver a letter of protest to the US Ambassador outside the Embassy. Mission Accomplished. But this man's stupid, and rather large, ego and propensity for the limelight will get many innocents on either side killed.

Hope I'm proven wrong in 48 hours and that the melmastia post facto offered by some maliks and spin giris will trump the feelings of the militants. But this was a foolish, unnecessarily reckless/childish endeavor by a man who wants to be "king" in a region which holds him in suspicious regard because he refuses to condemn the Pakistani Army who forced a majority of the Mahsud and Burki populace from their motherland in 2009 while protecting their proxies in NWA and elsewhere. Its all a dirty business and the people are the ultimate victims who IK pretends to care about.