PAKISTAN: ZARDARI’S FOREIGN CONTRACTED CON’S

NOVANEWS

By Dr Shahid Qureshi

In a written application to Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Pakistan, appointments of Hussain Haqqani and Wajid Shamsul Hassan are challenged as they are also contract employees in violation of merit, conventions, security and safety rules. They are foreign residents for decades never paid taxes in Pakistan and also not voted for a very long time by choice as there were no restrictions on them to vote and live in Pakistan.

 The application states: “In the context of recent orders to remove all contracted officials posted in the government departments. I am suggesting it should also include political appointed ambassador Husssain Haqqani in USA and Wajid Shamsulhasan High commissioner in Britain and others. They are probably not register voters in Pakistan or voted in last two elections in past ten years. They have not spent time in Pakistan but opted residence and/or foreign nationalities. Therefore they are not eligible to be appointed on such sensitive position. It is an eligibility, security issue and discretion of the government. I am requesting you to include them and others in the list of the above mentioned order”. 

 Hussain Haqqani Pakistani ambassador to USand his wife Farah Isphani (advisor to President Zardari) should be arrested facilitating issuing of visas to ‘private foreign citizen mercenaries’ without clearances, conspiring to kill and/or risk lives of Pakistani citizens as well as ignoring national interests and security of Pakistan. He is using special powers given to him by President Zardari. He issues visas without security clearance from the Pakistani agencies while his wife Farah Isphani is minding President Zardari in Islamabad. By conferring such powers, President Zardari is also partner in this crime and if any Pakistani killed or injured by these mercenaries his/her family can take both Zardari and Haqqani to court as ‘facilitators and accomplices’ in the crime.

According to press reports Ambassador Hussain Haqqani to Washington claimed:

(1) That he sought and granted permission to issue visas by Foreign Ministry in Pakistan.

(2) He still has not named the official or officials in the interior ministry headed by Rehman Malik and Foreign Ministry headed by Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the time.

(3) He did not provide any evidence /memo issued by the Government of Pakistan which states that he could issue visas to mercenaries, defence contractors and spies (NOCs) without full proof security clearance by the agencies.

(4) He did not provide breakdown how many visas were issued to mercenaries, soldiers, spies and defence contractors.

(5) He claimed that some visas were issued to people who produced letter from US State Department. Well it is his job to scrutinise the visa application as he is employed by the Government of Pakistan and not by the State Department.

(6) He is been criminally involved in this visa scam and compromised the interest of Pakistan?

(7) Shouldn’t he be put on trial in the Pakistani court of law for this criminal act?  

Hussain Haqqani reportedly issued 10,521 visas from July to November 2009 to the Americans. He issued approximately 500 Pakistani visas in 24 hours using special powers given by President Zardari. He and Zardari should be held responsible for the killings of innocent Pakistanis by the US mercenaries of Xe/Blackwater and other private contractors. Mostly anti-Pakistan experts use his book “Pakistan: between mosque and military”, to quote against the country. 

There are many ways states are undermined and diluted by the international players starting from appointing most corrupt and immoral agents as head of the states in the developing countries. These ‘can do’ crooks serve the purpose better than any legitimate loyal leader of a country. Asif Zardari disgraced and humiliated and let down Pakistan on many occasions, he failed to get his wife’s killers in the first place. Those who should be questioned in the Benazir Bhutto’s murder enquiry, Babar Awan and Rehman Malik for taking away back up vehicle and disappearing from the murder scene are his most loyal federal ministers.   Why?

He is undermining Pakistan since his entrance in the Presidency by appointing corrupt, incompetent and dodgy characters on the important official positions. He appointed his London ‘house niger’ Wajid Shamsulhasan as High Commissioner of Pakistan in London. Mr Hassan is reportedly not even a registered voter in Pakistan and never voted in February 2008 elections. Is there a conflict of interest and security issue positions in London and Washington are given to people who could be problematic? 

Wajid Shamsulhassan: Pakistani High Commissioner in London

A press enquiry was sent to the Mr Abdul Basit Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairsin Islamabad on 3rd December 2010. Mr Basit sent an acknowledgement receipt but has not responded. A reminder was also sent. Here are the transcripts: 

Date: Friday, December 3, 2010, 10:55 AM

Dear Mr Basit

Re: Pakistani High Commissioner in London

I am writing to seek information about the status of the above. We are receiving enormous amounts of enquires about the current Pakistani High Commissioner in London.

1 – Is he and his wife are British Nationals or Pakistani Nationals or both?

2 – Has he or his wife ever claimed/received benefits i.e. housing benefits or income support from the British public funds?

3 – If yes then do you think there is a conflict of interest?

4 – Has high commissioner or his wife voted in Pakistani general elections in 2008?

5 – Are they register voters in Pakistan?    

6 – What does Pakistani law says in terms of appointment of foreign nationals on sensitive positions i.e. high commissioners/ambassadors/ministers?

7- Has he been reprimanded/questioned for breaking SOP and/or violating service rules when he went to Switzerland without informing/seeking permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to receive ‘Swiss Case Documents’ in Geneva Switzerland with the NAB official?

8- What is his role in granting £1 million worth contract to British company (DRS) to print census forms for Pakistan?

Kindly reply as soon as possible

Regards  

Response from Abdul Basit spokesman Ministry of Foreign Affairs Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 04:51:53 -0800 “Many thanks. Will revert to you as soon as possible”. Best regards.

Abdul Basit

The London Post published an article on 22nd December 2009, “It looks like that Wajid Shamsulhasan Pakistani High Commissioner to London did not tell the whole truth to the people that his trip to Switzerland to remove documents from the custody of the Swiss lawyer concerning President Zardari was legal and authorised under the civil servants rules of Pakistan? He is an employee of the government. He claimed to have full authorisation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to an email received from Press Counsellor in response to my letter about the above issue on 4th December 2009:

“The High Commissioner has informed that he went to Geneva on the instructions of Foreign Office. Regarding other queries please approach Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad”.

The questions are (a) what were the actual requests (b) what were the instructions? (c) Since the Swiss lawyer handed over documents to the Pakistan embassy official in Geneva and not to him what was the legitimacy of presence of London High Commissioner a civil servant of Pakistan?  

Well following response from Mr Abdul Basit spokesperson Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad contradicts what Press Counsellor wrote to me on his behalf:

“I don’t think the High Commissioner ever claimed that the transfer of the files was authorised by the Foreign Office. As you know NAB is the line organisation and the Foreign Office has only been facilitating in these matters as required and admissible. The High Commissioner has issued a detailed clarification. We have no further comments to make. .” 

On 16th December 2009, ‘I wrote to Syeda Sultana Rizvi Press Counsellor at London High Commission again’:

“Thank you for the response on the 4th December 2009. I wonder if you could inform us about the handing over of the ‘Swiss Case Documents’ to Pakistani authorities as an urgent request was made by the NAB to have these documents delivered in diplomatic bags with an official escort.  As mentioned in your response on 4th December 2009 below, I wrote to the MFA and received an email from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan who seems to have no knowledge of issuing any instructions or granting permission to HE Wajid Shamsulhasan, London based Pakistani High Commissioner to collect documents from Switzerland kept in the safe custody of a Swiss lawyer acting on behalf of the Government of Pakistan.  Please reply. I would appreciate an earliest response.” 

As expected I did not get any response from Ms Sultana Rizvi, who has proven to be a curse on Pakistani media community and liability for the Government of Pakistan in these crucial times when a competent and shining officer is needed? In sheer frustration I called former journalist and current Deputy High Commissioner Asif Durrani. I told him about my dilemma. Within minutes after 30 hours of wait I received a one line response of my first email from Ms Sultana Rizvi, which did not answer the questions. I have not received any response of my second email sent on 16/12/09 from her until 22/12/09.

Sultana Rizvi’s office is costing poor and needy Pakistanis around Rs.30 million (Rs.3 Croers) a year. She is getting $500 (Rs. 42,105.7) entertainment allowance every month!! What are the results? Can some do cost benefit analysis of this office? 

As a professional I have provided opportunities to the High Commissioner to clear his position in writing as well as when I personally saw him at a dinner. He said, I will come back to you’. Now it is up to him to judge the competence of his staff and not to complain journalists later and get embarrassed. He has made his own backyard quite messy after reportedly colluding with press section in blacking out some senior British Pakistani journalists just because they exposed the incompetence of the press office and corruption.

It sound like that on the one hand President Zardari is surrounded by crooks like Rehman Malik, Salman Faooqi, Hussain Haqani, and Wajid Shamsulhasan, but on the other hand his ‘dementia’ short term memory loss and ‘inferiority complex’ are becoming more and more problematic?  His diabetes and mental health problems are increasing strains on his general health and judgement. None of the people mentioned above have undivided loyalties to Pakistan and probably won’t be able to get a job as ‘security guard’ in Pakistan due to security risks? But only in ‘Zardari Con Club’ these clowns could sit on sensitive positions? 

Zardari regime has appointed cronies in USA, UN, United Kingdom, Syria and few other countries by ignoring merit and interests of the state.  Pakistani career diplomats appointed in rest of the world have minimum 23-40 years experience. London Washington and United Nations are important stations and mostly countries send their best brains for diplomacy? Zardari appointed dodgy characters who don’t go to Pakistan for years and would ultimately move back their London and Washington residences soon?

President Zardari’ s gambling instinct and probably few tips from movie ‘God Father’ is keeping him going. Otherwise any decent and honourable person would have resign by now to face the allegations bravely, clear his name, and come back. He submitted 256 medical and other certificates in the courts to avoid facing trails including a certificate of ‘mental illnesses in British High Courts. No one is stopping Mr Zardari from coming back into politics or power? He might be thinking on these lines but like late Benazir Bhutto, he is also surrounded by a ‘corrupt opportunist mafia’. They were the people who made Ms Bhutto take such hasty and compromised decisions like accept NRO deals? She was a decent woman; a good mother and would always be close to my heart. It is been sometime and Zardari regime could not find her killers?  Why?

In the past so called VIPS from Pakistan only used to come to London in summers? But now it is all season’s destination of Pakistani ‘filthy rich’ who seem more ‘filthy’ then ‘rich’. On the other hand Pakistan High Commission in the supervision of HE Wajid Shamsulhasan has become like a ‘mini cab office’, where according to reports everything is happening from wheeling and dealing to guarantees of kick backs, real estate deals, mango parties, cocktails parties, to gold jewellery scams, custom clearing service ?

According to Jang Media Group reported on 2nd December 2009, Wajid Shamsulhasan (a former employee of the Jang Group) carried out a ‘James Bond 007’ mission in Geneva – secret operation caught on video tape by Geo News TV team for President Zardari.

“The proofs were stuffed in 12 cartons. Earlier then that Swiss lawyer ‘Jack P’ was asked to hand over the proofs. The lawyer refused to oblige, saying that an important personality is accused in these cases and according to Swiss law he could keep this proofs with him for 10 years. The [Pakistan (Zardari)] Government replaced its lawyer and appointed John J. Brunt as the new lawyer who got the proofs from the former lawyer. Pakistan High Commissioner in London Wajid Shamsul Hasan and former Deputy Attorney General Danishwar Malik were given the responsibility to take this proof from new lawyer John J. Brunt and destroy it.

Danishwar Malik arrived in London and along with Wajid Shamsul Hasan reached Geneva [Switzerland] by British Airways flight BA 734 on Sunday evening. Nine AM [Monday, 30 November 2009] was the time agreed to take the documents from the [Swiss] lawyer. They reached the lawyer’s office by the [Pakistan] Embassy’s Nissan car No. 453 CD-GE while keeping their eyes on the surroundings and adopting different routes. After they examined the record of the proofs, the lawyer refused to give them possession of 12 cartons of documents unless they called a responsible officer of the [Pakistan] Embassy. Then a First Secretary of the [Pakistan] Embassy reached there by car No. 253 CD-GE. After one hour, these cartons started shifting from the lawyer’s office to the [Pakistan] Embassy car No. 453 CD-GE.

After its recording, Geo News [television] questioned Wajid Shamsulhasan on what he was carrying in those cartons which he received from the [Swiss] lawyer. The visibly perturbed and nervous Wajid Shamsulhasan said he knew nothing about the matter. Asked what he was doing in the lawyer’s office since the morning, Wajid [Shamsulhasan] chose to walk away instead of replying to the question.

Danishwar Malik also expressed his ignorance about the issue when he was asked the same question. He also walked towards Wajid Shamsulhasan, advising the [Geo News TV] reporter to contact the [Pakistan] Embassy staff in this regard. The First Secretary also refused to answer on-camera questions but after an assurance that the camera was switched off, he said he was unaware of the matter. A diplomatic office-holder in a nearby Bar told Geo [News TV] that their cartons contain all the original proofs of the Swiss cases.” 

The above mentioned ugly episode of allegedly removing crucial evidence from the offices of a ‘Swiss Lawyer’ by Wajid Sahmsulhassan is the extreme example of ‘mafia work’ of the current Zardari regime. No matter what Mr Hassan has disgraced himself by getting involved in these kinds of shameful activities not for the first time. He is been involved in dealings related to Rockwood Estates (Surry Palace), which Princess and the Pirate had denied ownership for years? But then one day they accepted the ownership of the ‘Surry Palace’. Now Zardari and his gang of crooks are making this corruption issue as a moral issue. Time for detoxification and cleansing of Pakistan for good has come.

A senior leader of British Pakistani and Kashmiri community demanded the Prime Minister of Pakistan to appointment a seasoned and professional diplomat in London and not a ‘House Niger’, supposedly mentor of Bilawal Zardari, future ‘Dileep Singh’ of Pakistan”.

Leaked US documents proved that Asif Zardari is continuation of treachery of Ali-alqami of Baghdad, Mir Jafar of Bengal, Mir Sadiq of Mysore, Skindar Mirza, and Yahya Khan. He can be compared with the people of Kufa, who betrayed Ali, the great son in law of the Prophet of Islam and then his son Hussain ibn Ali in Karbla. 

Zardari and Haqqani both betrayed the people of Pakistan by supporting drone attacks and issuing visas to Xe/blackwater/dyncorp mercenaries. They are partners in crimes of Xe and US drone attacks and deaths of Pakistani citizens. All these crooks and cronies posted as diplomats must be sacked following the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.