True & Tantalizing: The Shakeel Afridi Story

Save the Children, a British NGO, a recruiting, fronting and shilling agent for CIA in Pakistan delivered Dr.Shakeel Afridi to the CIA.

Note the deep longing expression in both faces | Cartoon by – by Zahoor (May 2012); source & courtesy – tribune.com.pk | Click for image.

Dr Shakeel Afridi, the Pakistani physician helped the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to track down and kill al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, (by) carrying out a fake vaccination campaign in Abbottabad to obtain DNA samples of Bin Laden’s family members.

Afridi has reportedly told his Pakistani interrogators that he was introduced to the CIA by the United Kingdom-based humanitarian organization Save the Children, an internationally acclaimed non-governmental organization that promotes children’s rights and helps support children in developing countries.

Save the Children has refuted Afridi’s claim, saying the allegation has had a negative impact on its ability to operate inside Pakistan.

What turned him against the Taliban was his 2007 abduction by the henchmen of Mangal Bagh, who thrashed him for charging huge fees from some of the wounded militants. Afridi was kept by the LeI militants for several weeks and released after his family paid a heavy ransom. Since his wife, Imrana Ghafoor (who was headmistress at a government-run girls’ high school) was an American national, Afridi left for the United States along with his family in 2008.

Afridi returned to Pakistan a few months later, but his family stayed in the US. During 2009-2010, Afridi met with American officials in Islamabad and Peshawar many times and agreed to become a CIA mole. The Americans reportedly asked him to spy for them in the Mansehra, Hassan Abdal and Kamrah areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under cover of an anti-polio campaign.

In the beginning of 2011, Afridi managed to collect blood samples from Bin Laden’s compound. On April 28, these samples were reportedly matched through DNA tests from an American laboratory in Washington. Four days later, on May 2, the special forces conducted their clandestine raid.

Afridi’s continued presence in Pakistani custody has clearly become a thorn in the already tense Pakistan-US relationship. Pakistan has turned down two separate requests made by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, seeking freedom for the doctor and his extradition to the US.

While their “requests” were clearly aimed at exerting pressure on Pakistan to release Afridi, well-informed sources in the Pakistani security establishment have ruled out any such possibility

As if seeking American citizenship for the detained physician was not enough to tease Pakistan’s security establishment, Rohrabacher announced on February 14 that he would introduce legislation in congress seeking a Congressional Gold Medal for Afridi. (via Asia Times Online :: Fate of Osama informer hangs in balance).

The Man With No Face

The biggest problem with the Climate Change agenda is the huge amounts of funds that would be handed over to NGOs. Faceless, hidden from public view, answerable to none except who fund them, these NGOs are a new species in the jungle of covert war.

In Egypt, the entire ‘Arab-Spring’ campaign was funded and run by US NGOs – who were later banned – and closed down by Egyptian authorities.

Face behind the mask

Faceless NGOs, without accountability to anyone, were able to bring global political leadership, to the very brink of an agreement. The same 25,000 people (25 countries x 1000 powerful people) who rule over the G8/OECD wanted the poor to invite these 25,000 to have undue and illegitimate oversight over our ‘poor’ lives – in the name of climate change.

The message I got … loud and clear

To deliver more than 700 crore (7 billion) of humanity to the feet of these NGOs (and the likes of the Milliband Brothers) to pry into our lives, our affairs and dictate our very existence – with our own consent.

These NGOs would have control of death over us. NGOs that will work …

Without recourse, with no checks and balances. With large amounts of unaccounted money at their disposal. To decide how we live our lives.

Under a system, that would have re-invented colonialism, in a way wholly unknown to us earlier.

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Related Articles

• US lawmakers demand withholding of all aid till Afridi’s release (nation.com.pk)
• US cuts Pakistan aid over jailing of bin Laden sting doctor (smh.com.au)
• Shakil Afridi appeals conviction: charity (dawn.com)
• Pakistani doctor who helped US appeals verdict (edition.cnn.com)
• Dr Afridi jailed for 33 years over bin Laden hunt: officials (nation.com.pk)
• You: Why Americans are so worried about a double-agent? (nation.com.pk)
• Pakistani Taliban Vows To “Cut Into Pieces” Doctor Who Helped In Bin Laden Hunt (ibtimes.com)
• Shakil Afridi, Pakistan Doctor In Bin Laden Hunt, Found Guilty Of Militancy, Not CIA Links (huffingtonpost.com)

American Journalist Cleared of Libel Against Indian PM

A global scam much bigger than 2G. Only old 2ndlookers have read about this.

George Bush (satire - http://goo.gl/cpPBK ) had promised that Morarjee Desai would be on Mount Rushmore.

In his 1983 book, ”The Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House,” Mr. Hersh wrote that Mr. Desai, India’s Prime Minister from 1977 to 1979, received $20,000 a year from the C.I.A. during the Johnson and Nixon administrations in exchange for information on Indian foreign policy and domestic politics. Mr. Hersh based his claim on information supplied by six confidential sources. (via U.S. Journalist Cleared of Libel Charge by Indian – New York Times).

CIA ‘bought’ Indian politicians

For years together, Morarji Desai was charged with being in CIA pay – even before Seymour Hersh’s book. Indian newspapers, Parliament, everyone discussed this. Seymour Hersh, an American investigator claimed that Morarjee Desai was in CIA pay.

When Seymour Hersh ‘revealed’ this in his book, Morarji Desai sued – filed a case in US courts and subsequently died. Henry Kissinger, appearing at Morarji Desai’s request, made a bald defence of Morarjee Desai.

But, importantly, why would the US recruit Morarji Desai – and then leak that information? This information could not have become public knowledge without information leak by the US.

Chains of Gold

Morarji was a threat to the US-administered global financial system, based on Bretton Woods Agreement.

The promise of the Bretton Woods system was stability. The dollar would be backed by gold. Under Bretton Woods system, anyone could (except Indians and Americans) buy an ounce of gold from the USA for US$35 – managed by the the London Pool system. USA promised the world that they will redeem the US dollar for gold – at a rate of US$35. Only US had enough gold to make that promise. More than 20,000 tons.

Soon, the USA was bleeding gold.

The Indian Factor

In the 1960s, most of the world was buying gold at an artificially low price of US$35. If Indians joined the gold-buying spree, the dollar would have collapsed decades ago. The success of Bretton Woods-I depended on blockading Indians from buying gold – which was effectively done by Morarji Desai. World’s largest buyers of gold, Indian buying would have emptied US Treasury in a few years.

Without Indian ‘help’ within 20 years, the Bretton Woods promise was broken. Redemptions of dollar for gold to individuals was stopped in 1968 (March15th). The Bretton Woods system worked for 20 years because Indians were not allowed to buy gold.

Hand In Glove

India’s finance minster during that crucial period, Morarji Desai, (on CIA payroll during Lyndon Johnson’s Presidency 1963-1968), presented a record 10 budgets, between February 1958, up to 1967. His adamant attitude on gold cost the government popularity and electoral losses – and the Indian economy and Indians much more. His break with Indira Gandhi began when the Finance portfolio was taken away from him.

True or untrue Hersh’s claim maybe, but Morarji Desai’s ban on gold imports allowed the sham of Bretton Woods to continue for 20 years. Was it a co-incidence that many of the RBI functionaries later got (and even now) plum postings at LSE (IG Patel) and BN Aadarkar (IMF)?

More was to follow …

Nixon Chop

On August 15th, 1971, the world got the Nixon Chop – where even Governments could not redeem dollar holdings. The dollar was put on float. In little time, dollar value depreciated from US$35 per ounce of gold to US$800 in 1980.

Over the next 20 years, through various clandestine methods (check out the Edmond Safra and the Yamashita stories links), gold prices were managed and brought down from US$800 (1980) to US$225 per ounce – but still 80% reduction in value of dollar value. Foreign reserves of poor countries got eroded. It was a gigantic fraud on the world – especially the poor, developing countries.

This was also done as a part of economic war against the Soviet Union – which was bankrupted due to low-gold prices during the 1990-2000 period.

Indians Not Allowed

From practically, 1939, (the start of WW2) gold imports into India were controlled or banned. This British legacy was continued by Indian Government and RBI. Many Gold control laws were enacted which stopped all legal gold imports into India.

With this, gold imports went underground.

Gold (illegal) imports (called smuggling) gave rise to biggest criminals that India has seen. Karim Lala, Haji Mastan, Varadarajan Mudaliar, Yusuf Patel, Tiger Memmon, Chota Rajan, and of course, Dawood Ibrahim – a biological son of a police constable Sheikh Ibrahim Kaskar, was spawned by Morarjee Desai’s laws.

These laws corrupted four generations of Indians Government and politicians. It made gold in India very expensive – and the Indian buyer remained in poverty longer.

Flip side

Since the amount was so small, just US$20,000, it may well be that Morarji was never bought. But by spreading this rumour, the US kept Morarji on leash. Important, considering the US stakes involved.

And Morarji Desai was a obstinate and recalcitrant man.

Related articles

• Starving India to India Starring (behind2ndlook.wordpress.com)
• Gold Standard: Forty Years Gone – And Good Riddance (blogs.wsj.com)

India to take up fake currency note issue at global fora

With a number of states reporting huge seizures of fake Indian currency notes (FICNs), India will soon take up the issue at global

fora, like Interpol, in a big way and will also ask some European countries to keep a watch on importers of currency-standard printing paper and ink to Pakistan — the country which New Delhi suspects as the base of printing and circulation of FICNs.

Although the role of Pakistani intelligence agency ISI in printing and circulation of FICN has never been a secret, sleuths of the Indian agencies found that the agency had, of late, impressed upon the government in Islamabad to import additional currency-standard printing paper and ink from companies located in UK, Sweden and Switzerland to pursue its nefarious designs in India. (via India to take up fake currency note issue at global fora – India – NEWS – The Times of India).

On September 10, 2008

The 2ndlook post on Terrorists And Counterfeit Indian Currency analyzed this situation. And laid out a logic for addressing this problem in a very simple manner.

Why Indian currency

The counterfeiting of US dollars is understandable. It is the world’s largest currency – and most acceptable. The GBP or the Euro are also reasonable targets for counterfeiting activity. Even counterfeiting the Canadian dollar!

But, the most unlikely target is the Indian Rupee! India is a small, poor economy, (at least, till about 5 years ago). India does not have capital convertibility either. So, this huge counterfeiting operation raises more questions. Is this counterfeiting related to India’s Gold reserves?

Less than 12 suppliers

The entire currency and security-grade printing is dominated by less than a dozen companies. These companies will not dare to support ‘counterfeiting’ operations – unless there is official cover or support given to them, by their respective Governments.

Now, this small clutch of currency businesses makes it simple to track the source of inks, paper, dies, plates – which can be identified by a simple spectroscopic examination. The cost of this entire examination will be far lesser than the amount of money (not fake FICN) that the Indian Government spends on fighting terror.

This is good news. The Indian Government is working on the right track. We can lick this problem.

Related articles

• Fake Currency through ATMs (ecopackindia.wordpress.com)
• Nepal-India talks focus on core issues (thehimalayantimes.com)
• Fake Indian currency racket busted (thehindu.com)
• 400 p.c. rise in fake currency circulation, says Finance ministry report (thehindu.com)
• NIA busts major counterfeit currency racket with Pak links (thehindu.com)
• New Features to Check Fake Currency: FM (ibtimes.com)
• Another ‘Pak-printed’ F.I.C.N. racket busted (thehindu.com)

Cuba in a Time Warp – The Atlantic

“The greatest achievements of Communism are health care, sports, and education. The greatest failures of Communism are breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” (via Cuba in a Time Warp – The Atlantic Food Channel).

Poverty in Cuba

The biggest reason for Cuban economic stagnation is the 100 year proxy war that the US has been waging against the former slave colony – which it ‘bought’ from Spain. Cuba’s problems started a 150 years before Fidel Castro.

Tales from the Caribbean

Almost unknown today are the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. These were slave islands – and part of the Caribbean group of islands which were used by the British Navy to run their slave colonies. These were ‘salt colonies’ – not as well known as the ‘sugar colonies’ of Haiti, Cuba, Demerra, Trinidad and other West Indian Islands.

After the original Native ‘Red Indian’ tribes were annihilated in forced labour camps, mines and slavery, these Caribbean islands were peopled by millions of slaves that were imported and subsequently died.

Apart from the momentous slave revolts of Haiti and Cuba, about 200 slave uprising and revolts in the USA before the Civil War, cleared the way for end to slavery in the the Americas. Similarly, more than 20 slave uprisings in the Caribbean, made slavery impractical – and not the Anglo-Saxon concern for human rights or the oozing milk of human kindness. It was this determined Black struggle for overthrow of slavery, the more than 20 slave rebellions between 1789-1833, in the Caribbean – one every 2 years, that ‘persuaded’ the West to abolish slavery.

Afraid that US slaves will follow the Haiti example, US did not recognise Haiti, till November 1864 – 60 years after Haiti declared Independence. Moreover, in 1826, at the Congress of American States, under US pressure, Simon Bolivar did not invite Haiti.

The British search and seizure of colonies enriched them – at the cost of the native populations. A significant benefit of the English language to the Anglo Saxon Bloc is the convenient white wash of history in English language media – and tarring of competitive economies and nations.

For roughly 250 years, the Iberian Empires were the most powerful. The slave rebellion of Haiti triggered a collapse of the Spanish colonies in South America. Simon Bolivar, aided by the Haiti’s rulers, initiated decolonization movements across South America – leading to the demise of Spanish Colonialism. The last nail in the Spanish colonial possessions was Cuba – which they lost after the Spanish American War. After the loss of Cuba, Philippines and the American colonies, and the end of slavery, the Iberians imploded much like other slave societies.

A little over a century ago,

125 years after Independence, USA by 1890 was developing colonial ambitions and had acquired a taste of colonialism. On the other side of the Atlantic, earlier the Berlin Conference, sparked of the scramble for Africa. After the Brussels and Berlin conference carved up Africa, there were few places left for America to colonise.

America, then created the ‘Monroe doctrine’ – supposedly an anti-colonial doctrine, a policy to create colonies in the American backyard. ‘Yellow Journalism’ was invented to whip up public sentiment. On April 25th 1898, the US Congress declared war on Spain. For the next 4 months, the US fought The Spanish-American War. On August 12th, 1898, Spain signed the peace treaty. On December 10th 1898, the treaty of Paris was signed.

As a part of the Paris Treaty between Spain and USA, the USA ‘bought’ Philippines from Spain, maintains Puerto Rico as a colony also Guam – and paid Spain US$2,00,00,000. Cubans were nominally declared free but with many conditions. The Cubans refused to honour this ‘purchase’ – for which the USA has waged a war against Cuba for the last 100 years. Of course, the ‘inferior’ populations of these countries – Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico were unfit for inclusion in the Paris negotiations about their future.

In 1915, again the Monroe doctrine was invoked to invade Haiti.And these interventions have continued. Haiti has been invaded many times. In the 1960s-70s, Chedi Jagan and his struggle to break from US domination (in the Caribbean) was sabotaged.

Having paid US$2,00,00,000 of the ‘US taxpayer money’, the US believes that they ‘own’ Cuba – and even today, continues to eye Cuba. It was such thinking that led to the ’sale’ of Cuba, Philippines and Puerto Rico by Spain to the USA. After the purchase, came a century of pain in Cuba, many hundreds of thousands of lives lost in Philippines and the forcible accession of Puerto Rico into the US. Of course, some of these islands have become colonies, of the USA, Britain and the people there continue to serve the interests of these Western nations.

Countries which wished to follow their independent future, like Haiti, Cuba, Granada have been made an example of by Britain and USA. For trying to make a country of themselves. A lot of such places would be quite happy without the Western attention they received – and subsequent ruin that they faced.

US antagonism …

The hostility of the US has its roots in this struggle – when US refused to recognize Haiti for a 60 years after the overthrow of the colonial French Government, which used the Haitians as slaves. US ‘bought’ Cuba from Spain – and hence this hostility. The US feels that they ‘own’ Cuba – and, of course, other and large parts of the world.

After Haiti independence, restrictions on slavery were discussed all over Europe and USA. The US placed restriction on import of slaves – which increased the price of existing slaves in the trade market. But slave traders like Jean Laffitte soon ran rings round this by smuggling slaves from Cuba.

For more than two centuries now, the US has been actively working with an agenda of ‘racial superiority’ which has resulted in slavery and then repeated interventions and manipulation in South America. They have used force and power to derail economies and politics of emerging countries. The example of Haiti’s failure and Cuba’s desperate struggle to survive drove Fidel Castro into the arms of Soviet Russia.

The US record against the growth and stabilisation of Cuba does not bear repitition. Having ‘bought’ Cuba from Spain (like Puerto Rico, Guam and Philippines), USA believes and feels that they ‘own’ Cuba.

In 1904, the US pressured Tomas Estrada Palma, a ‘puppet’ Cuban President, to sign the Platt Amendment. This allowed US intervention in Cuban affairs, if ‘vital’ US  interests were at risk (meaning at at US will) – finally modified only in 1934. Under this ‘new deal’ ‘Cuba would be allowed to export 22% of the sugar the US imported, by paying 0.09¢, a pound tariff duty. In return, little or no duty would be levied by Cuba on goods imported from the USA.’

When the freed slaves of Cuba, led by Fidel Castro, tried to overthrow American-foisted dictator Batista, the US used the American Mafia, to attempt assassination of Fidel Castro.

Elephants in the room …

Western media and academia today glosses over Western record of slavery and colonialism. This ‘collective amnesia’ about the past is widespread and blatant. Other writers forget about the causes leading to abolition of slavery. Seminal events in Haiti, Cuba, Caribbean are ignored, white-washed or brushed under the carpet.

The USA and the West has been at war (or by proxy) with the Black Republics of Haiti, Cuba, Greneda for the last 200 years. Fuelled by a desperate desire to show White superiority. By a need to white wash history. To hide the origins of their misbegotten wealth – built on the foundation of the skeletons of dead and surviving slaves.

Haiti gave the world freedom. Not America – which claims itself to be a land of the free (as long as you are white).

Media ‘White-wash’

A recent article in the British Guardian is a case in point. Richard Gott (the writer of this post) claims that he is a history student … which makes this post very remarkable. In the entire post of 1150 words, he mentions the word slave only once – while the entire history of Cuba for the last 200 years has been about slavery.

He is surprised by the number of Blacks in Cuba – which was the largest slave colony in the Spanish Empire – after the fall of Haiti. The Cuban revolution began in Haiti more than 200 years ago – and Fidel Castro has but been one, in a long line of revolutionaries who tried to break free from their enslaved past. For a history student, can this be ignorance or a more likely attempt at ‘whitewash’ …?

Exactly why is the presence of so ‘Blacks’ so surprising, Mr.Gott …?

Why is Richard Gott so surprised …

It is the ‘white wash’ of history – and the ‘tarring’ of protagonists which is a matter of concern. Haiti’s (and also Cuba’s) crime – they refused to accept the racial agenda of the US. They (including a ‘White’ like Fidel Castro) wanted to build a ‘free society’ for people – without colour being a factor. Perhaps all Whites are not like Richard Gott.

And that is, perhaps, why Richard Gott is so surprised.

Cuba according to Gott

Fidel Castro (L) with Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara in the 1960s

The Cuban revolution began 50 years ago … with its charismatic and bearded leadership descending from the hills, young men in their 20s brandishing guns and seizing the cities, and calling for land reform …

Castro began his epic quarrel with the United States – through the US abolition of the sugar quota, the arrival of Soviet oil, the CIA invasion at the Bay of Pigs, and the missile crisis of 1962 … Faced with the implacable hostility of the United States, Fidel decided that he had no alternative except to ally himself with the Soviet Union.

What struck me most was to find an island full of black people. The revolutionary leadership could hardly have been more white … Fidel’s enlistment of the black population was his astutest move, being echoed in the United States (where he stayed in Harlem on a visit to the United Nations) … The only political movement in Cuba that had enrolled black people … was the Communist party, and Fidel (long before his move towards the Soviet Union) had turned to the local communists for help in reaching out to the urban population, both poor and black. The white racist element in the Cuban population had tolerated a black president such as Fulgencio Batista, who had kept the black population under control; they were alarmed by a white man like Fidel who appeared to be mobilising the black people against them. (via Richard Gott: It’s time to let Cuba in from the cold, and Obama is the perfect man to do it | Comment is free | The Guardian–ellipsis mine).

The Future Of Oil Is The Caribbean

Bretton Woods-II, based on oil-dollar anchor, worked for another 35 years (1973-2008) till now. Oil exploration is a 5-10 year investment. Oil should be made another commodity. An easy option is to create a Republic of Pacific Islands – Haiti, Cuba, Grenada, and other West Indies. These islands can become vast oil production centres – that will help them raise their economies and can feed Asia with oil, peacefully.

Reeling under the curse of history, Western intervention and poverty, the Caribbean islands have been dealt a bad hand. Third World countries are paying through their nose to the OPEC cartel and for a dollar hegemony. Cuba, Haiti and the various Caribbean islands have been hit by poverty and Western intervention.

Oil can break this vicious cycle. Oil exploration in the Caribbean has been negligible. These are promising exploration blocks. A joint venture between ONGC (India), Petrobras, and the various islands could kick-start oil exploration and production – which will change the future of the world.

For one, it would immediately reduce Saudi funding of terror.

What happens to Russia if a new Pacific Republic (Cuba, Haiti, West Indies, etc) were to start drilling for oil? In 5 years, the world would be awash with oil – and Russia’s mineral earnings could evaporate.

Brazil takes the first step

On October 14, 2008, 2ndlook had proposed a BRICS-Caribbean accord for oil exploration in the Caribbean. Brazil has also taken the first step. ONGC was already in the game. As is Russia. With India, Brazil and Russia working on Cuban oil exploration, it is a promising first step to a prosperous Caribbean.

“I don’t understand why it took so long to sign this agreement,” said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who presided over a signing ceremony for the deal with Cuban President Raul Castro. That makes two of us, Mr.President!

Next stop, Haiti?

Europe wants to stay relevant

Europe which has a major say in the IMF and World Bank, after the USA, obviously wants to increase its role – and decrease US importance. To gets its way, it has gone on a major diplomatic offensive – to the extent of restoring diplomatic ties with Cuba.

Is that a sign of times to come?

Failed Westernisations

Guernica / America’s Century of Regime Change

More by Kinzer on Regime Changes.

For ambitious nations wanting to modernise, the easy way out seemed to be ‘copycat’ westernisation. Amongst the first ‘copycat’ states were China and Turkey. China, led by Sun Yat Sen, was the first major power, which tried going down the western path. The Japanese invasion of Manchuria sounded the death knell of the Chinese Republic and Monarchy.

Ataturk’s Turkey

Turkey – led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was the next ‘copycat’ attempt at westernisation. After WW2, the victorious allied powers dismantled the Ottoman Empire. Turkey was reduced to a rump state.

For more click here.