Search This Blog

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Osama: Dead or Alive? Yasmeen Ali

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on her recent visit to Pakistan that she believed Osama bin Laden was still in Pakistan, in a television interview between high-level talks in Islamabad.  
“I believe (bin Laden) is here in Pakistan and it would be very helpful if we could take them (al-Qaeda leaders),” Clinton said. The US secretary of state sought tougher action from Islamabad to combat militants ahead of a key conference in Afghanistan.
The information that Osama Bin Laden is dead, first came from sources in Afghanistan and Pakistan  many years ago,the fugitive died in December [2001] and was buried in the mountains of southeast Afghanistan.
With an ego the size of Mount Everest, Osama bin Laden would not have, could not have, remained silent for so long if he were still alive. He always liked to take credit even for things he had nothing to do with. Would he remain silent for nine months and not trumpet his own survival? [New York Times. July 11, 2002]. Bin Laden has often been reported to be in poor health. Some accounts claim that he is suffering from Hepatitis C, and can expect to live for only two more years. According to Le Figaro, lin [2000] he ordered a mobile dialysis machine to be delivered to his base at Kandahar in Afghanistan. [Guardian]. FBI: Bin Laden 'probably' dead; The US Federal Bureau of Investigation's counter-terrorism chief, Dale Watson, says he thinks Osama bin Laden is "probably" dead. [BBC]. The editor-in-chief of a London-based Arab news magazine said a purported will it published in the year [2001] by Osama bin Laden, and shows "he's dying or he's going to die soon." [CNN]. Usama bin Laden has died a peaceful death due to an untreated lung complication, the Pakistan Observer reported, citing a Taliban leader who allegedly attended the funeral of the Al Qaeda leader. "The Coalition troops are engaged in a mad search operation but they would never be able to fulfill their cherished goal of getting Usama alive or dead," the source said. [FOX News].
Yet, Secretary Clinton, has decided, to claim, that not only Osama Bin Laden is alive and kicking, but in Pakistan. Yet, Secretary Clinton gives no proof as to why, suddenly, she thinks he is alive. If there are clues, they must surely be shared with Pakistan for them to not only ascertain the veracity of the claim but to help them “find” Osama.
Secretary Clinton  is in  a position where irresponsible statements can be ill afforded.
Many claim, this desire to revive Osama is to justify the continuation of the War on Terrorism. Gordon Duff, Senior Editor Veteran News, USA,  in a recent article states,” Has the United States established exactly what its strategic interests are in the region? Oil is flowing freely as is heroin. Money is flowing into the region by the plane load and back out, into banks in Dubai, Tel Aviv and Switzerland. Is $500 billion a year being spent to defend Israel from invasion by, well, we aren’t sure? What is being spent to secure Israel, or empower Israeli recklessness, is nearly one third of America’s entire budget. Wouldn’t it simply be cheaper to give Israel the United States or do they own it already? “
The Pakistani public is wary of these statements, as issued by Secretary Clinton, and are widely interpreted as self serving and nothing to do with ground realities.
Pakistan is a country that has suffered tremendously in this War on Terror. If America has a genuine appreciation of the sacrifices made by Pakistan, she should make an effort to solve the issues being faced by Pakistan. One of the foremost is to intercede and stop India from violating the 1960 Indus Water Treaty. To this, Secretary Clinton has given her flat denial.
The West  needs to review its arrogant policies followed in this part of the world. They need to answer some questions: what has been the ratio of suicide attempts since the invasion of Afghanistan?  How sharply have the terrorist attacks risen since then? How many US soldiers have actually been killed on ground as compared to the soldiers, civilians: women, old people and children from other side of the fence?
At the end of the day, what political and military victory has USA achieved by attacking and invading Afghanistan? USA is once again contemplating reaching an understanding with the Taliban in Afghanistan. So what were these eight years all about? Or is, Gordon Duff, right after all?




(The writer is a lawyer and based in Lahore).
NOTE:This article was later carried by Opinion Maker & Pakistan Observer ( Newspaper). Link:
http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=43240




38 comments:

  1. Osama died when he did. US Government has admitted to the same. Why resurrect him after so many years? If anything Secretary Cliton's talk has left a bad taste in the mouth. Such talk has spoiled rather improve the relations between the two countries.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The continual embarrassment of watching Mrs. Clinton on her hunt for the missing Usama bin Laden, as though she has nothing else to castigate Paksitan for....

    Gordon Duff

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mr Gordon Duff
    Thank you for your comment. It is much appreciated.
    Best
    YAA

    ReplyDelete
  4. Numerous audio and video statements purporting to be from Bin Laden have been released, but their authenticity has been continually questioned.
    The veracity of all of the videos is questioned by David Ray Griffin, a former theology professor and member of the 9/11 Truth Movement, which also questions mainstream accounts of the attack on the World Trade Centre.
    "None of them can be proven to be authentic," he says. "At least three of them can be shown to be almost certainly fake.His first example is a video released by the US Department of Defense in December 2001. In it, Bin Laden confesses to 9/11, yet Mr Griffin points out that al-Qaeda has only rarely admitted responsibility for terrorist attacks.
    Robert Baer dismisses the suggestion of a conspiracy by Western intelligence but thinks that al-Qaeda may have faked the video.
    Bin Laden has issued around 40 statements since 9/11, and many include clear contemporaneous date references. Two recent statements released last year mentioned US President Barack Obama.
    Mike Scheuer, the former CIA officer who set up and ran the agency's Bin Laden unit, thinks Bin Laden is still alive.
    I attach a link to a paper done by Griffin.I hope it will be of interest:
    http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:2gmZlHHi15AJ:www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1005/S00012.htm+When+did+Osama+Bin+Laden+die%3F&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Readers
    I have received an extremely heartening mail in response to this article by Arnaurd de Borchgrave.
    Arnaurd has held positions like Editor-in-Chief for The Washington Times . Currently, he is Editor-at-Large of The Washington Times and United Press International, as well as Project Director for Transnational Threats (TNT) and Senior Advisor for The Center for Strategic and International Studies. I had forwarded him this article & he has replied back.
    With his permission,I reproduce his comments:


    Yasmeen,
    You’re asking key questions. Well done.
    Arnaud

    Arnaud de Borchgrave
    Director, Transnational Threats
    Center for Strategic and International Studies
    e-mail: adeborchgrave@csis.org
    Office: (1-202) 775-3282
    Assistant: Deborah Stroman

    ReplyDelete
  7. A bold, striking, upfront analysis.
    Bravo Yasmeen.
    A standing salute to you my fellow Pakistani!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Extremely hard hitting write up YAA,gloves off! For once I agree with de Borchgrave!
    :-)
    OBL is dead.
    USA wants to justify the war.Add pressure on Pakistan. More concessions.
    Gordon Duff is bull's eye!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Extremely interesting write up Yasmeen. The general people in America are pretty gullible. They tend to believe what their leaders choose to tell them.
    This article sharply links evidence of Osama's death, moves to reasons for casting a doubt and ties it up with questioning what USA has achieved.
    Well done indeed.
    I find it interesting that de Borchgrave supports you here. I have found him less than charitable to countries like Pakistan.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mr Pakistani Islam Blogger(I assume your sex here),
    The issue at hand is Secretary Clinton's demand that was all over our media that some "elements" know where Osama is. Now, if some "elements" know this & Secretary Clinton knows these some "elements" then why can not Secretary Clinton get these "elements" to "divulge" where Osama is?

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am tired of our Government bending over backwards for these foreigners who care a flying --- for us or our country. It was sickening watching Secretary Clinton's demands (Ref Live Interview with Journalists PTV), and her lame excuses which could not hold up in reply to questions put to her ie why is USA not releasing funds to Pakistan?
    Unnatural & unreasonable demands.
    Does she even realize the spectacle she made of herself?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Following mail was received on my mail ID by one Mr Mushtaq Piracha, being shared with readers:

    "If Osama and Mullah Umer are ever found and eliminated, the US government will have no bogey left to scare the American public with and wage war on. It was Hitler followed by communism and now Islamic terrorists whose source is allegedly the two gentlemen mentioned earlier. If these two are made to disappear, then the US administration will have a hard time finding a suitable bogey as a their replacement. It will be in US interest to keep the two men or, at least, their names alive to help it justify the enormous sums of tax payer's money that are being pumped into the war effort in Afghanistan and elsewhere while its countrymen are going through the dire misery of a deep recession. Madam Hillary keep the bogey alive if you want to keep your job."
    Mushtaq Piracha

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am in receipt of yet another mail by one Shaukat Qadir, I share his mail:

    Dear Ms Yasmeen Ali,
    For some reason your blog does not accept comments from me---perhaps it has good taste!
    Here is what I wanted to post:
    "Your most compelling argument is about Osama's ego. Indeed were he alive, he would claim credit for every conceivable terrorist act that he could.
    This is Ms Clinton's favorite refrain---Osama is alive and in Pakistan; but without any proof. What I fail to comprehend is, if he is here, why has the CIA with the additional assistance of Xe been unable to 'take him out' so far? After all, between these two organisations they (supposedly) have the most sophisticated electronic intelligence and effective human intelligence in the world. Xe acknowledges that it also has a 'licence to kill'! What do we have that they don't? Or is the ISI now acknowledged as the leading intelligence service in the world?
    You have indeed demonstrated your courage and reasoning once more. Shaukat Qadir"
    If you would like to post this comment and I am sure you can get through to yout blog, please do.
    Since you concluded on the water issue, in case you are interested, I am writing a piece for the English language UAE based daily, The National. If you are interested in carrying it, I can modify it for your blog. Your readers might find it interesting.
    Best.
    SQ
    shaukatq@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Allah knows well whether Osama is alive or dead. There is no use to discuss this matter.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Osama - dead or alive. Terrorism lives

    ReplyDelete
  16. A GOOD SYNOPSIS OF THE CURRENT AFFAIRS, THOUGH ONE WONDERS WHY A MAJOR ISSUE LIKE,''THE VIOLATION OF THE INDUS WATER TREATY-1960'BY THE INDIANS, AS RIGHTLY POINTED OUT BY YOU,IS SOME HOW NEVER ON ANY AGENDA ''LIST'' NOR THE FATE OF THOSE POOR 10 MILLION KASHMIRI MUSLIM WHO,REMAIN UNDER THE YOKE OF INDIANS,GUARDED BY 750,000 INDIAN TROOPS.

    ReplyDelete
  17. It is amazing osama,being a saudi arabian,no one wants to poke a finger on the saudi's, And we are hauled IN,as the usual suspects,for any alleged crime however flimsy or remote the connection may be ?????

    ReplyDelete
  18. The answer is simple Ayesha,the saudi's are now masters in the game of PROXY-wars.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Mrs. Clinton is clueless. General Sirohey told me in an interview that both U.S. and Pakistani intel agencies confirmed his death in December of 2001. Sirohey referred to him as a "ghost" that the respective governments like to pull out once in awhile for convenience.

    Michael Hughes

    ReplyDelete
  20. Osama will be whipped alive till it suits US & the powers to stay in the region & pressurize Pakistan.
    And Naveed they will not do anything to hurt their new equation with India. Remember, China?Fear?India as a pawn? It's all a game of chess!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Dear Michael
    Thank you for your comment, but, you really want us to believe Secretary Of State Clinton is clueless on a State visit while talking to the media, live on TV? That she had no briefing on this crucial issue?That her advisors et al have not briefed her on this? Clinton is not an individual but what she says represents US opinion & policy.
    Admiral Sirohey is my blog member & friend.Above that, a man with an honest reputation.I will trust his word,if he said so.
    Thank you once again for the comment.
    Best
    YAA

    ReplyDelete
  22. YAA very well written and pertinent questions asked. So how do we find out if their strategic interests have been served or not, but we have for sure found out that, our leaders are dancing to the tunes of pied piper, to be soon dumped in the sea. The other noticable thing is the lack of sovereign thinking by the office holders of the day. With information based intelligence, policies are bound to be edgy. Both the major political parties decide in drawing rooms,using parliament as a rubber stamp. One really can't say if our Army should go for the Talibans or not. If a truck driver (Mangal Bagh) becomes a leader of any faction of Talibans, it will be difficult to rope him in, as he must be someone to reckon with by now. I believe the created frankensteins and those too without bolts in their neck, are now a pain for the creators.
    If we go back a little, we will understand that, we were then not even allowed to thoroughly negotiate with the Talibans who had formed a relatively stable Afghan government, in came the minority out went the majority. Now allowing them a lions share as part of negotiations will be judged as defeat in the pages of history. You are right in questioning, what the war on terror is all about, if they are going to negotiate with the Afghan Talibans now. Why have they left our side to be ruled by the monsters. Why are we talking of PakAf today, it appears a carrot on the other side and a stick for this side.
    HQ

    ReplyDelete
  23. Excellent comment & observations HQ.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Dear Ms. Yasmeen Ali, A-O-A ;
    I am pleased to read such an logical analysis. Hillary was talking all non-sense, immature & unjust... These sort of issues left in cold storage for 9 years but the americans have usual habit of pretending to be ill-informed in order to insert pressure for their policy gains only. We shall get out of the nut shadow game which is only destroying Pakistan and benefitting our real enemies. Pls do trust our selves & remember we could only and only have a strategic partnership with China not usa at all as history proved.

    She was so biased in talking re Pak-India water issues and totally pretend to hide indian state terrorism in Kashmir which is a boiling iceberg for this region unless resolved as per UN's resolutions.

    Invasion forces already realised that they are sitting on a live volcano called Afghanistan and the real interest is to contain China & its expanding world role especially in this region. They knew that the only country's leadership (not people) on earth is Pakistan who never bothered to defend the national interests but to please americans and behave like cowards/slaves.

    I guess, america is at the brink of another Vietnam scenario but still wanna put the blaim on Pakistan for their upcoming defeat as world's super power...but why we wanna own their interests why not our peoples...? India is bullying us only due to american & israeli backing other wise have no guts at all.

    "The time will come soon and they will pay what they did(crimes against humanity)and their lives will be taken as a token of hate & will be given to those who needs em". The list of War crimes all over the world is very long by american hegemonistic approach...ultimate goal is to capture all the resources of earth by hook or by crook and impose human rights violations on other countries, indeed.

    Congratulations for a intuitive column. Wajid

    ReplyDelete
  25. Dear Wajid Sahib
    Wassalam. I appreciate your analysis & comment.Thank you HQ for your's as well.
    The fact is Wajid ji, that US is nurturing India in her wrong actions against Pakistan for reasons well known.
    HQ correctly points out at the bankruptcy of our leadership.

    ReplyDelete
  26. In this You Tube clip from a November 3 Al Jazeera interview with British television presenter Sir David Frost, Bhutto discusses who she thought was responsible for the prior assassination attempt on her life.

    The shocking part is when I heard Bhutto make reference to the people who assassinated Osama Bin Laden.

    Stop the tape! What did I just hear? I backed up the tape and at the 6 minuet and 15 second mark she does in fact say that Osama Bin Laden has been assassinated. I had to play it a few times to let it sink in.

    She says it with a straight face and Frost doesn't call her on it. What the h**l is going on?

    My guess is that Bin Laden is indeed dead and this administration is keeping it a secret. Why would they do that?

    Maybe because someone killed Bin Laden and the Government doesn't have enough proof and releasing the information would be more trouble then its worth... Who knows. I do suppose that it would be an easy affair to hide Bin Ladens death from the public.

    Please check out this video for yourself. Once again the government is hoodwinking us LOL. Bhutto's Video
    You can find the direct link to this amazing video on website www.catnews.org . Remember go to the 6:15 mark and be prepared to be convinced.

    ReplyDelete
  27. GOOD GOD MARK!
    You are Bull's Eye!
    Ive embedded the link of the video in the article!

    YAA

    ReplyDelete
  28. Sharing a mail as received:

    Dear YAA Sahiba,

    Thank you. My comments are as following:-

    " The Bush administration, which cooked up fake evidence to justify launching war on Iraq on the pretext that there are weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) hidden in Iraq which is potential threat to United States. But till today neither the Bush administration nor Obama administration could find any WMD i Iraq. Similarly, the US Secretary of State Hillrey Clinton can conveniently say tha t Osama Bin Ladden is alive and hidden in Pakistan to justify pressure on Pakistan to continue fighting the war on terror against their own people and also to continue US drone attacks in side Pakistan territory on principle of might is right. I would like to quote an interesting example here that is on March 19, 2008 in Washington, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates at a regular briefing at the Pentagon, vowed to catch Osama Bin Laden no matter how long it takes. He recalled that it took the US Federal Investigation Agency 17 years to catch convicted Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski (DAWN-March 20,2008). This means on this plea US can conveniently continue the so-called war on terror in Afghanistan and Pakistan for another two decades or until its covert objectives in the background of war on terror are achieved".

    Regards.


    Sqn/Ldr (Retd) Syed Ausaf Husain
    Freelance Security Educator & Consultant
    Former Member ASIS

    ReplyDelete
  29. Mind blowing write up coupled with the link given.
    How come NO ONE has yet picked up the interview?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Spectacular write up coupled with brilliant video. Super stuff. Kudos to you Yasmeen Ali

    ReplyDelete
  31. I think the biggest argument for Osama having died is that if he was alive, he wouldn't have been quiet for such a long time. So many things have happened in recent months in the world and especially in this region worth his notice and comment, but every time we see only a video from Al-Zwahiry and not a word from Osama.
    He is no more.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Yasmeen, you are just brilliant,can you request the main stream print media in USA to publish this article for a wider public reading in USA

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thank you Zafar. Most papers do not carry articles already carried by a blog/paper.This article was posted here, then on another blog by Raja Mujtaba. Today it was published in The Pakistan Observer. More especially if once in a paper copyright law comes into play.However, it was forwarded to mainstream western writers.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Dead or alive this name will continue to be used by the USA for keep the pressure on. It is like the Indians have the so famous Mumbai attack.. it doesn't matter who orchestrated the attack as long as it can be used to bash Pakistan again and again. similar is the case with Osama's ghost and the US-Pak relations. They don't have to provide any proof of Osama being inn Pakistan nor if he is alive---they NEED his name to use stick on Pakistan since our leadership always ready to oblige the Viceroy in Pakistan.
    Zubair

    ReplyDelete
  35. Yasmin , is it possible that Mrs Clinton , spoke in metaphorical terms when speaking of Osama?
    Is it possible she was speaking of the spirit, the thought, and the followers of Osama, as still being alive and well?
    Even , if she meant in this manner , it should be a matter of concern , because she she spelt out two things , during this visit.
    One, Osama being alive , and more seriously the fact that if there were or was a possibility of another attack on the soil of United States, if linked to Pakistan may affect the present honeymoon, and lead to very very adverse consequences for Pakistan.
    Perhaps she was warning, against any indiscreet secret affair with the followers of Osama,particularly during the honeymoon, for if they did anything, it would be construed as the direct responsibility of Pakistan , with all its fallout and not so pleasant consequences.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Aquarius,
    Secretary Clinton's statement was to the person of Osama & not his followers. There is no ambiguity there.
    Best
    Yasmeen

    ReplyDelete
  37. This is perhaps the 9th time he died. But the finale was executed with great fanfare. Bizarre case of drama, lies and deception. The script was perhaps written by Pakistani counterparts, reminiscent of poorly made, low budget Punjabi films, with many loopholes, lack of logic, pedestrian story line...etal. Only Americans can buy the totally unbelievable spin that this was!!
    Dost

    ReplyDelete