Has the Pakistani government done anything to press for the return of Pakistani citizens detained at Guantanamo? Or at least to press for a clarification on their legal status and their upcoming military tribunals? i am referring specifically to this recent article: People the law forgot | Guantánamo Bay | The Guardian It’s a special report from the Guardian that discusses many of the conditions of the detainees at Guantanamo and their diverse nationalities. In many cases, i believe, the Pakistani authorities themselves turned over Pakistani citizens ‘suspected’ of having ties to al Qaeda, to US officials. The evidence was dubious in some cases. What’s the official stance on these Pakistani prisoners at Guantanamo? Is anyone from the Pakistani government trying to place pressure upon Rumsfeld, Powell et al for a clarification of their legal status? Or are they left in legal limbo for perpetuity?
Please no one call me anti-Pakistani for asking this. :rolleyes: Read both parts of the article before calling me anything. These people have rights as well; no country can ever call itself civilized if we continue to deny these human beings their fundamental rights. So i’m not being anti-Pakistani or anti-anything by asking this. :smack: Don’t call me names, it’s not a constructive way to discuss any issue. Muchas gracias.
If I am not wrong, within a couple of months after Camp X-ray was established, the Government of Pakistan got a large number of Pakistanis released from there. I remember, at that time, there was some hue and cry in the US media that a plane landed in Guantanamo Bay and took a bunch of Pakistanis out. The US media was wondering if US government, on pressure from Pak govt, let these people go without proper investigation.
At that time, my impression was that some Pakistanis still remained, but they were the ones whose names had cross-matched to some other databases. Most others, who were picked up from Afghanistan and were not deemed a threat to US were released back to Pak.
In addition, some local newspapers have reported that there is a regular attrition in Camp X-ray and prisoners get released and new ones keep coming.
Also, Government of Pakistan had kept its eyes open even before people flew into Camp X-ray. At the height of fighting in Afghanistan, I had read news reports that government of Pak was able to get Pakistani citizens released from military jails in various parts of Afghanistans and bring them back to Pakistan. Most likely these were people who decided to join the holy war with Talibaan and got caught by the US forces. None of them seem to have any Al-Qaida or terrorist links.
I think we have gotten many people back. But these idiots have only themselves to blame for listening to speeches by local mullahs and then boarding trucks to make jihad in Afghanistan, while the mullahs are home eating halwa puri.
To the extent that some people have gotten back, Musharraf deserves some credit.
There were a couple of more Pakistanis sent back from gutanamo bay last month..24 in total i believe. few still remain there, but the govt. claims they'll be brought back soon.
Nadia: I believe Pakistan a nd the US have signed some sort of extardition agreement which effectively bypasses any Judicial check by Pakistans courts on anyone arrested for being associated with "the war on terrorism" considering what an infringment that agreement is on Pakistans sovereignity, to expect Pakistan to intervene in guantanomo bay is expecting a bit much. Also if you think the Pakistani's in guantonomo bay have had it bad, a lot of people are still in the hands of Northern Alliance Warlords in Afghanistan. COnsidering those Warlords reputations I cannot imagine what they would have done to those people.
there were others in afghanistan who were there on humanitarian missions even before the war, whether it was to help the oppressed ppl with medicine or food or to go help the ppl somehow. There is a possibility that tehy could have been picked up along the rucl loads of village idiots who went to join in a fight and yer taleban and al kayda folks.
actually there were a number of humanitarian groups in afghanistan, especially after some of the catastrophies teh country ran into, there were even groups from UK and US there. They just got out sooner.
Does it make it possible that people who were citizens of other countries but were there to do saomething else aisde from fighting got nabbed, its quite possible.
Khilaari, Not ALL of them have ties with al Qaeda or the Taleban. i have read from western sources who have often reported that people were picked up arbitrarily; some of these have been returned home to Pakistan or Afghanistan by the US. i am referring here to some 70-80 year old men who were locked up at Guantanamo, their families unaware of where they were for the first couple of months. Subsequently, they were found not to have any connections whatsoever with any "terrorist" organization. Imagine if the Pakistani government had pressed Rumsfeld to clarify the status of these Pakistani citizens, or, had pressured the US admin to share the 'intelligence' information re: these detainees, with Pakistani officials; could it have shaved off a few months of their detention if they had been found innocent? Perhaps. i am more concerned about 80 year old Pakistani males who can barely walk without assistance, let alone be part of some elaborate 'holy war' campaign of 'terrorism' - if they were found to be subsequently innocent, as some of them have been, then what was the purpose of detaining them without even precisely informing them of what they are guilty of ?
Zakk, The extradition treaty explains quite a bit. Thank you for that useful bit of info. i think you summed it up here, considering what an infringment that agreement is on Pakistans sovereignity. It's amazing what civil liberties are being eroded all in the name of an illogical, irrational abstract "war against terrorism". Even Italy, i believe, was successful in forcing one Italian citizen to be sent from Guantanamo to Italy [sometime in early 2004?] in order to stand trial in Italy. We should be doing the same with our own Pakistani citizens. Any sort of "military tribunal" presided over by Rumsfeld or Dubya, makes a mockey of the whole concept of obtaining a 'free and fair' trial.
you are right to expect musharaff to ask about pakistanis held in camp x ray, you get more chance of meeting elvis in the supermarket.
The pak government is virtually owned by the AMerican Regime, not just one issue of pakistani prisoners but any aspect of pak society be it the economics, the security, the foriegn policy, the eductaion policy( see other posts for this one) etc they have been laid bare and have been infiltrated by the Globocops of America.
I am expecting next time go for the jumamh prayer to see ronald mcdonald giving the khutbah in his red and yellow clown suit its getting that bad!
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*Originally posted by ak47: *
I am expecting next time go for the jumamh prayer to see ronald mcdonald giving the khutbah in his red and yellow clown suit its getting that bad!
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hmmm so clowns are giving khutbas now instead of handing fliers outside the masjid?
Originally posted by Madhanee: *
**Fraudz, Pakistanis on Humanitarian mission? *
yes there were many
*Are you for real? *
no dude, I am a figment of yer imagination :) how many times do I hafta tell u
** They had plenty of time to get the hell out of there before the war began. **
agreed, but there are those who would want to stay behind and help the ppl affected by war.
** Most of the Pakistanis held in Guantanamo are the ones that were captured in Kandahar, the Taliban stronghold. Don’t tell me Pakistani Humanitarian missions were only needed in Kandahar.**
Most, not all right. when did i say all ppl captured are potentially relief workers? some "may" be, that option is always there.
** Why aren’t there any Iranian captives at Guantanamo? Oh, they are Shias, and don’t believe in Humanitarian missions. **
No cuz they were pals with teh northern alliance and not taleban..and how many of the northern alliance ppl were caught :) plus Iran is like oh so well known for its humanitarian missions anyways
try reading the post again or do you need help!
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ummm i mean i dunno what masjid u go to which has ronald mcdonald as a potential imaam. that kinda explains either u are going to one messed up masjid, or whatever u have been smoking should be confiscated from u.
ak47, you see ronald mcdonald when you go for khutbah? Now I know people see colored circles and flying frogs when they are on LSD, but question is, what makes you high enough to see a maulana sahib turn into a colorful ronald mcdonald? Did uncle Osama hook you onto this?