Letter To Pakistani High Commissioner Demanding Explanation and Closure of Drone Bases in Pakistan

Thursday, 26 February 2009

Mr Wajid Shamsul Hasan
High Commission of Pakistan
34-36 Lowndes Square
London, SW1X 9JN

25th February 2009

Dear Mr. High Commissioner,

Assalamu alaikum,

I am writing to you once again regarding the disclosure by the Head of US Senate Intelligence committee, Dianne Feinstein, that the American Predator drones conducting bombings in Pakistan are being flown from bases within Pakistan.
In addition to the comments by Senator Feinstein there is a litany of references in the public domain that implicate the Pakistani government in providing the American killing machine with bases in Pakistan to be used against our own people.

As long ago as November 2002 the New York Times reported that, “The Predators flying over Afghanistan have operated from an air base in Jacobabad, Pakistan” (1).

In January 2003 The New York Times reported that, “an unmanned U.S. surveillance plane crashed Wednesday in southern Pakistan, shortly after takeoff” while “Jacobabad police chief Rana Sateh Sher said the medium-sized drone crashed about seven kilometers (4.3 miles) from Jacobabad”(2).

The Rand Corporation reported in 2004 that “Pakistan provided the U.S. access to numerous military bases and helped establish a number of facilities including Intermediate Staging Bases at Jacobabad, Pasni, Dalbandin and Shamsi; Predator basing at Jacobabad and Shamsi…”(3)

In March 2008 the Washington Post reported “But senior officials in Pakistan's leading parties are now warning that such unilateral attacks -- including the Predator strikes launched from bases near Islamabad and Jacobabad in Pakistan -- could be curtailed” (4)

Despite all of these historical references Defense Minister Ahmad Mukhtar told Daily Times, "We do have the facilities from where they can fly, but they are not being flown from Pakistani territory. They are being flown from Afghanistan" (5).

Mr High Commissioner, Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain demands full disclosure of the extent of the collusion of the Pakistani government with the enemy of Pakistan, the American administration.

We demand to know what bases the Pakistani government has provided to the American military.

We demand to have disclosed the documents that indicate the nature of the agreement with the American military.

We also demand the closure of all American bases in Pakistan and the withdrawal of all cooperation and facilities for the American Military and secret services currently operating in Pakistan with the blessing of the Pakistani government.

If the Pakistani government is not prepared to stand up to American pressure and cannot provide the leadership and courage required then it is only serving the American agenda. Hizb ut-Tahrir and the people of Pakistan will not rest until this government and system are thrown in the dustbin of history and the sincere leadership of Sheikh Ata Abu Rashta, the Ameer of Hizb ut-Tahrir, is brought to power in the Khilafah system to establish Islam and defend the life, honour and interests of the people.

Wa salamu alaikum

Dr Abdul Wahid
Executive Committee
Hizb ut-Tahrir
Britain

(1)http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9501E6DF1139F933A25752C0A9649C8B63&scp=2&sq=jacobabad+&st=nyt
(2) http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/central/01/01/afghan.clashes/
(3) https://wws-edit.princeton.edu/research/cases/coercivediplomacy.pdf
(4) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/03/27/ST2008032700935.html
(5) http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C02%5C14%5Cstory_14-2-2009_pg1_2

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