Pakistanis may be quoted to, from the Scriptures "...............*you have
sown the wind...now you shall reap the whirlwind..."*
*Badaber to Shamsi!*
* *Brig (Retd) Farooq Hameed Khan
* *
Who is deceiving whom?* *Whom should Pakistanis believe? Conflicting
statements by Pakistani leadership and US officials have added to the
confusion and deepened the mystery surrounding Shamsi airbase. While
Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar announced that the US had been asked to
vacate the base, US officials were quick to respond, “that base is neither
vacated nor being vacated,” and that no formal request was received from
Pakistani authorities to evacuate the Shamsi air base.
The Defence Minister was surely embarrassed when Information Minister
Firdous Ashiq Awan asserted that the government was unaware of any issue
relating to the base, saying, *“No such matter ever came under
consideration in the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) of which I am
also a member.”*
The Washington Post recently reported that the US had halted drone
strikes from Shamsi three months ago after the Raymond Davis dispute and
all attacks since then were launched from bases in Afghanistan . While The
Post also disclosed that US personnel and Predator drones still remain at
Shamsi, the USState Department stated that it was not aware if the United
States still had military personnel at Shamsi air base.
So, a few questions come up. Has US military really left Shamsi? If
CIA is now conducting drone strikes from Afghanistan, then why are US /CIA
and their drones still present at Shamsi? Is Shamsi being used by CIA for
drone reconnaissance missions?
Shamsi was reportedly built by Arab sheikhs for falcon hunting trips
in early nineties., but has been occupied by the CIA since at least 2004,
when Google Earth images showed Predator drones parked on the runway. The
base infrastructure has been expanded with new constructions like aircraft
hangars coming up in last few years.
If there is one truth about Shamsi, it is PAF’s startling revelation in
the 13th May in- camera joint parliament session that this airbase was
under UAE Government’s authority and not under PAF’s control. If Shamsi is
a ‘no go’ area for PAF and out of Pakistan ’s jurisdiction, then question
arises, who owns Shamsi airbase, UAE or Pakistan ?
The nation has a right to know the truth about the terms and conditions
of any lease or permanent transfer agreement between Governments of Pakistan
and UAE to determine the ownership status of Shamsi air base. Aspects of
the agreement related to duration of lease, security responsibility and
degree of Pakistani government’s control are important from Pakistan ’s
point of view. Furthermore can UAE sublet this base to a foreign power?
If Shamsi air base was constructed by UAE Government
and remains their property, then under which Article of Pakistan’s
Constitution or law has such an agreement or transaction taken place? Which
Pakistani government or parliament approved the Shamsi deal with UAE? How
all this happened in a ‘sovereign’ state is beyond comprehension.
The US occupation of Shamsi air base reminds us of the infamous
American facility established in Badaber<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badaber>
known as Peshawar Air Station, 16 km from
Peshawar<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peshawar>,
that was a cover for a major communications intercept operation run by the
United States National Security
Agency<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Agency>
. Because of its proximity to Soviet central Asia, the Badaber base
enabled the US to monitor Soviet ballistic missiles and nuclear test
sites, key infrastructure and communications.
The U-2 high altitude “spy-in-the-sky" plane was allowed to operate
from Peshawar air base to gain vital photo intelligence in an era before
satellite observation. US President Eisenhower reportedly also authorized
few U- 2 flights from Lahore airbase in 1957. These spy flights were
suspended after a U-2 aircraft piloted by Gary Powers that took off from
Peshawar was shot down over the Soviet Union , on 1st May, 1960.
Peshawar Air Station was established under a ten year agreement between
USA and Government of Pakistan in July 1958. Known as ‘Little USA’,
Badaber base’s complete infrastructure including technical facilities,
residential accommodation, sports facilities etc were constructed by
US government.
The US ultimately vacated Badaber base in July 1970 after failure of US
efforts to get the agreement renewed amidst increased anti US public
sentiments after the post 1965 Indo- Pak war US arms embargo on Pakistan.
If the then military led Government of Pakistan could get the Badaber
spy base vacated by US in 1970 , then why cannot the current democratic
leadership show the political will and courage to formally ask US to leave
Shamsi air base? With the US drawing down its forces from
Afghanistan,there remains no
US justification to keep occupying Shamsi.
What strategic advantages does US derive from Shamsi? This
airfield provides a discreet launch pad, 200 miles south west of
Quetta,where the
US believes hides the Afghan Taliban shura. Shamsi lies about 100 miles
south of the Afghan border overlooking Taliban infiltration routes into
Afghanistan and 100 miles east of the Iranian border enabling US to
conduct covert intelligence missions into Iran. But most importantly,
Shamsi is not too far fromPakistan’s nuclear testing sites in Chagai
mountain ranges. Few hundred kilometers in the south lies the Balochistan
coast, and off its shores remains stationed a US Naval and amphibious
landing force!
Like the drones, Shamsi may soon become a leading national issue that
would fuel more anti Americanism. What options does Pakistan have if the
superpower refuses to vacate Shamsi? Trilateral negotiations between
the key players (Pak-US-UAE) at the political and diplomatic level should
take priority. Pakistan could withdraw any external security or logistics
support provided to Shamsi air base. In search of real truth, Pakistani
media should be granted access to the base to verify the ground realities.
Would the US be able to withstand Pakistani public pressure to vacate
Shamsi? Like Badaber, it ultimately would have no choice but to respect the
demand of the Pakistani nation. Shamsi has been a dark chapter of deceit
and deception in our history. After the US exit, a memorial at this air
base be dedicated to those countless Pakistanis who became bloody victims
of indiscriminate drone attacks in a needless and senseless war under a
shameless and complicit leadership.
* *
*Email: [email protected]*
--
With best wishes
S Chander
