Intellectuals, Profits and Diaspora - Pakistani Americans Sought After as American Spies
Nagarjuna
The relationship between intellectuals, opinion lobbyists, profits and
Diaspora is becoming increasingly quaint and suspect in the post 9/11
world.
Immigrants with mixed parentage, it seems, are an increasing target
for spy agencies.
An article on the Blair Snitch Projec by c Rajghatta.
http://www.dni. gov/
The meeting was held on 20 Jan 2010. the document makes interesting
reading.
Regards,
Nagarjuna
WASHINGTON: There's nothing secret or subtle about it.
Uncle Sam is seeking spies, informers, linguists, and analysts from
immigrant communities in the US to diversify its intelligence work
force and tackle national security challenges. Undeterred by the
Headley-Gilani episode, Washington is sounding out Pakistani-Americans
in the first round of recruitment, ostensibly because its intelligence
agencies see Pakistan as the epicenter of international terrorism and
a clear and present danger to the world community.
(David Headley aka Daood Gilani, a Pakistani-American suspected of
involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai massacre, was reportedly an informant
of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) who may have unintentionally
tipped off American intelligence about terrorist strikes in India
despite having one foot in the jihadi camp. Some analysts have
suggested he was a double agent who betrayed US.)
In an extraordinarily open and transparent recruitment drive, Dennis
Blair, who as Director of National Intelligence is the country's top
intelligence czar, held a round-table discussion last week with the
Pakistani-American community in Washington to seek their cooperation
and offer jobs in US agencies.
"We need you to help us build a better relationship between the United
States and Pakistan," Blair told some two dozen Pakistani-Americans
who came to the meeting. Citing a common threat faced by both nations,
Blair said Pakistan is an important US ally in the fight against
terrorists and violent extremists, but "understanding needs to be
improved on both sides and Pakistani-Americans can help bridge the
gaps."
Their language skills and cultural expertise would make them extremely
valuable professionals in the Intelligence Community, he added.
The roundtable discussion was the first of its kind under the umbrella
of the Intelligence Community Heritage Liaison Council, which is a
sounding board for Blair on recruiting first- and second-generation
Americans for employment in US intelligence agencies, his office said
in a statement.
The Office of the Directorate of National Intelligence (ODNI), headed
by Blair, oversees 16 federal organizations that make up the US
Intelligence Community, including CIA, FBI, NSA, NRO, and DEA among
others. What was remarkable about the outreach meeting was the
presence there of Pakistani ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani,
amid strong resentment in Pakistan about the activities of the US
intelligence agencies there and the uneasy relationship between the
CIA and the ISI in the Af-Pak theater.
"It's really important that the Intelligence Community interact with
the Pakistani-American community because the Pakistani-American
community brings a wealth of knowledge, various perspectives; and the
Intelligence Community will definitely be enriched by these
perspectives, " Haqqani was quoted by Blair's office as saying,
virtually offering the services of the Pakistani-American community to
US agencies.
According to a statement released by ODNI, participants at the meeting
included business leaders, college students and federal employees of
Pakistani descent. "Their candid, lively exchange touched on issues
such as past problems of mistrust between the two nations, the media's
role in both countries and the rise of religious extremism in
Pakistan," the statement said.
Far from being shifty or secretive, the statement from Blair's office
suggested the Pakistani-American participants were quite gung-ho about
cooperating with US intelligence agencies amid a rising tide of
extremism and militarism back in Pakistan that has made the country
the epi-center of terrorism.
Among the participants was M Osman Siddique, a former US ambassador,
who said such engagement with the intelligence community leaders helps
demystify the intelligence enterprise and take away the stigma.
"There is a viable Pakistani-American diaspora, which has an opinion,
which does not represent the Pakistani government, but can add value
to the US-Pakistan relationship – and understanding, " Amina Khan, a
Washington-area lawyer said after the meeting. "The more inroads the
US Intelligence Community makes, and introduces itself to regular
Pakistani-Americans , relationships and trust will be built."
The outreach to Pakistani-Americans is possibly the first of many such
enterprises. Having a diverse work force is a key part of Blair's 2009
National Intelligence Strategy, under which the US intelligence
community is called on to employ men and women who "reflect a wide
range of cultures, ethnicities, perspectives, languages and races."