A individual with a $2,500,000 bounty was resting in a residence on Rawalpindi’s Nisar Road. Intelligence officers yanked him out of bed and took him into custody. Take whatever money they offer you, take it from me or join me, he stated after realizing there was no way out of the full narga he was in. Who was he and what was the purpose of his statement? Why did Umar Saeed Sheikh detain Brigadier Ejaz Shah after using hijacking to escape from an Indian prison? Why did this arrest remain under wraps?
What ties did these incidents have to Pakistan’s significant change? I’m Faisal Waraich, and this is Dekho Suno Jaano’s History of Pakistan series. Two months had passed since the 9/11 attacks when a commercial flight from Paris bound for Miami, in the United States, was on its way. On board were 170 97% of the passengers. There was a burning smell coming from a particular area of the plane, passengers informed the mailman, “James Matadier,” on the flight. She approached a seat where a tall, lanky British man was hiding something on his lap while she was looking around. He was holding a bag of extinguished matches as well.
The flight attendants were concerned that there might be a fire or a match on board. Running to the cockpit, she shouted for assistance. The travelers realized that this young man now posed a threat to everyone in the group in the interim. A group of people took a chance and cooperatively managed this towering young man. He was found to be trying to conceal his large boot in his lap when he regained control. And something never previously seen was being towed by the boat. The boat’s tow was attached to a small homemade bomb. The teenager attempted to set off the same bomb but was unsuccessful owing to a technical problem, and he was later apprehended.
It was an odd incidence of its kind in terms of terrorism, but it also raised concerns about airline security all across the world, particularly at the major airport like Paris. Although this act of terrorism was unsuccessful, the news of this tragedy undoubtedly made waves around the globe. Today, this incident is known as the “show bombing.” Richard Reid, a British citizen, attempted to blow up the airliner by stowing an explosive in his shoe. He was taken before the court and given a 110-year sentence.
No part of this entire affair could, as of yet, be linked to Pakistan. The British bomber was traveling to the United States after leaving Paris. But as this tragedy was being investigated, an American journalist was flown to Pakistan, where he quickly made headlines for himself. yet how? As it turned out, Daniel Pearl, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, received a tip. Sheikh Mubarak made a big impression on the Pakistani national and show bomber Richard Reid. Was it true or false?
We can’t confirm this, but American journalist Daniel Pearl began attempting to reach Sheikh Mubarak Gilani after arriving in Pakistan to do an interview with Sheikh Mubarak. In the meantime, he gathered data on jihadi organisations operating in Afghanistan and Kashmir. Perhaps everything would have been great, but for them, this was a challenge. His actions were also reported to an Afghan organisation connected to the Al-Qaeda network, according to General Musharraf.
Umar Saeed Sheikh, a British citizen of Pakistani descent, was informed by Hashim that Daniel Pearl, an American journalist, wished to interview Pir Sheikh Mubarak Ali Shah Geelani. Then, Daniel Pearl was contacted, and Omar Saeed Sheikh was scheduled for a meeting. Umar Saeed claimed to be a devotee of Pir Mubarak Ali Gilani and gave him a false name during this meeting. Umar Saeed agreed to meet Sheikh Mubarak Gilani at Pearl’s request. Umar Saeed Sheikh allegedly discussed plans to kidnap Pearl at the same meeting, according to General Pervez Musharraf.
So that by applying pressure to the US, some of his fellow detainees at Guantanamo Bay will be freed. As a result, after making a promise to Pearl, Umar Saeed Sheikh made contact with Amjad Farooqui rather than Mubarak Geelani. This conversation was intended to organise Pearl’s abduction. The attacks on General Musharraf were carried out by this Amjad Farooqui, and we have already told you about this in History of Pakistan episode 52-502. As a result, Amjad Farooqui advised Umar Saeed Sheikh to send Pearl to Karachi rather than Islamabad.
Because hiding in Islamabad would be difficult if they were kidnapped. So Umar Saeed informed Pearl that he would see Sheikh Mubarak Geelani in Karachi to do an interview with him. According to the provided address, Daniel Pearl showed up to the Karachi Metropole Hotel on January 23, 2012. The trap was set in this location. At that point, Umar Saeed Sheikh’s power over the entire game was lost to another cell, which had no influence over Umar Saeed.
Daniel Pearl was taken from the hotel by the four persons who had come to visit Sheikh Mubarak Geelani but were actually kidnappers, and they imprisoned him in an unidentified location close to Gadap in Karachi. The kidnappers sent an email with their demands to journalists and government officials all across the world on January 23. It was demanded in the e-mail that all Pakistanis prisoners at Guantanamo Bay prison be released and that the United States travel to Pakistan and deliver the F-16 aircraft held there.
Storm was started via mail. The same information—that an American journalist had been abducted in Pakistan—began to spread through newspapers and electronic media all across the world. Many locations attempted to blame Pakistani institutions and establishment for this kidnapping, but US Secretary of State Colin Paul supported Pakistani intelligence agencies and claimed that no ISI or government official was engaged in this kidnapping. They were defending, but subsequent events demonstrated that this was close to the truth. in what way?
When the demands of the kidnappers’ deadline were not met on February 5, twelve days after the kidnapping, and the deadline had passed, Daniel Pearl was brutally murdered. Additionally, a video was made of the murder. The murder was made known to Umar Saeed as well. He claims, however, that he was not a part in the murder. The kidnappers were told not to kill Daniel by him, but they disobeyed. Now, this accident was also known to the security and intelligence services of Pakistan. However, this was kept a secret. The newspapers were reporting that he was still alive.
Although they had offered to be taken, it was also reported that their kidnappers had been found. There have also been rumors that Umar Saeed Sheikh’s trail has vanished and that the area surrounding the suspect has shrunk. All of this and much more appeared to be hidden, but the issue was that it was all inaccurate. because Omar Saeed Sheikh was detained and Daniel Pearl was slain. Why did they pick him up? Security authorities seized certain emails that were establishing their connection to the Pearl case, which is what actually transpired.
The police then began searching their homes and the homes of their close friends and family in order to take them into custody. The removal even included their 18-month-old son. On top of all of this, there was a very negative response from the international media. Perhaps Umar Saeed Sheikh did not initially anticipate these things. Consequently, he discreetly handed himself over to Brigadier Ijaz Shah. The video was also created on the same day that Daniel Pearl was killed. This was a significant development in the Pearl murder case, but it was kept a secret for additional research. but how long yet? The headline story in newspapers published on February 13 reported the arrest of Umar Saeed Sheikh.
Ten days later, al-Qaeda released a graphic video showing Daniel Pearl being murdered by an unidentified assailant. The world has seen and heard this horrible video. However, the killer’s face was hidden from view on the footage. Only his hand could be seen, and the forensic analysis states that it was not Umar Saeed Sheikh’s hand. An activist for the outlawed Lashkar Jhangvi, Fazal Karim, was detained by secret authorities. He was detained in connection with another crime, but revealed a significant fact during the investigation.
According to Fazal Karim, Daniel Pearl, an American journalist, was being slain while he was gripping one of his legs. Fazal Karim was unsure of who committed the crime when asked, but he was certain that it was an Arab. The identity of the mastermind behind the 9/11 attack, which changed the course of history, was concealed in this tiny nugget of knowledge. Because KSM, Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, was the Arab in question. the man that the US wanted the most, after Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden.
In other words, the fact that this one guy was arrested marked the beginning of a larger case than the Pearl case. So they started looking now. However, they were so well-hidden in Pakistan or Afghanistan that it was impossible to find them. They had a skull worth $25,000,000 and didn’t utilize any gadgets or electronic tracking devices. The reward for finding them or providing useful information was two million five million dollars, or as of today, three billion 84 million rupees.
Khalid Sheikh Muhammad went absent for almost a year, disappearing like a needle in a haystack. However, a young Iranian Baloch man named Valak appeared out of nowhere in Hua Out of Blue and claimed to know Khalid Sheikh Mohammad. It is actually his friend. There might have been a distant relative. Now, this young man is employed by the CIA and ISI. Balochi was his codename when he was addressed. Thousands of dollars were also being paid by agencies to stop him from working as a double agent.
Considering the possibility that he wouldn’t play a double game and wouldn’t communicate with both sides. But afterwards, nothing happened. At the end of February 2003, he made contact with his handlers and informed them of his meeting with Khalid Sheikh Muhammad for 9:00 p.m. on March 1st. The meeting was scheduled for a residence on Rawalpindi’s Athara A Nisar Road. The agencies had the same informational needs. The ISI and CIA officials set their trap there after learning of the location.
Now all that remained was to wait for the Balochi boy to send a confirmation message before they launched their attack. The Balochi agent met Khalid Sheikh Muhammad in the same home at nine in the evening. spoke for an hour before announcing that she needed to use the restroom. She quickly texted her managers, “I’m with KSM,” while she was on her way to the restroom. Both KSM’s attendance and whereabouts were verified. They had nowhere to run because they were encircled everywhere.
Thus, Pakistani intelligence agents stormed about 2 in the morning after waiting for a few hours. The officials forced open the door and went into the room where “KSM” was peacefully dozing off after taking sedatives. You are looking at the home where Khalid Sheikh Mohammad was taken into custody. His most well-known image from that period is this one. Even though he was now in custody, he nevertheless made one more desperate attempt to free himself. He offered the ISI officials a bribe. If you’re doing it for financial gain, take money from us, he demanded, “Are you doing all this for the Americans?” However, it is clear that this offer was declined.
He made another offer to the officials after first one was rejected. Why don’t you join Al-Qaeda with me, he asked? But it is also clear that this was a hollow blow. The authorities detained them and removed them. General Musharraf claimed that Khalid Sheikh Mohammad was held by Pakistani authorities for two days in order to obtain as much information from him as possible before being turned over to American authorities. One by one, the Americans swiftly transported them to their black sites. Black sites are locations that the US has surreptitiously established throughout the world for purposes like interrogations.
He was moved to Afghanistan’s “black site” first, then to Poland, and last to Romania. And certainly, you’re probably wondering: Who was that young Balochi man? Although we cannot tell this with absolute certainty, we can state their current location. So pay attention: George Tenet, the director of the CIA, personally praised him when he was summoned to the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In addition to being given a new identity and resettled in America, he also received a $2,000,000 reward. The Americans also requested the extradition of Umar Saeed Sheikh from Pakistan, but Pakistan refused, unlike Khalid Sheikh Mohammad. On July 15, 2012, the anti-terrorism court in Pakistan sentenced him to death after his trial.
The punishment was given eighteen years ago, but it has not yet been carried out and the case has not been resolved rationally. He continues to be detained in the Karachi jail. However, according to the US, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has admitted to killing Daniel Pearl in April 2007 at Guantanamo Bay. Umar Saeed Sheikh was engaged in the kidnapping of Daniel Pearl but not in the murder, according to Pakistani and American security sources. In this context, Hadi Omar, the son of Omar Saeed Sheikh, approached us. In defending his position, he claimed that his father was trapped and that there was no murderous plot against him.
However, when we questioned him about it, did he say that he would present Daniel Pearl to Sheikh Mubarak Gilani? Were they a part of a plan, or what? He then expressed regret for responding to this particular query. There is a version of this individual in addition to their version. who was prepared to announce the closure of Guantanamo Bay. Who said what? Clearly, this was Khalid Sheikh Muhammad. Guantanamo Bay housed prisoners who were Americans. The greatest tortures were inflicted upon them. The most agonising procedure, such as waterboarding, was performed 183 times. A total of 183 times He admitted that he had murdered Daniel Pearl when he was incarcerated.
You could ponder whether they acknowledged that Pearl was murdered as a result of torture. But in reality, the hand that was visible in the murderous film belonged to Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, according to reports. Arsa Naumani, a Pakistani-American journalist who is Daniel Pearl’s friend and coworker in Pakistan, had to personally verify the same. While still residing in Ursa Naumani’s home, Daniel Pearl continued to live in Pakistan with his wife. In May 2012, he arrived in the notorious and secret US prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Khalid Sheikh Muhammad was to be brought before the judge in this instance. She was listening while she observed the proceedings via a glass but her focus was not on the courtroom. He wished he could in some way turn Khalid Sheikh Muhammad’s hand around. Because in Daniel Pearl’s most recent video, the man by his neck had two veins that resembled the English letter Y on the back of his hand. He was required to see everything written on Khalid Sheikh Muhammad’s hand’s back. However, he was unable to properly see KSM’s right hand.
The trial dragged on for a long time. Then, toward the conclusion of the trial, KSM picked up a pen and wanted to write something. His right hand might not be visible from this angle. She claims that she had been anticipating this moment for a while. The moment he saw the hand, he knew what it was. The identical Y-shaped veins that were visible on the Arab’s hand that was used to support Daniel Pearl’s hair were also present on the back of the right hand. Because they are the ones that have negatively impacted Pakistan’s reputation abroad in the years to come, these arrests and events are significant in the history of Pakistan.
However, Arabs or Europeans made up the majority of those detained. He was detained in Pakistan and turned over to the United States. But a backlash that no one anticipated followed these arrests. In 2002, a fresh wave of terrorism emerged in Pakistan as a result of Pearl’s murder. Numerous organisations, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Al-Qaeda, and others attributed or claimed responsibility for the assaults. Two suicide bombings occurred in the Protestant International Church of Islamabad on March 17. The incident happened on Sunday during church.
The American Embassy was not far from this particular church. It also resulted in the deaths of an embassy official’s wife and daughter. On May 8, a sizable explosion occurred in the Sheraton Hotel in Karachi. wherein also flew the naval engineers’ bus from France. Three Pakistanis and eleven French engineers perished. More than twelve Pakistanis were killed on June 14 when a vehicle bomb exploded outside the American Consulate in Karachi. Nevertheless, this structure was regarded as one of Pakistan’s safest structures.
This case and related incidents are important because they marked a turning point, following which foreign nationals began to leave Pakistan and international airlines stopped flying to Karachi. After that, Pakistan became embroiled in a conflict that it had to wage on its own streets. A fierce war was about to start. It was time to use hands and teeth to untangle the knots. And as a result, there was a significant transformation in the state and society of Pakistan. a shift that made every Pakistani more involved in both domestic and global politics.
Private channels in Pakistan first appeared as a result of this development. What was the background of how it got started? Additionally, the Prime Minister was chosen by Army Chief President General Pervez Musharraf. I mentioned a day ago that I had quit and that no one had requested that I do so. General Musharraf, the president, is behind me. But what transpired the day after his joyful resignation? What was the underlying narrative of the entire narrative? You’ll see all of this in the next History of Pakistan episode.
However, if you could explain why Pakistan saw the worst terrorism at the start of this century in the comments below. What went wrong, and where? At the time, was there a solution? What can we do to prevent this in the future? Friends, if you’re interested in learning more about the history of the tale you saw in this History of Pakistan episode, click here. Watch the narrative of the plane hijacking that allowed Maulana Masood Azhar and Umar Saeed Sheikh to escape from India. And this is the tale of the planet that tried to become the sun but was unsuccessful.Contact Us