By By Ansar Abbasi
The NY Times’ August 20th story “US officials get a taste of Pakistanis’ anger at America” reflects how smartly Washington and the US media make villains. I never had any doubt about their bias towards us — the Muslims and Pakistanis — but I never thought one day I myself would taste the magic of their lethal combination.
In my “one-on-one” recent meeting with Ms McHale, the Obama administration’s new under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, in Islamabad I did say that “we hate you” rather went on to the extent of telling her that “you” are callous, inhuman and cruel and that “you” have no respect for human lives. All this was said in a particular context and had a special reference but the way McHale quoted me in the New York Times suggests as if Ansar Abbasi hates McHale and that we Pakistanis hate all Americans.
First, I believe that the US under secretary was unfair to have picked up only me and my selected but mutilated “quotes” from our 30-40 minutes long interaction though she met other 16 Pakistani journalists and eight officials too. There is no explanation as to why I was treated so “specially”. Secondly, to my reckoning this “one-on-one” meeting, which was though also attended by Gonzalo Gallegos, Consular for Public Affairs in the US Embassy in Islamabad, and Joe Mellot, McHale’s special assistant, was a background interaction but it turned out to be an opportunity to portray me as a villain in the US media.
I don’t have any problem to say in public what I uttered in the conference room of the Islamabad hotel with McHale but I was never expecting that the apparently polite lady would turn out to be so impolite. At least, an old lesson stands reiterated — never trust the Americans.
In respect of Helene Cooper of the world’s most renowned and one of the most influential newspapers The New York Times, one can only wonder if the media ethics in the US allow a journalist there to quote someone while quoting some third party and that too to the former’s disadvantage without bothering to check the facts from the person, whose name and words are used to make the story.
It is true that McHale gave her initial polite presentation about building bridges between America and the Muslim world. She said she was in Pakistan to hear what people here think about the US and its policies.
I definitely thanked her politely for inviting me for an interview but never said that I hate her. Rather, I started by saying that I would be very candid, frank and honest in my views and to reflect what is in the minds and hearts of the majority of the people of Pakistan. I told McHale that most of our leaders would be sharing the same feelings but they would not tell you in your face, “We (the Pakistanis) hate you (American administration and policy makers)”. There was no point that I being Ansar Abbasi should hate another individual Judith A McHale.
I was reflecting what to my reckoning was the majority view of Pakistanis and Muslims. I never said that we hate all Americans but did point out that we hate America because of different reasons that were explained to her. I discussed how Washington promotes democracy and civil rights in its own country but supported dictators like Musharraf in Pakistan. I told her that they have no tolerance for corruption in their society but still imposed on us those “wanted” in corruption cases through NROs.
The post-9/11 Washington’s policy on the war on terror was my focus of criticism and I told the under secretary that the war on terror in majority Muslims’ view was war against Islam and war against Muslims. I told her that in the pretext of never-found WMDs, the US invaded Iraq and killed hundreds and thousands of innocents there including women and children.
I told her that the war on terror was to target Osama bin Laden, who is still untraceable, but in the meantime the US-led allied forces killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Afghanistan and the killing was still continuing there. I told the under secretary that those fighting against the invading forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are considered “terrorists” and “militants”. “If tomorrow the US is invaded by the enemy forces, would you call your countrymen fighting against them as terrorists and militants,” I asked her but all the three sitting in the conference room, including McHale, were speechless most of the time.
I told her that how deeply the US drone attacks hurt us because they don’t only kill innocents, mostly, but also violate our sovereignty. I told her that how badly Washington’s policies have divided us internally, caused suicide bombings and much serious wave of terrorism, produced terrorists and promoted extremism. “This all has made us to hate you,” she was told.
The newly-appointed under secretary was also reminded of how the US was leading a negative propaganda against Pakistan’s nuclear programme and trying to malign the ISI. While we are expected to behave like a good boy, she was also told to ponder as who pampers the anti-Pakistan Brahamdagh Bugti in Kabul and provide him money, arms and ammunition to carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan. She was also asked to ponder as to who provided money and supplied US weapons to the terrorists and militants fighting against the Pakistani security forces in Swat. If these are not enough reasons to understand why most Pakistanis and majority Muslims hate America (US administration and its policy makers). I tried to explain her the root-causes of terrorism but she and her two assistants did not give any hint of understanding our frustration. Two days later, what The New York Times reported proved that perhaps I was just banging my head against the wall.