Officers Detained at Dulles, Call off visit

[Vassnti]

Actually, I do receive briefings that are considered secret, and contain material that is not available to the general public. What is in those briefings will curl your toes and make you want to stay away from airlines.

---------- Post added at 08:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:18 PM ----------



Muse, there isn't a country in the world that treats travelers worse than Great Britain. Bank on it. Been there and done that way too many times.

it's not paranoia if they are really after you, got to admit i fly Emirates when i have a choice

 

[Chogy]

And you think I don't ? Which is not the same as admitting that I do - I do hope you THINK - we are not the freakin enemy!!

Of course not. I consider GB our #1 ally, has been since 1914.

I'll summarize my entire position and call it a day.

In the U.S., people of rank do not get special favors at any TSA checkpoint. Period. If you fly commercial, everyone is treated identically, including crew. In this case, people on both sides overreacted. That's all. It's not some giant slap in the face or some political scheme. The last thing it is, is an insult.

 

[Gin ka Pakistan]

What if all this drama was done to make sure to fail the talks? US should investigate into it.

 

[Nahraf]

Next time the Pakistani military delegation should travel in Pakistan airforce executive jet and fly directly to CENTCOM headquarters at MacDill Air Force base in Miami.

 

[sparklingway]

Unwarranted security checks blamed for Army tour cancellation
Thursday, September 02, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army said on Wednesday it scrapped talks with US military officials after a military delegation sent to Washington had to go through “unwarranted” airport security checks.

Mistrust exists between Pakistan and the United States even though they have been allies for decades. Security at US airports has been especially stringent since the 2001 al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington, with scores of passengers complaining they had been singled out for checks due to their “Middle Eastern” or “Muslim” appearance.

The Pakistani delegation was visiting the United States at the invitation of the US military’s Central Command (Centcom), which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.“The delegation was subjected to unwarranted security checks at Washington airport by the US Transport Security Agency,” the Army said in a statement.

The delegation was later cleared and US defence officials expressed regret over the incident. The statement did not give the date of the visit. “However, as a result of these checks, military authorities in Pakistan decided to cancel the visit and called the delegation back,” the Army said.

A US embassy spokesman said talks were underway to possibly reschedule a visit. US security officials detained an army brigadier who was part of the 8-memberdelegation at Dulles International Airport after a passenger complained he did not feel safe around the delegation.

The newspaper said the brigadier was removed from the flight and detained along with other members of the delegation after they disembarked, and were later released.

In March, a Pakistani parliamentary delegation called off a two-week US trip, sponsored by the State Department, after lawmakers were tagged for further screening at Washington’s airport as they were en route to New Orleans.
Washington sees Pakistan as a vital ally in the fight against militancy and wants it to crack down on Afghan Taliban militants who cross the border to attack US-led Nato troops in Afghanistan. Mistrust between the two countries involves a range of issues, from security cooperation to how aid is delivered.

 

[Gin ka Pakistan]

A US embassy spokesman said talks were underway to possibly reschedule a visit. US security officials detained an army brigadier who was part of the 8-memberdelegation at Dulles International Airport after a passenger complained he did not feel safe around the delegation.

The Passenger could be an agent wanting to fail the talk.

 

[Patriot]

People here are trying to make it look like as if Officers asked for some extra privileges - Absolute Rubbish.Officers just wanted to reach their destination and just because some paranoid American thought they are not white and they look Asian/middle eastern they must be terrorists and reported it to some stewardess .They were taken off from plane before it even took off by TSA Agents with guns as if the officers were terrorists and taken to some room without any telephone access.You call it normal?I don't think they would have subjected to TSA regular checks at immigration but taking them off air plane before the flight and pointing guns at them in front everyone is certainly not normal.

 

[MastanKhan]

Hi,

In the U S a cop doesnot apologize---same with TSA---every traffic stop a cop makes is supposedly taken as his last traffic stop---and every time a TSA agent steps upto to passenger, he doesnot know what the reality is.

The tsa agents are dealing with thousand and thousand of passengers and hundreds of flights everyday---it is a part of their training to never let their guard down---not for one moment---.

An incident is not taken at its face value---as most of my pakistani colleagues want to believe---an incident is taken and processed by the book each time every time---in the similiar manner. The tsa agent has no compassion for anyone----that is the part of the job---that is the part of the training.

Chogy explained it very clearly---tsa is an equal oppurtunity persecutor---. They are the pitbulls of airport security---and like pitbulls they have no sense of reasoning.

It is what it is---pakistanis must also know---and I keep saying it over and over---and nobody has the intellect to grasp onto it----this is election year in the U S---anti muslim rhetoric is at the top of everyone's agenda----please open your ears----God has given you two of them----and listen to which way the u s is headed.

A lot happens in election year---this time it is the muslim bashing---the start of a mosque close to or at ground zero---. The time for announcing the mosque was poor and the scandal that has come out of of tax evasions and court ruling and physical assault by the muslim owner of the properties---is not doing any good for the muslims.

 

[Coltsfan]

The Passenger could be an agent wanting to fail the talk.

Yes indeed....... there should be a thorough investigation into what the passenger's motive was..... was he booked and seated within an earshot of Pak Officers by some sinister agencies who wanted the talks to fail??????

Infact, I would go a step further and make a claim that the officer who apparently remarked that "this may be our last flight" could be in cahoots with these aforementioned agencies??

This is a very serious point raised by Mr. GKP...... not to be brushed aside as a conspiracy theory.

Great job, thinking outside the box Mr. GKP...........cheers!

 

[mshoaib61]

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Of course not. I consider GB our #1 ally, has been since 1914.

I'll summarize my entire position and call it a day.

In the U.S., people of rank do not get special favors at any TSA checkpoint. Period. If you fly commercial, everyone is treated identically, including crew. In this case, people on both sides overreacted. That's all. It's not some giant slap in the face or some political scheme. The last thing it is, is an insult.

ur right Chogy. It's also a cultural thing though. When high ranking officials and dignitaries from important countries come to Pakistan, I doubt they are searched and/or questioned. They are received right from the airport


i doubt this incident will have any major significance, but it is an irritant for now; more so with that particular TSA officers' lack of professionalism than with US Govt/DoD/etc.

there is a perception that paranoia levels in general have gone high; nasty world out there, but such is the reality

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Next time the Pakistani military delegation should travel in Pakistan airforce executive jet and fly directly to CENTCOM headquarters at MacDill Air Force base in Miami.

in the interests of fiscal austerity, they probably chose to fly commercially rather than employ VIP aircrafts

 

[Old School]

in the interests of fiscal austerity, they probably chose to fly commercially rather than employ VIP aircrafts

Fiscal austerity was not the reason . It was rather unprecedented what took place because such trip has been frequently taking place for years. But we have had our lessons this time. However, the ethnicity of the flight attendant in question was not made public either because that is also an interesting one. That flight attendant seriously needs to go through some ignorance management course at the least if the ethnicity factor is to be ignored.

 

[SekrutYakhni]

Hi,

In the U S a cop doesnot apologize---same with TSA---every traffic stop a cop makes is supposedly taken as his last traffic stop---and every time a TSA agent steps upto to passenger, he doesnot know what the reality is.

The tsa agents are dealing with thousand and thousand of passengers and hundreds of flights everyday---it is a part of their training to never let their guard down---not for one moment---.

An incident is not taken at its face value---as most of my pakistani colleagues want to believe---an incident is taken and processed by the book each time every time---in the similiar manner. The tsa agent has no compassion for anyone----that is the part of the job---that is the part of the training.

Chogy explained it very clearly---tsa is an equal oppurtunity persecutor---. They are the pitbulls of airport security---and like pitbulls they have no sense of reasoning.

It is what it is---pakistanis must also know---and I keep saying it over and over---and nobody has the intellect to grasp onto it----this is election year in the U S---anti muslim rhetoric is at the top of everyone's agenda----please open your ears----God has given you two of them----and listen to which way the u s is headed.

A lot happens in election year---this time it is the muslim bashing---the start of a mosque close to or at ground zero---. The time for announcing the mosque was poor and the scandal that has come out of of tax evasions and court ruling and physical assault by the muslim owner of the properties---is not doing any good for the muslims.

So, it is not our fault that TSA does not have reasoning skills. We are an ally, our soldiers were on official visit, God damn the pit bulls or german shepherds. They should have reasoning skills and if they do not have than Pentagon should have sent some reasonable persons to the airport considering it was an OFFICIAL VISIT.

One more thing, elections year, anti Muslim slogans, what? Are we dogs that they use us to win the elections? C'mon!

You cannot justify the actions by saying that, MK! It is not our problem that TSA is a pit bull! They have to respect our officials!

 

[Peregrine]

All thanks to the American media, the bulk of Americans is suffering from xenophobia. however, their paranoia of foreigners is not new, they have a history with racism let it be black people (African americans), Germans, Japanese, Chinese, communists, even Jews at one time, they all have faced the brunt of the American chauvinism & now the Muslims from all across the world are the target.