Despite the portentous threat of extradition hanging over his head, Julian Assange has managed to use his credentials to interview some of the most controversial figures across the world. In the ninth episode of Julian Assange show, he takes his viewers inside the tumultuous world of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. In this segment, Assange cross examines infamous Pakistani politician Imran Khan and gains perception into country’s foreign relations, its ongoing internal warfare , pending corruption and the status-quo of power structure in the society.

Imran Khan is one of the most recognized figures ever to come out of Pakistan. He will always be remembered for bringing the 1992 world cup trophy to his homeland, for his marriage to British socialite Jemima Goldsmith and for his philanthropic contributions to Pakistani society. He joined politics in 1996 and formed a party called ‘Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’ (PTI) to fight injustice and corruption. His political voyage has been full of endearing hardships, multiple incarcerations and heartbreaks.

“Pakistan is changing fast, over the last two years US drone attacks and corrupt political dynasties have driven millions to this cause” said Assange. This is another glimpse of Arab Spring that has crossed over to Pakistan.

According to Khan, “Well, the battle in Pakistan, just like in the Middle East, is of a status quo, an entrenched status quo ‒ what you call the power structure ‒ benefited from the system, and the majority of the population wanted a change. ”

Khan has faced severe criticism from home and abroad for his docile political career. In 2007, US cables referred to him as “Pakistan’s one man party” He boycotted the 2008 elections over the protest of the National Reconciliation Ordinance deal that the Bush administration brokered between General Perveez Musharraf and Benazir Butto. The following deal gave amnesty to Bhutto and her party members over corruption cases.

Khan explains that in Pakistan there is a political mafia. According to Khan, “First of all, I boycotted the elections in 2008, um, because, you know, these elections were manipulated by the Bush administration. His party alongside other political parties boycotted 2008 elections over their fear of pre-poll rigging.” Khan argued that Musharraf allowed criminals to contest elections.

In the aftermath of 2008 elections, his party’s popularity decreased. But for past two years things have changed. As opinion polls in Pakistan reflect, Khan’s popularity has increased in the last six months to 60-80%. With over 306846 followers on Twitter, Khan and his party have risen to prominence. His popularity has come with a hefty price tag, as many political parties turned against him. His party is no longer actively seeking coverage in media, due to money being poured into channels by opposition parties.

But despite the setbacks, he has been holding mass rallies with over 100,000 people and as he puts it: “Now, since the big rallies, the whole political scene has changed. We have seen now politicians rushing to me. So people who are electables, realizing that the vote bank now belongs to me, they are coming to join me.” Khan compares his ardent following in Pakistan to one in former Middle East, where demand for change and a protest against anti-status quo movement saw fall of many governments. According to Khan, Pakistan has not experienced such mass turn out in rallies since the death of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

Assange quizzed Khan over the challenging and oft confusing relations between the US and Pakistan. In the aftermath of 9/11 and under the governance of General Musharraf, Pakistan became America’s key ally on its war on terror. Over time, the War on Terror has changed and evolved by transcending the Afghan boundaries and crossing into mainland of Pakistan. Khan said “no country has ever been bombed by its own ally, as we have been bombed in this country.” There is a mounting anger in Pakistan over American drone attacks on its soil. People of Pakistan are still coming to terms with the fact that certain factions of intelligence services aided Bin Laden in using Pakistan as his hide out. The war on terror has bore horrific consequences for Pakistan, 40,000 Pakistanis have been killed and in the last 4 years it has cost Pakistan $50 billion.

Khan holds Musharraf accountable for all the mess in contemporary Pakistan from growing corruption to country’s mounting debts to the war on terror. “Julian, it’s so shameful. You know, never has a country’s ruling elite, for personal benefits, never have they betrayed their people as much as this elite under Musharraf and the current elite”, Khan said.

Imran Khan provides another well known glimpse into a world of darkness, where corruption is rife, civil liberties are eroded and money and power has become an instrument of governance and military to exploit and exercise dominance over the poor population of a country. However, things are changing fast across the Pakistan’s political spectrum, with the recent eviction of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani from his office, judiciary maintaining its status, and the current President losing support fast amongst general public. With mounting debt of $12 trillion, an army killing its own people, and over 14 hours of power cuts in a day, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is in a dire need of miraculous savior. Now, whether Khan’s popularity in opinion polls will take him towards becoming a next leader of the troubled Pakistan remains to be seen.

Image Courtesy of  stiksa

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As the U.S. military withdraws its forces from Iraq, the families of more than 4,000 fallen American soldiers cope with another holiday season without their loved ones. Robert Stokely, the father of a fallen soldier, wanted to bring a sense of closure to his loss by visiting the location in Iraq where his son was killed.

His son, US.. Army Sgt. Mike Stokely, was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device attack on August 16, 2005, while serving in the Georgia National Guard. In November, several organizations volunteered to make Stokely’s wish a reality.  Soldiers’ Angel, a volunteer, non-profit charity coordinated the visit.

TigerSwan donated its services and support for the five day trip. TigerSwan is a North Carolina-based, veteran-owned business that specializes in vulnerability management, global stability, and training for military and law enforcement. James Reese, TigerSwan’s Chief Executive Officer, played a key role in planning the in-country support and security for the trip.

Reese personally led the team into Iraq which included Robert Stokely, Toby Nunn, executive director for Soldiers’ Angel, and Lucian Matthias, cameraman.

“When Soldier’s Angel approached me about providing support, I initially hesitated because of the risk,” said Reese.  “However, the soldier, leader, husband, and father in me knew it was the right thing to do.  I didn’t live my life as a soldier being risk adverse, and I also knew that if it was my son or daughter, I would want to do the same thing.”

Robert Stokely arrived in Amman, Jordan and linked up with Reese and TigerSwan’s Jordan staff.   The group conducted threat briefings before leaving for Baghdad International Airport. Once in Baghdad, the party was greeted by TigerSwan’s Baghdad team and escorted down a route that at one time was the most dangerous highway in the world.

Their first destination was the TigerSwan villa within the city to conduct final site visit planning. The next morning, Robert Stokely and the TigerSwan team put on Kevlar body armor and loaded into armored vehicles. The team drove to the 2005 attack site in Yusufyah, Iraq previously known as the ”Triangle of Death.”

Approaching a Muslim holiday, Shia pilgrims were walking to Najaf, which caused a heightened security alert. After a two-hour drive, the team arrived about 1,500 meters from the location Sgt. Stokely was killed. The team was stopped by Iraqi Security Forces at a checkpoint.   The Iraqi Security Forces refused entry saying the threat was too high.  Reese and his Iraqi head security officer decided to return to the villa and make another attempt the next day.

“It crushed me to turn around in the vehicle and tell Robert that it was not going to happen and to see the tears in his eyes,” said Reese. “The threat was too severe. Our first job is to keep our guests safe.”

The next day, they assessed the security situation based on a plethora of sources to determine if they would conduct another attempt.  Unfortunately, the threat remained too high, and the mission was cancelled.  That afternoon, a car bomb exploded killing several Iraqi citizens and injuring 50 more at a nearby market.

“While I did not get to the exact spot in the road where Mike fell, the trip was great success,” said Stokely.  “I had the opportunity to see the area in Baghdad and in Mike’s area of operations. I now have an understanding of where he was, what he was up against, and what it was like. I kept the promise I made to myself.  And in the end, I vainly proved to myself that I would not run scared of Iraq the rest of my life.”

The final evening in Iraq, Stokely and Soldier’s Angel conducted a heartfelt and emotional ceremony on the rooftop of the villa. Stokely presented Reese with an engraved marble marker he had made for the visit and a U.S. flag that flew over his son’s Georgia gravesite since 2005. He also had the opportunity to meet an Iraqi father who lost a son in the war, and the two men shared their experiences.

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