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Today skyreporter.com can reveal a possible explanation for the rash excesses of Hamid Karzai’s Attorney General.
For at least two years, Abdul Jabar Sabet allegedly has been issued monthly payments by Britain’s foreign intelligence service, MI6, according to two sources currently working within Afghanistan’s national security services.
In the context of the Karzai government, this situation is less exotic than it might sound. Over decades of conflict, many of the figures in President Karzai’s cabinet and circle of advisors have developed links with various of the spy agencies currently crawling through Kabul’s underworld, notably those of the U.S., Britain, Russia, Iran, China and Pakistan. And Australia, India, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The list goes on.
One of the sources claiming Sabet’s British connection, a national police official, claims to have heard the Attorney General boast of his sideline to a subordinate. Both sources insist their names be withheld due to fear of reproach by other elements of the Karzai government’s National Directorate of Security.
Sabet could not be reached for comment. He has shunned requests for interviews since ordering last week’s raid by 50 armed policemen of Afghanistan’s leading independent station, Tolo TV.
Significantly, British officials both in London and Kabul have been mute about the raid, a marked contrast to immediate demands from the United Nations that the Karzai government cease “unlawful physical intervention” against the media.
Echoing the sounds of silence from the British, there has been no comment at all from U.S. and Canadian officials. Sabet owes his current position to lobbying by U.S. Justice Department advisors, and since 2001 he has claimed to be a Canadian citizen.
As skyreporter has previously reported, he collected welfare in Montreal, and returned to Kabul with empty pockets in 2003 to take up a poorly paid lawyer’s position in the Interior Ministry. Today, he is developing a prime housing site in Kabul’s Wazirpoor district (aka Bigshot-ville) and is able to summon crowds of anti-media protestors, some of whom have confessed to promises of payment for their services.
As recently as March 25 of this year, Britain’s Attorney General Lord Goldsmith appeared in a joint news conference in Kabul, side by side with his Afghan counterpart – despite Sabet’s role in the ongoing Kabul Airport heroin trafficking scandal, and his mounting notoriety as a brusque and bungling prosecutor.
Observers say that Goldsmith’s ill-advised decision to appear with Sabet in public is the result of the chronic inability of British and U.S. intelligence agencies to understand the complexities of Afghan politics, and the dangerous personalities inhabiting its darker regions. “They’re misjudging the culture, as well as background loyalties and double-dealing,” says a seasoned U.S. Congressional investigator critical of “rental” plants in high office.
"We just never learn: the more senior the official, the more willing he is to take money, then the less reliable he'll be. Call it warlord 101. We just keep skipping that class. We always go with the guy who speaks good English and tells us what we want to hear."
Sabet speaks fluent English.
He made his first mark on the Afghan political scene in the late 1980s as an aide to arch-fundamentalist Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, now one of Washington's most lethal and intractable foes.
Ironically, in the late 1980’s, Britain's MI6 had Hekmatyar and his people correctly pegged as the most disruptive and treacherous elements of the fractious alliance of Afghan resistance parties. This reporter recalls specifically discussing Sabet with the then-MI6 officer assigned to Peshawar, Pakistan, the base of Afghan mujahideen operations against the Soviets.
The Americans were slow to come around, but finally in 1992 State Department officials blocked Sabet’s attempt to resume employment and residency in Washington D.C. for the Voice of America, where he had previously worked. Perversely, that rejection was reversed to help Sabet gain access to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, where he gave the Pentagon facility rave reviews last year in return for a U.S. boost up the career ladder.
Though a bully by nature and possessed of a volcanic temper, Sabet is a cunning survivor – and a practiced con artist. Witness his ability to gain entry into Canada in the late 1990’s under “Convention Refugee” status, and later to obtain permanent residency. But far from being a refugee, Sabet was a discredited former counsellor to an infamous Afghan extremist, who had been denied residency in the U.S.
Canadian Immigration Officials - and Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office - steadfastly refuse to answer questions about Sabet, specifically whether the terms of his original application to enter Canada constituted material misrepresentation, thereby subject to a possible exclusion order.
Could Sabet be thrown out of one country, as he wreaks legal havoc in another - while working part-time for a third?
Next on skyreporter.com – Sabet’s potential to undermine Canada’s and Britain’s missions to Afghanistan.
12 Comments
I want to write the below comments for this very good topic. Thanks for writing such good reports. We Afghans suffer much from all these corrupt leaders among them is Abdul Jabar Sabet. All the Western countries do not understand the situations well in Afghanistan and invest only on fighting and not political reforms. The people of Afghanistan does not support president Karzia government and his corrupt facist team any more, this is the main reason of the insatability in the country. Security problem is spreading in all Afghanistan and this government is losing its last confidence among Afghans.
Karzia has been circled by a few corrupt people, who do not care about future of Afghans and Afghanistan. I advise the Western Countries to review thier procedures for Afghanistan, otherwise they will face the worse resistance rather then Iraq. It is the time to speak honestly with Karzia team and should address to him the process of reforms. We are tried of all the corrupt people in this government.....Please we do not need more fighting we need your assistance to reform this government and assist us to have a democratic reperesentative and cleen government before the time runs out.....and your more people are killed in the war.
Taliban will never accept the reconcilation, unless they are given all the government to impelement thier own laws and understanding of Islam. After five years we are losing our hopes and confidence and facing the worse corrupt government in the world. Abdul Jabar is a terrorist like Mullah Omer, Usama and Hekmatyar.
Please Assist.
Afghan boy, we hear you. The public in the west is largely unaware of what our governments are doing - or not doing - in Kabul. From my experience, most western soldiers and officers, too, have been lulled into believing that they're supporting a viable, honest government in the capital. Your comments help draw back the veil. Skyreporter looks forward to hearing from you and your fellow countrymen often.
I totally agree with the article above. We Afghans know what happened to this country. We witnessed and felt all the catastrophes brought to our homeland and also we know who did them. War criminals live with full amnesty and occupied senior positions within the Afghan administration and international community just ignore it. What would happen at the end? Leave Afghanistan in chaos? or work honestly what the majority of people want: remove the corrupt officials from the government, and put on trail all war criminals, this is what people have had hoped for. Placing people like the attorney general and does not heal the wounds of suffered Afghans. We have been suffered for three decades and isn’t that enough? You the international community know that you will pay a very big price if war criminals continue to hold positions in the parliament and in the government. The attorney general does not mentally fit for the job and his decisions are based on his personal emotions since he took the job.
On the other hand, the incident on private Tolo TV has outside link and was a preplanned assault which the attorney general the government minister of information was waiting for and opportunity to get rid of Tolo TV by any cost and this will not stop!!! Weeks a go, the private Geo TV in Pakistan was raided by the police and the same incident happened to their journalists, they were detained and beaten. I was in Pakistan in February 2007 and I paid a visit to few TV cables; Tolo TV is banned in all Pakistani cables; anyone who release Tolo TV broadcast has to be penalized by 100,000Pak rupees (almost 1500USD).
Who ever claims to have helped with establishing democratic government and free press in Afghanistan is a big lie. Is it a democratic government to have drug dealers, war criminals, corrupted officials, violators of human rights to be the decision makers and rule the country? Or calling Afghanistan a place for free press where you have a minister of information of culture who does not believe in press freedom. And any moment we see already gained freedom in danger. Please have a little capassion for Afghans and do not let the country to fall in the hands of war butchers again!!!!!.
Dear Arthur
I usaully read you reports about Afghanistan which are worth reading it and really appreciate about your hard work uncovering the facts and realities to the world and specially those who send thier sons to serve and be killed to sake of democacy in Afghanistan should know that realities are different on the ground. The sucrifices your sons and daughters make, ask your governments what they have achieved???
What we see as ordinary Afghans poeple whose hands were sustained with blood of innocent people are holding high ranking positions, war criminals live with full freedom and even being strengthened. The international assistnaces falling into the pockets of a bunch of powerful warlords by buying fancy houses, cars and investing in thier private companies in foreign countries. We ordinary Afghan feel the same you feel for those soldiers fighting to bring peace in this country. We also lost alot of loved ones for the sake freedom but were all invain because in the last three decades we had dictorship regimes and everybody was working to earn for his own not even with a little compassion to his homland. With appointing criminals and traitors and lobbying for them for the high rank posts in the Afghanistan governemnt and parliament, we all know that their should not be any hope for peace and stability and all the efforts will be invain including the current sucrifices.
Ms. Fatima, and Billal, your words and your expression should humble all of us in the West - and make us more determined to actually accomplish the goals our political leaders only talk about. Please, never give up on your dream of a new beginning for Afghanistan. We can still make that dream become a reality if we truly work for it.
Certainly our first objective has to be to keep Afghanistan's presses, airwaves and bandwidths free for genuine, responsible reporting. Do you have any suggestions on how we can all help do that?
Arthur, thanks for adding the comments section. For now, this is as close as I can get to sitting down at a table, having a cup of coffee or tea, and getting to know them. I am moved by what I am reading
That would be "getting to know the people of Afghanistan".
Bonny, we read you loud and clear. And I'm on my second cup, too.
Salaam to everyone,
Lets be honest here, we have a LONG history of being ruled by criminals and people that filled their own pockets. So when posting on a great site like this for the world to see, lets no longer paint this picture that all was rosy in the past and only now we have greedy people in power.
For those Afghans that want to have trials for "war criminals" who is going to be the judge and jury of this?
Other war criminals?
Because every single Afghan over the age of 30 will have something held against him by the other side. Or do you want people like me who now live in the comforts of the West to come back and try Afghans who stayed behind and suffered and now are all painted with a broad brush as "war criminals"?
One does not have to drop bombs to kill a population. Providing no education, only 1800 kilometers of paved roads in 40 years, no sewer system, no running water, one university for an entire country etc etc are all ways to kill people.
Hopelessness and poverty kills just as badly.
That was complements of our King for 40 years and today we recognize him as the "Father of the Nation". The very man who put his hand on the Quran and swore to defend Afghanistan and the throne. Yet he went to Rome and didn't do a single thing for Afghanistan. For 30 years he was living off Saudi welfare money. And now again the deadbeat father is proclaimed as the "Father of the nation" and people that actually resisted the Soviets and later the subhuman Taliban are called criminals.
I have NO PROBLEM with bringing people that have committed crimes against Afghans and Afghanistan to justice. But it better be across the board. Can you or anyone guarantee that? You know that it will not happen and will continue to cause division and bloodshed. Because the very people that claim to want justice, have plenty of skeletons in their own closets.
But my issue is with the ones doing the accusing. One has to be qualified to try others. I am sorry if I don't subscribe to the theory that a teacher has to be beheaded in Kandahar because "warlords" are in power in Kabul. But some how those people are the ones calling the same individuals criminals also. Or do we want ISI/RAWA bunnies like Malalai Joya to be the voice of the nation?
Only time can help Afghanistan. Not public trials conducted by other criminals and flawed characters.
The biggest thing that the International community can do for Afghanistan is to stop assuming that Pakistan is our ally. That Pakistan is on our side on this "war on terror".
There is a phone in program on CBC radio at 12:30pm from Toronto, Ontario, today, Wednesday, April 25th, about Canada's role in Afghanistan. Anyone who cares to articulate Arthur's website information or any other opinion about our troops in Afghanistan can spread the word to alot of people. I am sure Harper or his staffers will get wind of any comments on this phone in show.
Sudbury, Ontario
From Afghan Constitution in regards to free speech:
Citizens are guaranteed the right to life and liberty, to privacy, of peaceful assembly, from torture and of expression and speech.
There is no absolute protection of free speech based on individual liberty.
The first part of this message is strictly directed to Kamran. So what are you trying to say to all of us? I am tired of hearing what Zahir Shah did or didn't do, at least when he was around, people were happy in our country, he had class; these low cast individuals are so barbaric and uneducated. In my personal opinion, it is the communists, the traders of afghanistan, the communist party that brought our country to this mess and at this very point we need to make sure our country is more civilized and one, unified. Please let us all stop the blaming, as in my OPINION, I am NOT proud to call myself an afghan. I see all afghans as SELFISH,GREEDY,UNPATRIOTIC, and worst of all they easily give in for money. This is very sad and pathetic. I have yet to see someone working for the main reason to help our people and country; there has to be a benefit or a gain for them (the individual) in order for them to be there or do anything. A good 98% are all thieves. I truly feel sorry for AFGHANISTAN. As for me, I am married and a mother, just helpless like the country itself to do anything for my land and far far away from it. I don't even remember the country. My heart goes to the poor people and the orphans.
May God help us all!
Asma, these are difficult times, but there is a way forward. James has a great suggestion. Whenever we have the opportunity, we have to tell our leaders, and our fellow citizens in the west, what's really going on in Kabul, Islamabad and Washington. The public will in all our countries is for peace.
This just in skyreaders - don't miss tomorrow's special feature story here on skyreporter.com It's cause for optimism, at least in one particular investigation we've been pursuing. A sign, perhaps, that justice cannot be denied forever.
Dear Asma jaan,
For the most part we are on the same page. But please note that the Communists didn't just fall from the sky. We had a 90% plus illiteracy rate in the country. Give me 40 years and watch what I will do for Afghanistan.
So those Afghans that were able to get an education and make it to a university, most of them we lost to Communism or Muslim brotherhood in the 1960’s. The incompetence of our leaders, the culture of nepotism and tribal and family favoritism led to discontent on the part of these young Afghans and it led to many years of hell starting in the late 70’s.
I am simply pointing out the root causes of where it all started. I was 10-years-old, playing soccer with my friends in Khair Khana when the Russian tanks rolled on the field by Kotal-e Khair Khana. I fully remember and witnessed what the Commie Khalqee and Parchamies did in Afghanistan. Yes I agree the Communists started this mess.
But those of us that were giving permanent residences in the West owe some of it to those men and women known as Mujahiddin who fought the Soviets for 10 years. The other great ones fought the Taliban too. Sure they made mistakes and got used by other forces in the 90’s, but you CAN NOT take a broad brush and label them all as criminals.
How do you know they have no class? Because they wear traditional clothes and have beards versus Zahir Shah's suit?
Did Zahir Shah display class when he sent a congratulatory message to the criminal Taliban in 1997 when they captured Mazaar-i-Sharif?
Anyway, as I said before, right now we are in no position to have war crime tribunals or trials.
These people in government and in Parliament all have strong tribal and regional backing. Some have private armies. That is how they managed to get the votes and get elected. We can’t just label them and jail them without causing another civil war. Do you want that?
Are you okay and can you accept OTHER ordinary Afghans in higher government positions rather then the so-called "classy" Mohammadzais?
I despise the Taliban, but I would rather deal with a Talib who stands for SOMETHING then an individual that labels EVERY Afghan as bad or greedy or whatever.
The Taliban and Pakistan is the #1 enemy today. Not the guy in the parliament. I am not suggesting that his hands are clean, but for the most part they are under control and in plain view of the public. They can be voted out. Make cases against them one by one and run against them in the elections. But when you say they are all criminals, they all band together as they have now and there is no way in hell we can avoid another civil war.
Lets get the priorities straight. Taliban are beheading teachers, burning schools, killing aid workers and doctors for the first time in our history we have suicide bombers in our country and you are worried about a "low class" guy in the Parliament? What does it say about the people that voted that guy?
Sabet was trorist 10 year ago.
Sabet can help trorist in Afghanistan.
Karzi know abuit henm but can noting.
Sabet hav Canada pasport.
we can noting with terorist lik Sabet.
he hav a good job and a good pasort.
sham for canada u,s,a uk.
President Karzai is getting your messages about his Attorney General, and one of your signals is very clear: he is losing what little public credibility remains to his administration. Changes are needed. And not the kind of changes that put people like Mohaqeq in charge of deciding what Afghanistan's free news media can or cannot report.
Fact that he left a person like Shinwari as Chief Justice and followed with Sabet as the Attorney General only makes you scratch your head about Karzai's thought process or vision of how to move Afghanistan forward.
But please note that we are not used to open and free media there, our politicians aren't used to scrutiny and criticism and Sabet's reaction is a good example of it.
I wonder if he received any good luck vibes from Alberto Gonzalez :)