The Express Tribune Magazine - May 27

MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

For the crew of the MV Albedo, freedom is the farthest shore

MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

Cover Story 20 The Farthest Shore The MV Albedo hijacking has become the second longest in the history of Somali piracy. When will the agony end?

Interview 30 Defence against the Dark Arts Fraser Bomford reveals the challenges faced by security companies as kidnapping for ransom transforms into a billion-dollar industry

Feature 34 Strangers in a Strange Land Hundreds of Somali refugees now call Pakistan home and look towards a better tomorrow but is there any hope for them?

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38 Warriors of the Waves Adil Mulki chances upon a mystery in the halls of the Maritime Museum

20 Regulars 6 People & Parties: Out and about with Pakistan’s beautiful people 40 Review: Retirees and zombies 42 End Of The Line: Batman goes poondi-ing

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Magazine Editor: Zarrar Khuhro, Senior Sub-Editor: Zainab Imam, Sub-Editors: Ameer Hamza and Dilaira Mondegarian.

Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Maha Haider, Faizan Dawood, Samra Aamir, Sanober Ahmed and S Asif Ali. Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Executive Editor: Muhammad Ziauddin. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi.

For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk

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PEOPLE & PARTIES

Shazia, Sonya and Nazia

PHOTOS COURTESY SAVVY PR AND EVENTS

Natasha and Bilal Mukhtar

Asad Shafi and Mishal launch the flagship store of Cross Stitch in Lahore Aliha

Ayaan and Cybil

Ridha and Sarah

Sundus

Naveen and Aliyah

6 MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

Asad and Mishal

Yasmin and Saira

MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Anam, Omer and Maham Rida and Shammal

Hassan Sheheryar and Sabina Pasha

Humaira

PHOTOS COURTESY BILAL MUKHTAR AND EVENTS

Fahad and Mariam

Imtisal Zafar

Sabina Pasha celebrates her birthday in Lahore

Waleed and Nuria

8 MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

Turab and Salma

Farhad and Lubna

MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Schezreh and Alizeh Rabani

PHOTOS COURTESY LOTUS PR

Natasha and Aamir Mazhar

Azmay Shahzada

Amna Ilyas

Rubab

10 MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

Samia and Azmay Shahzada launch their new flagship store in Lahore

Cybil and Samia Shahzada

Nadia Ali

Imtisal Zafar

MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Eduard and Nina Zora

L’Oréal Professionnel launches new hair colours, Dia Light and Dia Richesse, in Karachi

Shammal Qureshi

Amna

Mehar Najeeb and Munaiza

12 MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

Beenish Pervaiz

Peng and Shella

PHOTOS COURTESY LOTUS PR

Sadia Shah

MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES

PHOTOS COURTESY LOTUS PR

The Enterprise, a corporate lifestyle venue, launches in Lahore

Muhammad Mikail Kha

n

Benish Khan

Markings Publishing presents their fourth title ‘The Cave’ with a theatrical rendition at the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture in Karachi Faraz Lodhi and Rubya Chaudhry

Tuba and Ambreen

14 MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

Mantaha and Faraz Maqsood Hamidi

Hina K Ashary and Farees Shah

PHOTOS COURTESY KASHIF-UD-DIN, KOHI MARRI AND MIKAIL SOOMRO

Ayesha Khan

MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

PEOPLE & PARTIES

PHOTOS COURTESY ASAD MALIK

Zaffrano’s Lounge and Restaurant opens up in Islamabad

Ali Murtaza and Natasha Hussain

Mr and Mrs Fakir Iftikhar

PHOTOS COURTESY IDEAS PR

Hina Shaheryar showcases her latest pret collection at Ellemint Pret in Karachi

Maria, Hina Shaheryar and Najia

Sumeha Khalid

16 MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

Afreen Shiraz

Coca-Cola and Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy hold the premiere for the first documentary, part of Coca-Cola’s Reasons to Believe campaign, in Karachi

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy

Hareem Deeba and Dureen Anwer

Fahad Qadir

PHOTOS COURTESY CATWALK PR

The Jang group and the Times of India hold the second Aman ki Asha dinner in Lahore

Asma Rehman and Ali Raza

Sana Bucha

Frieha Altaf

17 MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

COVER STORY

Their ship hijacked on the high seas, the crew of the MV Albedo have gone through 18 months of hell — being held in terrible conditions by Somali pirates. Back home, their families have had to beg for the ransom money while trying to keep hope alive

BY KIRAN NAZISH

20 MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

“Zardari uncle, my name is also Bakhtawar, the same as your daughter’s. Please bring my father home.”

ever seen his father in pictures. He has never known his touch or

This appeal comes from a four-year-old child who hopes the

sailors and for those children old enough to understand what has

president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan will hear her plea.

Bakhtawar is begging for money to save her father, when she should be in school learning nursery rhymes.

heard his voice.

Ironically, he may be the lucky one. For the families of captured

happened, every minute their fathers spend in captivity is a minute filled with fear and uncertainty.

“Every time I eat my food, I feel guilty because I know my fa-

Her father is Ghulam Mujtaba, the first officer of Malaysian

ther is being deprived of this food. Every time I sleep on my bed,

li pirates for 18 months. When he departed on the journey that

whose father, 61-year-old Captain Jawaid Saleem, is also among

merchant vessel Albedo, which has been held hostage by Soma-

ended in his long captivity, his wife Neelam was pregnant with their son Abdullah. The boy, who is now 15 months old, has only

I think of him because he’s not given this comfort,” says Mishal, the captives.

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(Continued on page 26) MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

COVER STORY

22-year-old Ahsan Naveed Khawaja was on his first voyage when the MV Albedo was hijacked

Hira, Salwa, Bukhtawar and Abduallah eagarly await their father’s safe return

The MV Albedo, bound for Mombasa in Kenya, had set sail from

the news of her husband’s capture, Neelam initially did not have

the UAE port of Jebel Ali in November 2010. It was hijacked by Somali pirates on November 26, 2010, 900 nautical miles east of

Mogadishu. Its 23-member crew has been held captive ever since

four-year-old Bakhtawar what had happened to their father.

They would often ask about their missing father, wanting to

in what is now the second-longest hijacking of a vessel in histo-

know when he was returning and why they could not talk to him

Lankans, two Indians and one Iranian are onboard the hijacked

It was only when Neelam was left with no alternative but to

ry. Apart from the seven Pakistanis, seven Bangladeshis, six Sri

on the phone like they used to.

vessel.

come to Karachi eight months ago that she broke down and told

first 15 days after the hijacking, there was no news on what had

pirates who were holding him for ransom.

The families lost touch once the ship was hijacked and for the

happened to the vessel. The pirates then contacted the owner,

her children the truth: their father’s ship had been hijacked by They may not have understood the meaning of the words ‘hi-

telling him that the ship had reached Somalia and demanding

jacking’ and ‘ransom’, but what they did know was that their be-

to pay them and communication was cut off for three months.

Sensing their mother’s grief, they broke down and cried with her

10 million dollars (Rs914 million) in ransom. The owner refused

Seeing that their tactics had failed to have an impact, the pi-

rates contacted Captain Saleem’s wife Shahnaz in Karachi, telling her that they had taken him to a jungle and were holding him

loved father was in trouble and that their mother was in pain. and now, the only time they smile and giggle is when they talk about their home in Mansehra.

Karachi is a purgatory for them. They live in a small one-room

at gunpoint. A week later, they called her again, saying they had

flat, with the stench of an overflowing gutter and the ever-pres-

her to tell her that the crew was alive but an offer had better be

from home. With the family’s sole breadwinner a captive of the

shot him dead. Three months later, the vessel’s owner contacted made soon.

Meanwhile, in Mansehra, another mother was struggling to

put up a strong facade for her young children. When she heard

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the courage to tell eight-year-old Hira, six-year-old Salwa, and

The annual cost of maritime piracy to the international economy according to the One Earth Future (OEF) Foundations, Oceans Beyond Piracy project MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

ent swarms of mosquitoes a constant reminder of how far they are pirates, their mother has had to cut back on expenses and the children no longer go to school. They miss their friends, and most of all they miss their father and the time that they spent with him.

The number of acts of piracy that have occurred between 2006 and 2001, acording to the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre reports

The estimated ransom per vessel/crew in 2010. It used to be USD 150 000 per vessel/crew in 2005

“He would buy me Cocomo cookies,” says Hira, her face sud-

denly lighting up. “He called me ‘Coco’ and he would buy me Cocomo.”

Salwa pipes up as well. “When the light used to go, he would

take us for a ride in the mountains on his bike,” she says. Hira

then proudly adds, “My father will teach me how to drive. He promised that he would buy me a car and teach me to drive so

that I can take my sisters to university. I love studying and I will be a doctor when I grow up.” Salwa just as proudly adds that she

and experience, they are united in their ordeal. Kept imprisoned

aboard the ship and constantly under guard by heavily armed pirates, the crew are fed only a bowl of watery rice every day and

given just enough water to keep them alive. On this starvation diet, crew members have reportedly lost an average of 20 kilos of weight and are now shadows of their former selves. For Fourth

Engineer Zulfiqar Ali, a diabetes patient, this may even turn into a life-threatening situation.

All this is consistent with the way Somali pirates generally treat

will be a beautician when she grows up.

their captives. According to Cyrus Mody, spokesperson for the

When asked what she wants to become, she does not reply out

tives depends largely on how the ransom negotiations proceed.

All the while, the youngest daughter Bakhtawar is silent.

loud but instead whispers in Hira’s ear that she wants to be a police officer. When asked why, she answers, “Because they earn a

lot of money.” It is heartbreaking that at the tender age of four, she is already aware of her family’s financial troubles.

Hira then tells me that when her father returns she will play

International Maritime Organisation, the treatment of the cap“It varies from [pirate] group to group, but in general captives are

treated very poorly,” says Mody. “Basic amenities are not available and the minimal possible care is provided to them. The pirates’ goal is simply to keep the captives alive, and that’s all.”

In the pirates’ hands, these men are not human beings, but

cricket with him. Surprised by this, I ask her if she is good at it.

commodities and investments in what is now a global industry.

play with my father I beat him, I always win.”

early 1990s when a civil war broke out. Perhaps it was simply the

love you.” And with that, her eyes well up with tears. This is how

ture and a position near one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes,

Beaming, she informs me, “I am very good at cricket, whenever I Salwa tells me when she sees her father she will say, “Papa, I

it is with them: the smiles and laughter that memories of their

home and father bring to their lips seamlessly transform into

Somali piracy has come a long way since its beginnings in the

natural consequence of anarchy combined with a seafaring culbut there is also another narrative.

With much of Somalia being ungoverned territory, unscrupu-

tears when they are faced with the bitter reality of their situation.

lous corporations and groups overfished the coastal areas and oth-

and talk about their father scares them, but even at such a young

marine life. This came to light during the 2004 tsunami, when

Being in a strange city and forced to come in front of cameras

age they know that this is something they have to do. In a coun-

try where political intrigue, mass murder and mayhem dominate the news, keeping the story of the MV Albedo alive is the only way they can hope to see their father again.

Captain Saleem’s family, who recently took to Karachi’s streets

to raise funds for the ransom payment, agrees. “I know that there

is so much happening. There has been a plane crash and the con-

stant economic problems. But the people stuck on that ship can be saved. Please help them,” says Mishal.

Onboard the MV Albedo, the crew is enduring a nightmare from

which there seems to be no release. For sailor Ahsan Naveed, this was his first voyage, while Captain Saleem hoped to retire after

returning home. Now, despite the vast differences in their age

The highest ransom on record.

Paid in November 2010, to Somali pirates to release the Samho Dream, a South Korean oil tanker

ers dumped tons of toxic waste off the coast, thus poisoning the

these barrels washed ashore. With their means of livelihood de-

pleted, fishermen had to venture out further and further, and eventually turned to hijacking. According to Mody, this is only

part of the picture. “In the early 2000s, the so-called Somali coastguard started going out and picking up fishing vessels, claiming

that they were fishing illegally, and would release them after a ransom payment. It was happening even back then and I suppose

they, and others, saw the potential in that. They thought, ‘If we

can pick up a fishing vessel and hold it for ransom, why can’t we pick up something bigger and hold it for a bigger ransom?’ It has escalated from there.”

As the rewards of piracy became evident, pirate groups became

more and more organised, and now there is reportedly a whole

The average amount of time ships were held for by the pirates in April and June of 2010, up from just 55 days in 2009. The last four ships released in November 2010 were held for an average of 150 days

The reward for the first pirate to board the M.V. Victoria. According to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the pirate was also rewarded with a Land Cruiser bonus out of the USD$ 1.8 million ransom MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

27

COVER STORY chain of investors, negotiators and facilitators involved. “There

before. Everyone we approached would tell us it was not their

Mody. “There are the ‘hunters’ who actually attack the ships and

Ansar Burney who both helped us a great deal,” says Wasi.

are now well-structured gangs who carry out these attacks,” says

then there are those who guard the vessel and crew while the re-

problem until finally we met Sindh Governor Ishratul Ebad and

Burney also says that in the case of the Suez, they were largely

sponsibility of feeding the crew may well go to another group.

flying blind. “We didn’t have a lot of information at the time and

who can usually speak English — contacts the ship owners, and

government that should be making these official requests,” he

Once the vessel is in the pirate stronghold, a pirate negotiator — from then on it’s a pure business transaction.”

It’s also a negotiation in which fear is the central bargaining

tried to contact Nato directly. Later on, we learned that it’s the says.

A few common factors can be seen in both the Suez and Albedo

tool. Like the crew of the MV Suez, who were successfully released

cases — the suffering of the families, the difficulties of coordi-

with their family and told to tell them that they would be killed if

difference made by the personal intervention of Governor Ebad.

in June 2011, the crew of the Albedo would be put on the phone the ransom demands were not met.

And the ransom demands were, initially at least, exorbitant.

“The pirates demanded Rs10 million at first which we flatly refused to pay,” says Ahmed Chinoy, chief of the Citizens Police Li-

aison Committee. The CPLC has been deeply involved in aiding

nating between multiple countries and ship owners, and also the “The governor is as active on this case as he was in the Suez,”

says Chinoy. “He has been urging people to help us and whenever we have needed support of governmental intervention he has been there for us.”

But when it comes to dealing with other countries and the ship

the families of the Albedo victims, helping them highlight their

owners themselves, things are not so clear-cut. “Indian MP KD

to approach some unorthodox channels. “We began to negotiate

Suez captives,” recalls Wasi. “But then he refused and the pirates

plight and negotiating with the pirates — a process that led them with Somali tribal leaders through Somali businessmen who are based in Dubai, trying to reduce the ransom,” says Chinoy.

The tribal leaders argued that the pirates had spent a great deal

of money on the upkeep of the hostages and would have to be

compensated. Finally, the demand was reduced to $3 million, and then to $2.85 million. “The elders told us that the pirates had bor-

rowed money from investors and if they were not compensated they may kill the captives,” says Chinoy.

Singh had promised to pay half a million rupees to help free the began to beat up the crew. They even turned their phones off and

we had no way of knowing if they were safe or not.” The attitude of the Suez’s owner was not helpful either, she says. After three

months of her husband’s captivity, the owner refused to even an-

swer her phone calls. “When I finally got in touch through email, he told me he couldn’t do anything. He said: ‘If the pirates kill those people then they kill them. I’m not bothered’.”

Even in the case of the Albedo, similar problems have arisen.

Interestingly, the payment is not being referred to as ransom,

“We asked the Malaysian government to pay the money, as it was

are illegal, according to both Pakistani and international law. For

said they will approach their prime minister but there’s been no

but compensation. One reason for this is that ransom payments

Ansar Burney, who played a leading role in the recovery of the Suez hostages, this is just semantics.

their vessel but thus far they have not pledged anything. They approval,” says Chinoy.

Then there are the problems that arise from the fact that the

“Whatever you want to call it, it’s still a ransom payment,” he

crew are from different countries. “Let’s say that people from four

Durdana Wasi, wife of the captain of the MV Suez, recalls the

both give us a go-ahead [to negotiate]. What about the other coun-

says.

painful 10 months when her husband was in captivity, and says

she can understand what the Albedo families must be going through.

“We had no idea what to do, because this had never happened

or five different countries are on board, and India and Pakistan

tries? If something goes wrong then we will get all the blame,” says Burney, who clearly speaks from experience.

The families of the Albedo hostages could only watch in qui-

et desperation as these power plays and jurisdictional disputes

Who says crime doesn’t pay? Here is how the pirates divided the USD 1.8 million ransom paid out for the German bulk carrier, the M.V. Victoria. The Victoria was hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden on 5 May 2010, while on its way to Jeddah. On 18 July, the crew were released after the ransom was paid.

All the while, the youngest daughter Bakhtawar is silent.

When asked what she wants to become, she does not reply out loud but instead whispers in Hira’s ear that she wants to be a police officer. When asked why, she answers, “Because they earn a lot of money”. It is heartbreaking that at the tender age of four, she is already aware of her family’s financial troubles

A young Mishal and her father, Capt Jawaid run their course. For them, the central concern was to raise the money.

Up until April 1 2012, the bank accounts set up for fundraising

target by a whopping 130 million rupees. Appealing to the public

on the nine pm bulletins, Mishal said that ever since Bakhtawar’s first appeal, Mujtaba’s young daughters ask her every day

had less than half a million rupees. Slowly, money started trick-

whether Zardari uncle has responded.

pee notes.

the remaining amount, and a little before midnight on May 14,

families but philanthropists also chipped in and Pakistan’s own

all available resources to secure the hostages’ release.

ling in by ten, twenty, fifty, five hundred and often thousand ruThe bulk of the funds came from friends of the hostages’

guardian angel, Abdul Sattar Edhi, pledged Rs2.5 million and sat

He did. Prominent businessman Malik Riaz agreed to provide

the president also directed Interior Minister Rehman Malik to use Now, the money to free all the hostages, irrespective of their

outside the Quaid’s mazaar to collect funds. Even then, by the

nationality, has been raised but the last step has to be taken by

Rs 260 million had been collected.

ment and logistics. After 18 months of agony, the prospect of

end of the first deadline (April 20), less than 10 million of the total By the end of the second and final deadline (May 15), the cof-

fers had swelled. After the last protest held at submarine chowk, smaller splinter groups — such as volunteers from the Taraqi-ePakistan — had started collecting funds on the streets.

But on the eve of May 14, the campaign was still short of the

the Malaysian ship owner who is in the process of arranging pay-

having come so far and still having to wait for their loved ones is hopefully the final test these families will have to face.

Special thanks to the families and friends of the MV Albedo, the CPLC and Ansar Burney

Attackers:

Position Salary (in USD)

OFFICERS:

150 000

First to board vessel

Commander-in-chief, financial backer

900 000

(and Land Cruiser bonus)

Interpreter

60 000

Eight additional hijackers (each)

Accountant

60 000

Head chef

20 000

Supply officer/logistician

30 000

Sous chef

9 000

41 000

Twenty holders (each)

12 000

Total

1.8m

INTERVIEW

defence against the

dark arts The world is a dangerous place. From Mexico and Colombia to Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Phillipines, well organised gangs have turned kidnapping for ransom into a billion-dollar industry. As the danger grows, security firms worldwide have evolved to face the challenge. In this interview, Fraser Bomford, head of intelligence for the UK-based AKE group talks about the ins and outs of the K&R industry

ZK: Apart from Somalia, what are the kidnapping hotspots in the

BY ZARRAR KHUHRO

and rich nationals whereas the number of foreigners taken is ac-

world right now?

FB: Latin America is an area which often doesn’t get as much press, perhaps because people are a bit more used to the fact that

kidnappings go on there.It is certainly one of the more ‘mature’ areas of the world for both respondents and the gangs themselves so

in places like Colombia, Mexico, and to a lesser extent Venezuela and Peru there are still very, very high numbers of kidnappings go-

ing on. In addition to that South Asia is also significant, especially Afghanistan and Pakistan. One thing is that there is a differentia-

tion between the kidnappings of local nationals and foreigners. If

you take a place like Afghanistan there are a very high number of kidnappings of locals, particularly rich businessmen. In Pakistan too there has been an upward trend of targeting local middle class

tually very low. On the other hand, in Yemen, there are not a lot of locals being kidnapped and foreigners are targeted, either for

ransom or political purposes. In Somalia, there would be a high number of kidnappings but, because of peoples’ increased awareness and the fact that there are fewer foreigners on the ground,

there are fewer people to take. In general, areas suffering from insurgencies or serious security issues tend to become hotspots fairly quickly as groups try to raise funds from kidnappings.

ZK: Given that more and more kidnappings are taking place globally, it would seem that in this particular case crime does in fact pay, doesn’t it?

FB: Well, that’s a nice phrase to sum it up, but the fact is that it’s

very difficult in this ‘industry’ to figure out exactly what’s going on. Some kidnappers do make fairly substantial sums from these

acts, but there are instances in which they pay a serious price as well — such as when US commandos freed Danish hostages from Somali pirates recently while killing nine pirates.

30 MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

ZK: Generally, how does one initiate contact with kidnappers? How do they get in touch with you?

FB: There is a general formula behind the mechanics of a kid-

napping and certainly there is a structured approach to the kidnapping response resolution. There is the first contact from the

kidnappers, and then there has to be proof of life before the ac-

tual negotiations begin and sometimes there can be a long gap between these steps.

The negotiation depends on whether the kidnappee has some

sort of insurance or response capability lined up for them. Some

people don’t have that at all and their family may get involved on their behalf [in the negotiation]. There have been numerous

cases, such as in Mindanao, where aid workers, volunteers or priests have been kidnapped and they didn’t have professional

security cover. In such cases, families go out, engage with local communities and try to track down the kidnappers themselves.

They’ll hire police or ex-police officers to act as facilitators and

negotiators. At the other end of the spectrum, one can deploy a case officer from a security company who will handle the case

ZK: What makes a good negotiator? What kind of training should one ideally go through?

FB: Experience — ideally, the responder has dealt with cases in

different parts of the world and has experience dealing with dif-

ferent scenarios. There are companies with responders who have

over a decade of experience. Ideally, agency or police experience would give people the prerequisite skills to go into the negotia-

tions. With regards to personality, you need to be calm and have the ability to deal with highly stressed environments. The stress may come from the company, and of course from the families

who are obviously closely involved in these situations. You have to be able to deal with a broad range of people and be able to adapt

to very rapidly changing situations. You’ve also got to remain au-

thoritative throughout the process because people will typically look to you to make decisions and guide them in situations where crucial decisions have to be taken. The responder has to keep his head when others may be losing theirs.

ZK: What sort of tools do kidnappers usually employ to pressurise the families into meeting their demands?

FB: Threats of killing or injury are the main tools they will look to employ. Different kidnap gangs can act in different ways and be

more or less violent, but in general saying to a family that you’re going to hurt their loved one would put considerable pressure on them to pay the demanded ransom quickly. Then it’s up to

the negotiator to guide them as to whether they think that these MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

31

INTERVIEW threats are real and to advise them on the best response. The cen-

tral goal on part of the case officer or negotiator will of course be to do everything in his power to get the kidnapped person out safely in the least amount of time.

In Pakistan too there has been an upward trend of targeting local middle class and rich nationals whereas the number of foreigners taken is actually very low

ZK: In your experience, who is the worst when it comes to treatment of hostages?

FB: There are some pretty violent gangs in all parts of the world and I wouldn’t like to pick one out and give them what they

would probably see as ‘credit’ for hyper levels of violence. You do hear some pretty horrific stories. Some gangs are more mature

and they realise that looking after the hostages is in their favour, but it depends on the organisation and whether they hold the kidnappees or sell them forward.

ZK: I know this is a sweeping statement, but is it better to be kidnapped by professionals as opposed to amateurs?

FB: Well, it’s a horrible situation either way but yes, if you’re dealing with a mature kidnap gang that is looking to extract the biggest ransom in a short length of time — which is their goal

— and your goal is to obviously get the personnel in the shortest

length of time with as low a ransom paid as possible, then it is in

both parties’ interest to keep the person in good health. In cases where you’re dealing with amateur kidnap gangs you see major mistreatment.

ZK: What can a hostage do simply to survive captivity? If you’re in this situation, what do you do to just get through it?

FB: We recommend cooperation and compliance with the kidnappers, and actions like refusing food and water are not advised

because that will antagonise the kidnappers and lead to mistreat-

ment. We tell people to stay away from contentious subjects that

could rile their kidnappers. Clearly, being kidnapped is a horrible situation and people want to get out of it as soon as possible, but

when an opportunity for escape presents itself you have to be 100% sure it’ll work. There are instances when people who tried

to escape have been recaptured and treated worse. The end goal is always survival.

ZK: And finally Mr Bomford if you were speaking to a family whose loved one has been kidnapped, what words of advice would you have for them? As to what sort of attitude they should keep in order to survive the ordeal because, obviously, for the person in captivity it is terrible but for the family the uncertainty would be horrific.

FB: It is a very, very difficult question to answer, but I would ad-

vise them to keep as calm as possible and trust in the fact that if there are people responding to it then they’re typically profes-

sional and, as I said, most cases are resolved peacefully. They have to hold on to hope and not give up no matter how difficult

32

the situation gets. t MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

FEATURE

strangers in a strange land Fleeing conflict at home, hundreds of Somali refugees came to Pakistan with the hope of a better tomorrow. But without a legal status in their adopted home, they are pushed into a suffocating life of marginalisation and poverty

BY MAHA MUSSADAQ PHOTOS BY MYRA IQBAL

Sharifo, a Somali single mother, decided to flee the conflict at home to secure her son’s future.

She made the long journey to Pakistan, thinking they would find refuge here. But over the years, hope has faded for them.

“Moving to Pakistan was not an easy decision, but we were

dows, it gives the feel of a temporary abode although they have been living there for nearly four years and, it seems, will contin-

ue to indefinitely. I ask her why she hasn’t gotten the windows fixed or bought any furniture.

“I don’t have enough money,” she says, referring to the meagre

hopeless. Coming here has only made things more difficult for

6,000-rupee subsistence allowance that the UNHCR gives her ev-

Sharifo and her six-year-old son Omar moved to the country

and gas where most of the money goes. The allowance is subject

us,” says 26-year-old Sharifo.

in 2008 and have been living in Islamabad since. “I did not see a future for my son in my own country but I can’t see one in this

country either,” she says as she runs her fingers through Omar’s

ery month to cover all their living expenses, including electricity

to review every three months, and hers has only increased by a thousand rupees in four years.

It is due to this lack of funds that Sharifo and Omar live in one

hair.

of the two bedrooms in their flat in the G-10 commercial area and

only for a life they don’t want. Although the United Nations Ref-

men, also Somali refugees, who they do not know. It takes off

They managed to save themselves from violent conflict but

ugees Agency (UNHCR) works to ensure that they have all basic amenities, Sharifo says that the provisions are not sufficient.

34

dimly-lit apartment. With barely any furniture and broken win-

“Just see what I have got. Can I ever promise my son a better

tomorrow?” she asks, as we walk around the concrete floor of her MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

share the apartment, the lone bathroom and kitchen with three the rent burden, but this arrangement has led to her Pakistani

neighbours judging her morals as she’s a lone woman living

with men. “I feel as if my life is always at risk because I’m alone,” says Sharifo.

“There are many promises that haven’t been fulfilled but life goes on. There is no hope and no expectation either,” says Ahmed Her landlord, however, is sympathetic to her situation. “I

haven’t paid the rent in a month but the landlord has let us live here and says it’s alright until we are in a position to pay.”

Fortunately, Omar’s primary school education is paid for by the

UNHCR and he goes to an English-medium facility nearby, where

He is critical of the UNHCR’s education initiative. “As a policy,

they educate refugee children only up till grade 5. Therefore,

hundreds of young boys and girls end up uneducated as well as unemployed,” he says.

The refugees’ access to legal employment and livelihood oppor-

he is enrolled in the first grade. But she is worried about what

tunities is also obstructed by a lack of legal status in Pakistan.

Since the early 1990s, when the civil war broke out in the trou-

livelihood projects aimed at increasing self-reliance but, Ahmed

will happen once the UNHCR stops paying for his education.

bled country located in the Horn of Africa, the UNHCR has registered 535 refugees and 37 asylum-seekers in Pakistan. Almost

half of these refugees arrived between 2006 and 2009, when the

The UNHCR tries to cover the gap by carrying out small-scale

says, hundreds like him remain helpless at trying to change their situation.

Ahmed is also unimpressed by the skills-training programmes

protracted war got even more violent.

the UNHCR offers to non-Afghan refugees through its partners.

dren and teenagers. Two per cent were born in Pakistan,” says

beneficial because these refugees have to work in Pakistan and

“Approximately 10 per cent of the refugees are young chil-

24-year-old Ahmed Farah who arrived in Pakistan in 2008 after he dropped out of 9th grade at his school back home. As the lead-

“They have a compulsory English language course which is not need to know Urdu to get a decent job.

But while Ahmed has given up the fight, many refugees are

er of the Somali Students Union and the chairman of the Somali

actively protesting the situation. Two years ago, a group of So-

patriots in their adopted home.

NGO in Islamabad, complaining that they had not received their

Forum, he tried to actively address issues that afflicted his com“Due to a lack of interest by the home country as well as the

agency and its partner NGOs, I just gave up the post,” Ahmed says.

“Somali refugees are the most difficult to deal with. They are

easily manipulated towards criminal activities, making it diffi-

cult to negotiate with them at times,” a UNHCR official said on condition of anonymity.

I mention this to Ahmed, who has an explanation that draws

on his own bitter experience. “When a man is hungry, he will

mali women protested outside the office of a UNHCR-partner

monthly allowance. Some demanded to be repatriated to Somalia, while some wanted to resettle in other countries. The UNHCR allows refugees to return out of a personal decision to do so but does not facilitate return to war areas or conflict zones.

“We do not want to live in miserable conditions in Pakistan.

We’d rather go back and die in the war than live like this,” Sharifo says.

“There are many promises that haven’t been fulfilled but life

go out and hunt. It’s human nature. We come from a country

goes on,” Ahmed says. “There is no hope and no expectation ei-

circumstances,” he says.

life is either the same or just worsening for us.”

where we have learnt to survive in the most testing times and

ther. With each passing day, we work for a better tomorrow but

MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

35

FEATURE

warriors of the

waves A chance trip to a museum leads the author on a voyage of discovery

BY ADIL MULKI

Photo: USS Diablo Crew

On the way to the first floor galleries of the Pakistan Maritime Museum in Karachi, one comes across a wall with names of martyrs, or Shaheeds, who died during the 1965 and 1971 wars. The list includes a section titled Ghazi, a word that refers to warriors who return victorious and alive. I wondered why Ghazis appeared on a list that was supposed to name martyrs.

A sailor on duty explained to me that it was a reference to PNS

Ghazi, a Pakistan Navy submarine that had disappeared with all

transferred to Pakistan under an agreement. For their brilliant performance in the 1965 war, the submarine won 10 awards, including two Sitara-e-Jurat decorations.

On November 14, 1971, PNS Ghazi sailed out of Karachi harbour

on a seemingly impossible mission. It was to sail past the West-

ern Indian defences, south along enemy shores to loop around Sri Lanka and then head North to the Bay of Bengal more than 3,000 miles away from its home base.

It will forever remain a mystery exactly what objectives were

its men on board. Although the Pakistan Navy had named them

contained in its Top Secret brief, to be opened only mid-mission,

through row upon row of names, each of which represented a

naval assets in the region, such as the aircraft carrier Vikrant,

Ghazi, fate put them on the higher pedestal of Shaheed. I went

life cut short by war, a family denied another chance to share its

joys and sorrows, the names of men who left home on a mission for the motherland and never returned.

Forty years have gone by since those 93 brave men, including

their leader Commander Zafar Muhammad Khan, died as the submarine sank in the Bay of Bengal, off the Visakhapatnam coast, under mysterious circumstances at the onset of the 1971 war.

38

Caribbean Sea until it was de-commissioned on June 1, 1964, and

when the craft was deep behind enemy lines. Tempting Indian could have been on its target list. After completing its mission, the Ghazi was supposed to report to Chittagong. The then East

Pakistani ports, neglected under the specious doctrine of “the

defence of the East lies in the West”, were hardly even capable of handling a grand boat like the Ghazi and it’s also possible that

the Ghazi was to augment the Eastern naval forces, which comprised of little more than gun boats and a few riverine crafts.

With its 11,000-mile range, designed for the Atlantic and

The PNS Ghazi was originally the USS Diablo, a long-range

Pacific oceans, and the surprise and stealth factor of a subma-

31, 1945. It served the US Navy mainly on the Atlantic side and the

enemy in its own lair. The Ghazi reached Visakhapatnam, the

Tench class submarine commissioned by the US Navy on March MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

rine, the Ghazi was the only vessel capable of confronting the

headquarters of India’s Eastern Naval command, and proceeded

to mine the entrance channel of the port. Had the Ghazi been

able to complete this task, the entire Indian Eastern Naval fleet

Indian journalist Sandeep Unnithan, who specialises in military and strategic analysis.

Underwater video footage obtained by divers also shows jag-

would have been bottled up in their own port. But that was not

ged portions of the FTR jutting outwards, adding credence to the

The answer to “What happened next?” depends largely upon

Hours after the Indian government officially announced the

to be.

internal explosion theory.

where you search for it. Histories written on both sides of the

sinking of the Ghazi on December 9, 1971 (almost ten days after

they serve the cause of accuracy.

in a death-defying duel with two anti-submarine vessels of the

border are likely to serve perceived national interests more than GM Hiranandani, a retired vice admiral of the Indian Navy,

writes in his book Transition to Triumph that the Ghazi was lured by reports indicating the presence of the Vikrant, which was actually stationed far away in safety.

Once the Ghazi took the bait, depth charges were dropped on

the orders of Lt-Commander Inder Singh, the captain of the Indian destroyer INS Rajput, as the Ghazi exited the port’s chan-

the actual event), a Pakistani submarine PNS Hangor engaged Indian navy which were sent to find and destroy it. Hangor, literally meaning “Shark” in Bengali, certainly had a bite worth its nickname. It not only managed to evade its hunters, it also sunk

the INS Khukri and damaged the INS Kirpan. This was the first

time after World War II that a submarine claimed a confirmed kill.

A few days after the Ghazi’s destruction, Indian divers opened

nel. This resulted in the sinking of the Ghazi and Lt-Commander

up the vessel and entered it to recover whatever valuable infor-

Chakra.

are displayed at an Indian war-time museum nearby. Unnithan

Singh was later decorated with the Indian gallantry award Vir The Pakistani version, as laid out by the Directorate of Public

Relations — Pakistan Navy, is that probably due to high currents

in the Bay of Bengal, the Ghazi hit a mine that it had laid down

itself. Whatever the truth, the incident marked the first time a submarine sank during a war after the Second World War.

Interestingly, the Indian Government turned down requests

by the US and the then-USSR to raise the submerged sub from

the sea. In 2010, all records related to the sinking of the Ghazi were also reported to have been destroyed by the Indian Navy. Lt

General (retd) JFR Jacob, who served as the chief of staff of the Indian Army’s Eastern Command during the 1971 war, suggested

in a May 2010 article that the Ghazi had met an accidental end

and the Indian Navy had nothing to do with its sinking, hence the destruction of the records. Many other heavyweights on the

Indian side also share this scepticism of the Indian Navy’s official stance.

To gain an independent opinion, I got in touch with the veter-

an USS Diablo crew who had served on the boat before it became

mation they could. They salvaged some objects, a few of which wrote that the divers also came across some bodies, among them

a sailor who “had in his pocket a poignant letter written in Urdu to his fiancé: ‘I do not know if you will ever read this, but we are here separated by thousands of miles of sea...’”

Forty years later, as I stood in a museum those very thousands

of miles away, I wondered which sailor it was among these countless names who had written the letter.

Those men wrote a tale of bravery across the waters of the In-

dian Ocean and paid the highest price for it. Even four decades on, their courage and efforts must not be forgotten.

Their last resting place reminds me of Rupert Brooke, an Eng-

lish poet who volunteered for service in the navy during the First World War and wrote a poem titled “The Soldier”: If I should die, think only this of me:

That there’s some corner of a foreign field That is forever England. There shall be

In that rich earth, a richer dust concealed;

Rupert Brooke died on duty and was buried in Greece — a for-

PNS Ghazi. They had studied sonar pictures and sketches of the

eign land. The poem would be a fitting tribute to the 93 Paki-

pedo Room (FTR) destroyed the Ghazi. This view is also shared by

their own.

sunken vessel and believed that an explosion in the Forward Tor-

stanis who, like Brooke, died on another land while serving

MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

39

REVIEW

smelling like roses

BY AMNA IQBAL

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has a dangerous premise. Seven British retirees travel to a hotel in Jodhpur, India, that advertises itself as a post-retirement haven. In the process they re-discover themselves, find old flames, fall in and out of love and begin new journeys. A cinematic adaption by John Madden of Deborah Moggach’s novel ‘These Foolish Things’, it positions itself to be about finding one’s place in the world, wherever that may be.

It could’ve easily fallen into the cliché ridden pit where films like Eat, Pray, Love and Slumdog Millionaire go to die — that dark abyss of white people discovering their lost selves in oriental lands and brown people communicating only through spiritual metaphors in indecipherable accents.

The film’s true genius is its incredibly sensitive character arcs.

Each character unravels delicately, displaying dimensions as the narrative progresses. Evelyn (Judi Dench) is not just a freshly widowed middle-aged white woman but someone who is both terrified and excited in equal measure at being her own person for the first time in her life. Dench’s performance gives an almost poetic depth to Evelyn’s conflict. She could be any woman who is marking milestones for herself by doing something as simple and as herculean as going for her first job interview at the age of 55. Tom Wilkinson’s Graham is battling with the ghosts of his past. Despite the fact that his

better off dead

BY NOMAN ANSARI

Osombie – The Axis of Evil Dead is an independently produced low budget zombie film, which fails to live up to the cleverness of its title and the delicious novelty of its concept. Instead of taking advantage of the great potential to be outrageous in its storytelling, the film merely comes across as a standard war movie, with a slight zombie twist. Let’s just get this out of the way: a John Romero zombie film, it is not.

The film stars the drop-dead gorgeous Maxim model Eve Mauro as Dusty, a young yoga teacher from Colorado traveling across Afghanistan in an attempt to rescue her sibling Derek, who has come to the war-torn nation to discover if Osama Bin Laden is still alive. Derek, who is a nutty conspiracy theorist, after reading up theories on the internet, believes the al Qaeda leader is not dead, and doesn’t accept the story that the world’s most wanted man was buried at sea after being killed in Pakistan. Dusty’s rescue mission is joined by a Nato Special Forces team, who explain to her that a chemical attack on the water resources of the terrorists has 40 somehow resulted in the radical group becoming zombified. But MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012

character is a vantage point for the obligatory sexuality theme that most filmmakers have to weave in, his story remains both refreshing and poignant without ever being preachy about western gay identity. Bill Nighy also manages to give the character of Douglas an almost roguish school boy charm that is both endearing and frustrating.

Maggie Smith’s caustic Muriel is unapologetically racist and, refreshingly enough, does not have a change of heart at the end. She displays a ‘one-woman army’ determination to rally on without letting herself be traumatised by her own sob story.

The film weakens only when it zooms into the narratives of its Indian characters. Their stories seem both clichéd and hurried, losing out on the nuances that are otherwise present. Dev Patel’s painful accent, at least to my desi ears, does not help.

What does make up for this, however, is a good musical score.

Also, interestingly enough the film’s cinematography captures an insider’s India and not a heightened hyper-real exotic land that is only visible in films and documentaries. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel saves itself by doing away with the exotic while keeping the real. T

what they don’t know, yet eventually learn, is that Osama Bin Laden has returned from being dead in the sea as a zombie, and is leading an undead terrorist army.

The acting in Osombie is unsurprisingly wooden, considering the amateur cast. But the film could have overcome its B-movie roots is in terms of creativity, which it lacks sorely as well. While there are plenty of death sequences, they lack the cleverness that makes such scenes interesting in better zombie films. And while featuring decent production values, the film is also regrettably rawboned in the gore department. Although the movie’s action is plentiful, it is strictly standard fare, and doesn’t feature much in the way of fleshy horror sequences that you’d expect from a zombie flick.

In the end, while Osombie isn’t a terrible film, it just doesn’t have nearly enough meat on its bones to be a classic zombie film.

END OF THE LINE

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42 MAY 27-JUNE 2 2012