The US Administration recalled Jonathan Banks, the CIA chief stationed in Pakistan just to avert possible trial, creating controversy between the two important allies in war on terror. Every country deploys undercover people in other countries to safeguard their national interests and same was the case with the CIA station chief, the intelligence sources said.
There was no life threat to any person here in Pakistan but the trial was main reason for Banks pulling out, they said, adding that transfer and posting of government functionaries is a routine matter. They said there is no intelligence official involvement in bringing the name of Jonathan to limelight. "A person files petition in Supreme Court of Pakistan seeking justice for his relatives, the victims of drone attacks, where is role of any intelligence agency," they questioned.
They said that if Jonathan was scared of being tangled up with the Pakistani courts after relatives of the drone bombings victims' sued the CIA for killings, this has nothing to do with Pakistan or its spy agencies. The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has already denied the accusation of their involvement in the matter.
This might be a US move to fade the recent visit of Chinese Prime Minister to Pakistan and to bring Pakistan under pressure for its old tactic 'do more', said a defence analyst while talking to this scribe. He said this is not the first incidence that an undercover CIA official was exposed and forced to leave his station in haste, which is indicative, that the CIA's cover was never perfect.
A petition was filed in the Supreme Court of Pakistan against the US drone attacks and the petitioner had nominated CIA Chief Jonathan besides many other high officials of the US administration. In spite of facing the court the CIA chief was called back by the Obama administration.
The pullout has raised many questions regarding the trial of Jonathan in absentia or can a 'Red Warrant' through Interpol be issued against the man, and will Interpol track him down. The issue has also been taken up at large in Bob Woodward's 'Obama's Wars', which describes a 3000 strong CIA Army working in Pakistan. 'Obviously they are not holding back sales in Pakistan. Almost every Pakistani politician and military leader has accused the CIA for nefarious activities in Pakistan," the book added.
The departure of Jonathan Banks was prompted by a press conference two weeks back and a petition filed last week by Karim Khan, from North Waziristan Agency, who said his brother and son were killed in a December 2009 drone strike. Khan allegedly linked the drone attack and the CIA's drone programme and nominated Jonathan, in the petition as main accused. He in his petition stated that his two relatives were teachers and they did not have any link with militants, who are being targeted by covert US drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas.
Khan sought $500 million damages from the United States government over the death of his two relatives. He also appealed to the Pakistani authorities not to let Jonathan Banks escape. People of North Waziristan Agency hold numerous demonstrations in Islamabad to protest against the casualties of their loved ones in US drone attacks in the tribal area. The ABC news quoted a US official as saying that the CIA officer Jonathan Banks had already served beyond a regular tour in Pakistan and was scheduled to leave at the end of the month anyway.
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