Pak Spy Chief for Awarding "Nishan-e-Haider" to Aafia
From an opEd by Lt-Gen (ret) Asad Durrani, who served as director-general of the ISI from 1990-92.
… when a frail Dr Afia Siddiqui was charged with attempting to disarm a platoon of crack GIs, and sentenced to 86 years behind the bars. If she did in fact commit the act, she was either out of her mind and, therefore, unfit for a court trial, or a woman of great courage. In the UK, assuming that the British still retain some of the traits that helped them create the largest empire in history, a sporting judge would have bestowed upon her a Victoria Cross.
Now that we have owned the WOT [War on Terror] as our war, we may also start owning up our heroes and swap them with theirs. It would be nice to award a Nishan-e-Haider to someone still alive, and a female at that!
Published in The Express Tribune, May 30th, 2012.
Note: "Nishan-e-Haider" is Pakistan's highest award and traditionally only awarded posthumously.
