Blackwater in Pakistan

LONDON: This is with reference to Jeremy Scahill’s excerpted article of May 7 titled ‘What Blackwater’s Erik Prince does not want us to hear’. A necessary caveat to articles such as these is to add that “Blackwater operating in Pakistan” does not necessarily mean that hundreds of ex-US marines are running amuck in Pakistan. If so that is more a condemnation of the sorry state of our army, intelligence agencies and the government than some super human achievement of a private organisation. The point I am trying to make is that what exactly are such organisations doing in Pakistan. The lack of transparency is what causes the rumour mill to work in overdrive. I don’t support Blackwater or any foreign influence in Pakistan. But I would like to ask all those people who claim that such organisations are to blame for everything that happens here that if Blackwater agents are freely patrolling the streets of Pakistan, where are our mighty intelligence and law-enforcement agencies?