No headway: Investigators fear the worst for abducted American
No claims of responsibility and no calls for ransom. Three days after he was abducted from his home, investigators fear the worst for 63-year-old American ‘aid expert’ Warren Weinstein.
While the kidnappers were trying to abduct him, Weinstein put up resistance and received a severe head injury, intelligence sources told The Express Tribune.
Country director for US-based consultancy J E Austin Associates, Weinstein was abducted from his home in Model Town, Lahore before dawn on August 13. He had been working in Pakistan for seven years.
Sources said Weinstein’s driver, Israr, informed the investigators that his employer received a severe head injury when one of the kidnappers hit him with his pistol, leaving the victim bleeding and unconscious.
Given his age, investigators said, his head injury might have caused his death since his abductors would not risk taking him to a hospital for fear of arrest.
The head injury account was corroborated by investigators who visited the crime scene and said there was a trail of blood from his living room on the upper floor to the stairs leading to the ground floor of the house. Investigators added that the kidnappers appeared well-trained since they searched Weinstein’s body to ensure there were no embedded chips that could help investigators track him.
Earlier over the weekend, Weinstein’s employer released a statement saying he is in poor health and implored the kidnappers to provide him with his medications.
“If you do not have means of getting them, please contact an intermediary to whom we can deliver the medications,” JE Austin said.
An investigator, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that no demands for ransom or claims of responsibility by the kidnappers support the fear that Weinstein may be dead.
Preparing sketches
No worthwhile information has been retrieved from the guards and the driver but the police are preparing the abductors’ sketches from the information given by them, said DIG Investigation Ali Aamir Malik.
Preparing neat sketches which can assist the police in investigation takes time, he said, adding that they would be released soon. He added that sketches for only two of the abductors could be prepared since the rest had their faces covered with masks.
Multiple investigations
Weinstein’s abduction is being investigated not just by two teams of police but also the intelligence agencies, including the Inter-Services Intelligence, the Military Intelligence, the Intelligence Bureau and the Counter-Terrorism Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency.
Meanwhile, personnel of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) including forensic expert, legal attaché and security officers also visited the crime scene and met with police officials for sharing information as well as collecting evidence from the crime scene.
The investigators have not arrived at any conclusion yet.
DIG Investigation Ali Aamir Malik, however, said he was unaware of any visit by an FBI team.
Even if the FBI team visited Weinstein’s house, it was not brought to their notice, Malik said, adding that no foreign team had contacted them for investigating the matter.
Humble circumstances
Weinstein’s account only had Rs4,000, sources revealed, adding that he was upset at having to leave Pakistan since his contract was about to expire. The aid worker had taken a loan from a US bank and his salary was deposited in the account after deduction of the loan repayments, they added.
The guards
Four guards including Fazal-e-Amin, Abbas, Sarwar Hussain and Aurangzeb were hired by JE Austin from Hataff Security System on June 1, 2011 at Rs45,000 per guard per month, sources at the security firm told The Express Tribune.
Two of the guards were hired for day duty while the other two were for night duty.
The JE Austin management had informed the security firm three days before the abduction that guards will ‘not be required after August 14, 2011.”
Sources said of the four guards, one had been court martialled while another one was an absconder from the army.
(Additional reporting by Rameez Khan)
Published in The Express Tribune, August 17th, 2011.
COMMENTS (49)
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Mr Bastin I was one of the people offended on behalf of this gentleman who is (by all reports) an aid worker and a guest. I am however equally offended by your tone, it is uncivilised to gloat at the recent events in karachi, as if this serves us right.(London isnt doing too well either is it ??) Making fun of people whose first language is not english is such a cheap shot its not even worth commenting on.
Maybe some Pakistanis are happy to read your comments to reassure themselves that small mindedness is not just limited to the developing world.
I suspect he was as much an aid worker as Raymond Davis was a consulate employee, though I cannot be 100% sure until more comes out. People who vigorously defend him also need to hold their horses and learn from the past.
Remember the military had accused the CIA of sending spies working simultaneously as aid workers.
@ Moise: If you look at my profile on LI you will find (a) I am English (by the way I do not say "British" now since I have no clue what that means any more given the large variety of different ethnicities living in the UK), and (b) I have worked in countries like your for over 30 years, public and private sector.
I know full well the depths to which development efforts can sink. USAID, the World Bank, the UN, ADB etc.... all are indeed very flawed institutions. USAID does have an explicit political role to play since it comes under the Department of State. But most development projects fail or grind to a halt because of corruption in the host country governments and the appalling lacklustre performance of most bureaucrats.
That said, the individuals working for most development projects in the field are in my experience mainly well-motivated - or at least motivated by the need to make a dollar by working. And the work is never easy or pleasant (I worked with your government officials for 3 years which speaks for itself) and sometimes dangerous. Sure, there are the charlatans and pure mercenaries, but they are not the rule.
Warren Weinstein was certainly no mercenary. He genuinely wanted to help, and sometime one wondered at his naivety battering his head against the wall of Pakistani bureaucracy and sheer sloth.
Frankly, Sir, you and your country persons don't deserve people like Warren. They should stay at home (in his case with his grandchildren) and let you drive your country right down the drain towards which it is heading - Karachi - need I say more?
@Moise: Weinstein worked first for the PISDAC project - Pakistan Initiative for Strategic Development and Competitiveness (under SMEDA), then when that finished he was Country Director for J.E. Austin an small be-spoke consultancy specialising in economic development. I know all the projects and you might ask your Foreign Minister about them, Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar since as then Minister of State for Economic Affairs she was the overall person responsible for the GOP. Of course you might think she worked for the CIA too?
@1stResponder: Thank you, just prove me I am wrong by sending some of his aid works and it will be fantastic.
@Waqar: Positive approach towards everything and not find conspiracy theories everywhere.
I loved to be proven wrong but no sugar coated name calling please. So send me the aid projects Mr. Weinstein has worked on and save us key strokes of asking over and over again.
Those who dont know economic hit-men should check out this video from whistle-blower John Perkins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTbdnNgqfs8
@Geoffrey Quartermaine Bastin: Geoffrey, we are not a minority. The real problem is we are silent and hence are a part of the problem i.e. allowing the extremists in us speak on behalf of the whole country.
@Moise, I am not name calling brother. All I am saying is it is a dumb logic. Can you name a single thing he did illegal or which harmed the interests of the country?
@Waqar: Ad hominem. When there is no logical reply resort to name calling.
Let me rephrase it again. If he was a aid worker please name ten of his projects he has worked on and it's outcome?
Sad! Another blow to Pakistan's image.
@PakistaniInAmerica: Overstate growth figures, show green gardens, dole out loans to corrupt government without any accountability (60-90% lost to corruption), recover usury from tax payers, if they can't pay do a hostile take over to strip and sell.
This information not only coming from whistle blowers, but from government and semi government agencies accounts and policies.
These leeches from IFCs, IMFs, World Banks, ADBs, and USAIDs are worse than CIA agents.
Please stop being a turn coat or stop calling yourselves Pakistani. Pakistan is calling and which side you want to be?
@Moise, "Name 10 aid projects he has worked on?"
This is as dumb and flawed logic as it can get. What you are saying is, all americans are guilty unless proven otherwise. What is the difference between you and the people who say all muslims are terrorists. we have become a cynical nation, and see wrong in every sinlge thing we come across. Allah help us. Our religion teaches we should have a positive approach towards everything and not find conspiracy theories everywhere. One should not even believe a word which he can not verify.
@anonymous, And how did you find the majority of 'goras' my friend.
@Salman, so now you will take revenge from every American for the ills of their government? lets start with all the naturalized american pakistanis please.
@Moise: i didnt say he had 10 aid projects, but i will look up what it says on the internet. people in the comments have claimed to know him or of him, and they say that he's done good things. the internet, i'm sure, will have some info, but u cant trust everything [or much] u read on the internet. i just have no reason to believe nor have seen any indication that he is evil or works for the cia, and, until i do, i'll go with what i've read-that he was helping people. lots of people do aid work. i know many, many people who have done it as volunteers, but not professionally-like weinstein.
anyway, i'll be able to find claims that he was working on pak dev. but can you find any claims that he was involved in spying?i just started to google and this just came up- 'Echoes of Raymond Davis?' it looks like bad news.
Dear All, I continue to read the comments on Warren Weinstein's kidnapping with dismay. Indeed there are a minority of Pakistanis who have pointed out that any offence during Ramadan is unacceptable; an equal minority have expressed shame at the kidnapping and see that Warren was one of the foreigners who genuinely wanted to help their country.
But the overwhelming majority of comments have been on the verge of abusive, unsympathetic, illiterate (the overall standard of written English is a complete disgrace) and just outright stupid e.g., "stop drinking milk because the guy helped Dairy Pakistan".
One despairs for Pakistan. I enjoyed my 3 years or so there and made (I thought) many friends among what I now understand to be a tiny intellectual elite. Most people appear to resent us and wish we would go home. I will not say the same thing about the floods of emigrants from Pakistan to North America and Europe, especially the UK. Of course many (if not all) foreigners are in Pakistan for one reason alone - the money. But Mr Weinstein was one of the few (and I do not include myself) who really did want to help.
And goodness knows your country needs help! I was there during the floods last year (planning a recovery programme financed by - hey - the US Government!). The vast majority of aid in kind and funds was from foreign sources, especially American (by the way I'm English). Someone of you asked why we all seemed to come to Pakistan - one reason was the earthquake in 2005 - again a massive outpouring of foreign assistance and personnel working in dangerous conditions. Many stayed on to help.
Take a look around at your country: a population that will DOUBLE in about 30 years; an agricultural sector that can barely sustain the current food requirement, hygiene standards that generally reflect the middle ages, illiteracy (as exposed by the comments here) and disease - about 40% of people suffer chronic digestive tract disease.... Pakistan ranks in global competitiveness along with Sub-Saharan African nations like Chad.
And you folk have the temerity to try and be clever at Weinstein's expense? I would suggest you look carefully into your own hearts this Holy Month and see if the Holy Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) had anything about common humanity to teach. If he did, then I suggest you learn it and pray for Weinstein's safe return to his family.
@1stResponder: And his 10 aid projects are?
As a Pakistani citizen working in the US with a contracting agency much like Weinstein's, I can assure you that there are many people from all over the world committing their lives to improving Pakistan. I personally know American citizens working in Pakistan with contracting agencies like the one I work for and they genuinely care about our country and have spent decades devoting themselves to it. They are not CIA agents in disguise, they are not trying to get you and they are not government representatives. These conspiracy theories are sickening. These foreigners are just trying to do their bit to help who they can. Yes, Pakistan and the US have a very complicated relationship and Pakistanis have reason to be furious with the American government, but do not ignore those individuals and those organisations who are doing what our own government has repeatedly failed to do for us. These people are stepping up to help our countrymen and are willing to live in areas where they are repeatedly targeted. How many of us would move to Somalia or DRC to help others? These foreigners are here for no reason other than their belief that Pakistan can be a great place again. And they are not even Pakistani! They have a faith that we refuse to have in ourselves. Shame on those who are driving these people away and truly living up to the world's sterotyped view of our country. We are fast becoming nothing more than a country of barbaric, violent, close-minded individuals.
@Waqar: I agree with you. How can we dehumanize somebody who was working for us for these many years. Even an old man's death doesn't move us now?
@BruteForce: Whats bad in it ... Taliban have no drones, otherwise they would be killing American Kids and Women less u r only concerned about 'Olds' ... very funny.
Whosoever did this, did in the best interest. There must a war between US and Pakistan .. one way or the other
@malik: you represent everything that is wrong with pakistanis. do you not read the news about muslims killing muslims every day, and IN RAMZAN, in karachi and peshawar?in kabul and herat?in mistrata, ben ghazi, homs and latakia? wait you're probably going to say that theyre not muslims either and agents of cia/mossad etc? get a grip on reality. soon, there wont be any foreigners in pakistan because we wont be worth it- not the aid and not even the drones. then who will u blame for the bloodshed thats taking place in our country?
Shame on these Pakistanis who disregard Warren Weinstein's aid work in Pakistan and falsely accuse him of being a CIA agent. Even in Ramzan they have no problems with false accusations against a man who helped Pakistanis and then who was violently kidnapped.
an cia agent who got what he deserved!!!if we wudnt have killed he would have like raymond
Looking at the responses, all I can say is SHAME on us. Almost everyone in the development sector knows him and respects him but I guess excess of Zaid Hamid and Amir Liaqat has now made us brain-dead animals and our twisted ego can only be satisfied with blood and more blood now. Again, shame on us.
its sad to see what we all have become, our every action represent who we are individaully and as well as collectively. iam not simply blaming one side for what ever happen why it happen its irrilevent now there are lots of issue going on all over in both the countries. we all are to be blamed for this. Mr weinstein is a guest in our country no matter in what capacity he was working thats not the issue and its too late to pick on time period for how long he is been here point is he is been hurt by one of our own people that should not happen i mean what the differece between you and them and as far as islam is concerned every day we do lots of thing in this country in the name of religion which in fact is not allowed in religion therefore lets not bring religion in this act. when ever any one come from any other country your responsible for their safelty and welbeing not the otherway round. we should not harm any one in any capacity
Mr.geoffery Quartermaine you should not be saying such words like disgusting in any matter i can pick lots of issue which comes under this word but l leave it at that people have right to voice their opinion we all know what is going on here in our country and in our border talking about peaceful religion there is not doubt about that islam is most peaceful religion in this world yes some misguided issue are ther but that doesnt mean the religion is to be blamed for this and people of pakistan are very nice people as nation otherwise you people would nt be staying for that much indefinite period in our country. what ever happen its bad and i hope he come back safely to his family as we all have families and none of us want anything happen to our love one or dear ones in the end we all are human and we all should show compassion, tolerance and understanding for each other in every aspect of life after all in the end we all have stand in front of GOD and we all answerable to him for our deeds. and please for all our reader to note in histroy there are 3 events of 9/11 and for check the london economist magzine for reading
...just one question, why was this US worker not registered with the local Thana? the police denied they registered him as residing in their jurisdiction....why is there such a lack of administrative control?
Why one should consider religion when Weinstein was working for an NGO, Biloo Bhaya, is intolerant to say the least. One ought to consider the good work undertaken by a not young man, under harsh conditions; westerners seem in my mind to have more humane ways for the suffering of our poor. We ought to be concerned for his welfare, what has happened to the Pakistani hospitality especially towards foreigners rather than speculate dumb issues....
pakpinoy
Your country, yes your country, created these "Muslim" terrorists during the Soviet era and then pushed them into our midst. Don't expect any compassion from us. Your country is, in Harold Pinter's words a "fully-fledged, award-winning gold-plated monster" that has left a trail of destruction all over the globe.
@Frank LOL Very well said.
During Ramadan time, no one does kidnapping and killing, this everyone knows. This just doesn't add up. I think the American would have killed himself just to bring bad name to our country.
I am sure he has been indoctrinated by CIA/RAW/MOSSAD to commit suicide and to blame us that our Nukes are not safe.
Mr Bastin, the previous comments are insensitive but they are based on a sliver of truth. It is a fact that CIA operatives do operate in Pakistan under the guise of aid workers and other civilian contractors. His age does not mean that he could not be one. There was no need to make derogatory remarks about our "peace loving religion".Your disgust at the lack of compassion could have been phrased in a better way.
Mr Waqar i have dealt with goras and Americans in person.While many of them are sincere and compassionate there are many who are not. As is the case in any society. There is no need to put them on a pedestal.
Another Injury of Spy Wars... If someone is thinking that Taliban is behind this!! he's living in a fools paradise. Last week American embassy Advised all Americans Living in Pakistan or travelling to Pakistan to stay low profile so why Mr Weinstien didn't??
Why all the charitable person came into Pakistan post 9/11. We have been suffering from calamities before that also... R Americans sympathize us Waqar??? They r using chemical weapons in drone attacks check reports... What about those lies which killed thousands of innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan.. They are the only nation to use Atom Bomb r they feel sorry for that. I don't think so
I second Mr. Geoffrey's comment. Truly despicable and disgusting!!
@Waqar: I know there are many reasonable ones like yourself often timid to speak up against the popular tide of hatred, conspiracies and revenge. I have dozens of dear Pakistani friends who would defend me, my character and who I am with all that they have though I am an American, Christian "gora".
@Billoo Bhaya & @Moise: You guys will never gain any respect or honor, the very thing you seem to be seeking, until you can speak out against fellow Muslim, yes Muslim, terrorists in your midst with the same harsh, hateful tone that you speak out against "alleged" American spies hunting for those same terrorists.
What is plain for all to see is that you and your kind don't care at all about anything other than defending your misdirected ghairat and offended egos. This simply shows how weak you really are -- so inferior minded and wounded.
Noone deserves this sort of treatment.Anyone who is trying to improve the lot of Pakistanis is welcome here and deserves the utmost respect.
Many of the comments here supporting the inhuman treatment given to an elderly person are shameful, sickening and a reflection of how our society has lost the plot of the basic tenets of Islam.
Today it is Mr Weinstein , tomorrow this could be our own father(not just in america but here too).His crime could very well be being the wrong sect, colour, ethnicity etc.How can we justify these acts and then hope to progress as a nation????
All Americans are guilty until proven innocent.
@Billoo , @Moise. Sickening... I feel ashamed being a Pakistani at this point (ironic it is 3 days post 14th August). Show some humanity and sympathy. Not every white skinned guy is a CIA agent. For a minute Imagine this sort of thing happening to your own father or relative, living in America or Europe. Where has your compassion gone. I wish we could feel the shame on this, and do something about it. I dont relate this to Islam, but to us Pakistanis. Have you ever dealt with an American or a 'gora' in person? I wish you could, and then feel ashamed at our own mental state.
Dear Geoffrey,
I completely agree with you. As a Pakistani who has worked with countless aid workers from abroad including Americans, this is a very sad event. What is even sadder is the reaction of people in Pakistan who have been dumbed down both by a negative anti-american media and their own paranoia of any American they come across as being on a CIA payroll.
Neither this kidnapping of a senior social worker not drone strikes are justifiable and neither should be taken as a measure for the other. We as a nation should condemn both. I hope Billoo and Moise get some sense.
From a concerned Pakistani citizen.
@Cautious: I am not disrespecting him because he is an old man. Nor I am suggesting to stop his medication. Stop being a news tv anchor.
Funny thing about American aid workers are they tend to rub it in your face when they help you, something to do with policy of US soft power I guess. He never comes on radar for his aid work. I researched on him and he is a classical economic hitman. You can do more research on him and enlighten us how you came to conclusion he has helped Pakistan in so many ways which you and other US friends are parroting all over his news stories.
Taliban have targeted UN workers saying they are American agents. The people who are targeting this man, without any concrete proof, are no different to the Taliban.
The people who are targeting this 70 year old are closet-Taliban.
Very poor, biased reporting. Why put 'aid expert' in quotes, as if you don't believe that?
EVERYMAN and his dog in Pakistan knows Warren Weinstein.... he was a communicator par excellence. He emailed and spoke constantly to a HUGE network of local people. Hardly typical CIA behaviour! Indeed he was in somewhat ill-health and is not the most physically strong person anyway.
Can't Pakistanis simply accept that here was an aid worker, doing his best for 7 years to earn a crust of bread for himself by doing some good to others?
Most of the comments reflect so badly on your yourselves, your country and your so-called peaceful religion. No compassion whatsoever. I'm disgusted.
@Moise. Guys an old man who spent his lifetime doing charitable work -- if saying that he needs medication offends you -- TOUGH! No doubt in my mind that Weinstein has done more to help the poor of Pakistan than all of the anti American writers on this forum combined.
Humanizing by posting soft stories about a possible agent to soften heart for the masses. Can they tell us children names and their favorite toys who are being killed in drone attacks? I guess no. Those children don't fund media nor they throw out parties for journalists nor they buy air time on their channels.
Sounds shaddy presence. What exactly was 70 year old Weinstien, a Jewish expert doing in Model Town for 7 years and was not on Police Radar???? Speaks volume about the corrupt Pakistani Police than it does about Weinstein. Why is the FBI always present all over Pakistan??? Who monitors them?? I guess our fake degree holders will be doing that and asking for visas!~!!!!