Refusing to cooperate: ‘ASF men rough up Saudi embassy official’
Airport Security Force personnel at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport allegedly entered into an altercation with the military attaché of the Saudi embassy on Thursday, after he refused to cooperate during security checks and abused Pakistan and called Pakistani officials his “servants”.
According to officials from the ASF, Colonel Sukhari, who was meant to fly out to Riyadh, refused to get a routine body check and started quarrelling with the security personnel at the airport. The ASF officials said that the military attaché insisted that he was not subject to a body search because he was a diplomat.
The Saudi embassy official became abusive and attacked the ASF officials, say eye witnesses. He also abused Pakistanis in general and called them “servant class,” said eyewitnesses.
An official from the Airport Police said the Saudi official started the fight by slapping an ASF official, identified as Idrees.
Following this, the ASF staff started trying to restrain Sukhari.
While speaking to the media at the airport after being medically examined, the colonel denied starting the fight and claimed that the security staff misbehaved with him and his son.
The embassy official added that he would initiate criminal proceedings against the ASF security staff.
The Saudi Embassy, refused to comment on the incident.
Medical Superintendent BBH Dr Asif Qadir Mir informed the media that a medical examination of Colonel Sukhari had been carried out, which showed that he was bruised. ASF officials also received injuries.
Sukhari was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences by Saudi ambassador Abdul Aziz Bin Ibrahim for treatment. But no such relief was accorded to ASF officials, said sources.
No FIR has been registered.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 1st, 2012.
COMMENTS (70)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Thx every 1 who have appreciate ASF for dis job n for such praise,n thx to all others as well who have just criticized ASF without knowing the true pic of reality, I'm member of ASF at BBIA n & will just say to all of you dear friends that we are doing our duty very honestly & professionally as every time we are under strict observation of our agencies that are FIU & law enforcement unit.I can say it with very proudly that ASF is one n only department in Pakistan who is performing its duty without any corruption & with so much tolerance as its not easy for one person to make 1000 persons happy & plz think atleast once before gvng any wrong comments abt security forces or those who are working day n night for ur protection & security of whole country.. REGARDS ASI UZMA
Reading many of the responses, it is clear that there are two kinds of Pakistanis. Those with self-respect (like the one who beat up this arrogant saudi) and those who are arab-kay-naukar (which is what this saudi tried calling the Pakistani security official) and are trying to use the standard technique too many Pakistanis use to draw attention away from reality (i.e. try and berate the US somehow!)
This is NOT Saudi Arabia. You might be Sheikh/Landlord/boss at your own country, but not here. Respect the rules and get respect. If not, then keep getting pounded like this always. Salute to ASF men. Keep it up guys!
@Parvez:
Theres a difference between getting in to a scuffle with an ego maniac, and killing thousands of innocent people.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are real brothers.Saudi Arabia always helped Pakistan during troubles.During recent floods,Saudi Embassy in Pakistan did not celebrate thier Independance day and spent this important day in relief operation.I along with my family apologize from my brother Colonel,the way he was treated.This incidence should not have taken place.I recommend a joint Enquiry be carried out to resolve this matter.Till we know the findings after the official enquiry,I request Pakistani citizens to refrain from giving emotional comments in the media/internet about the incidence.Our relations with Saudi Arabia are pure, deep and time tested. No official of any Law Enforcement Agency has the right to mistreat any person going through such security checks.The uniformed people should be tolerant and should show maturity once encounter such situations.I also suggest ASF, to appoint best staff at Islamabad Airport,who are courtious,educated and cool minded,to avert such embarrassment to the Government and the Nation.Thanks.
Very disappointing to see pakistan treat its diplomats from foreign nations like this. Attacking their children and then beating them for protesting. This was pakistan is losing support of the ummah which is not good.
What ever happened..its bad..ITs bad when the SAUDI official abused ASF personnel and gave ill remarks for Pakistan and its worst when he slaps a PAKISTANI LAW ENFORCER who just asks that FIR AON to give a search..
IS it our destiny that not just US but now SAUDIS try to behave as MASTERS of PAKISTAN....SHAME on our wisdom and approach..
IF any PAkistani comes to SAUDIA and he happens to just argue with an official..slapping is a LOUD LAUREL... , you could see the result... DID we get this PAK LAND to be a slave of an ARABIC budhoo...or a GORA from US... Not at all.....We as a nation must stand with our COURAGEUS ASF GUY..who responded on an abuse to his HOMELAND...
LOVE PAKISTAN...
It fills me as a Pakistani with shame to see my countrymen mishanled while they work like slaves in Arab countries. Why isn’t it possible for them to live a life of dignity in their homeland?
Pakistani Politicians ignore this fact and enjoy refuge in Arab countries. I guess they feel no shame and aren’t interested in their countrymen’s fate, only in their own short-sighted personal status and well being.
These Saudis need to be educated. 124000 prophets later, they still havent learned how to act civil. If you go their country, or for that matter, any Arab country, you will see their attitude towards Asians right at the airport. If confronted by a white person, their attitude is completely different. Personally, I would never go to KSA, i have zero tolerance for them. I wish we could stop taking their money, distance them from Pakistan, perhaps even try to make friends with other more productive nations - not those who live their lives doing nothing but enjoying free oil wealth and acting subservient to their American masters.
Well done - Pak security team, whatever happened, you did the right thing. Dont worry about the consequences.
I support the ASF. No one is that mad to start a fight with a diplomat when he is behaving nicely.
The innocent/simpleton readers of Express Tribune, please be warned of the this Anti-Arab (Saudia especially) campaign of liberal/fascists, to create greater divide among muslims.
Remember, no one is perfect. Saudia Arabians have own issues, while the we has it own. We are also not perfect (ref: our president/politicians & society in general)
Just be mindful of this malign-Arabs campaign.
I appreciate the comments of our Pakistani brothers, but only I say that if these comments are given in Ramas Dawood case than ok. Saudi Arabia is our Muslim brother country. About 7 million Pakistani People living and working in abroad and out 7 million more than 1.7 million Pakistani are working in Saudia Arabia, and more than $13 billion are remittances to Pakistan. Saudi Arabia is always help us. This incident is not a good message to Saudi which cause to cress our relationship and people who working in Saudi Arabia will suffered. ASF not have a right to beat the any person. Out head are done for the sham.
Good ASF.......you have done very marvelous job..
Not a bad.
Saudis are arrogant and interfere too much in Pakistan's internal affairs, it is because our ruling class toady to them. If this person would have behaved like he did in the US , he would be in jail in no time. But I have seen Saudis in the US where they are so impressed by the whites that they show their humbleness and would never dare to cross any law enforcement officer. They know well that Americans are not begging any money from them like Pakistanis do. Put them at their place where they belong. I salute the ASF officers.
No one in the world would fly in a plane in which a "Saudi" boards without search.
Saudis are racist and consider Pakistanis and south asians of lower class
i expect this of the colonel and saudia has already created terror and havoc in pakistan by funding madressas. they must all be roughed up
Great and well done ASF - You have done pride to Pakistan!
The ASF men should have been more deferential to the military attache and not unneccesarily created a scene. Now, there will be some difficult times for us. When will we get our priorities right?
@Cautious:
oh you're a real genius arent you....why dont you go and slap an airport officer (they tend to be ARMED) and then see what happens to you. Go do it in Saudia, or in any EU country or US. Do that, you'll be shot. Doesnt matter how many pinstripes you have on your suit, how many stars you have on your shoulder.
and this has NOTHING to do with chest thumping or running out of friends. And yes he had diplomatic immunity - that's why he will be deported. Hopefully never allowed re-entry into Pakistan.
people like you who only look at one dimension of a story are people who spread vicious rumors and spread mis-information
oh and for the record - this guy was a military guy working for the embassy.....a Colonel. He should ACT like a military officer instead of acting like a ruffian. He's lucky to even be alive.
@Chauhan: You are right! Saudis are jungles.Oil brought them money but no culture. Basically Saudis are Americas Servants. Once their oil finishes or hopefully earlier, as soon as alternative energy makes them redundant; they’ll be back riding camels in the desert.
They have no brains, just simply arrogance. I personally know several highly educated people who complain of being mistreated by Arabs. Gaddafi’s son was arrested in Geneva by the police for slapping a maid servant and it became quite a state affair with Gaddafi calling for jihad against Switzerland. News headlines stated: "Libyan leader labels Switzerland an infidel state, escalating vendetta against country whose police once arrested his son."
ASF did the right thing. Idiot people who criticize this as a hit on Saudi-Pak Relations should seek ghairat and RESPECT inside Pakistan for us, the PAKISTANIS, before asking others to respect us. And by the way, I am proud to be Ghairatmand.
Beating an arab that too from Saudi Arabia! isn't it blasphemy?
Typical chest thumping comments - apparently doesn't matter that the individual had diplomatic immunity or that a group of your officers couldn't subdue a "desk jockey" diplomat without having to hospitalize him. For your sake I hope the Saudi's don't respond with some chest thumping of their own - your rapidly running out of friends.
well done ASF, saudi deserved it especially if he is not a diplomat. they are good for nothing type of brothers
Later, the Saudi official was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in the federal capital and admitted to a VVIP.
And noone even bothered to ask the injured ASF Officer
Very proud of ASF!!! May the ASF guy who performed his duty live long and prosper. If he needs any legal assistance, his Pakistani brothers from across the world, including myself, will fully support him! Regards, Rehan
Why do we need to be judgmental all the time? We were not present there and we do not know whose mistake it was. But it seems we need to be on one side or the other, no option of neutrality here. My comment on such a situation would be 'let inquiry take place and let law take its course'. It's not about being Pakistani or Arab, it's about who was wrong here and that can be decided by a court, rather than us who do not know what happened.
"A medical examination had been carried out which showed that he was bruised". Injuries seem much more serious than bruises.
Whatever the alleged behaviour of the Saudi national, he was a visiting guest in our country and the beating seems quite excessive. Instead of beating him, they could have detained him for not cooperating.
How would Pakistanis feel if one of our visiting military personnel was beaten up by uniformed security in the Middle East? It just sends a very negative picture of the country.
Serves him right.
Well, Pakistan ...... Long live Pakistan
@Not me: Its high time you come out of your "brother countries" and "Ummat" delusions, there is NO ummat and there are no brother countries, if you want to see a glimpse of the real world and not your Mullah driven fantasy world...then just visit the middle East and see the deplorable state of Pakistani workers/laborers there, these Arabs really do treat us like slaves and nothing more. So much for Ummah, Kuwait recently banned issuing visas to Pakistani nationals, about time we concentrate on building healthy relations with countries relevant to our geo-political interests and come out of this Mullah driven-Ummah illusion.
Saudis just got taste of their own medicine. Good job ASF.
This is wonderful piece of news. Saudi equivalent of ASF in Saudi Arabia is so disrespectful that even words are not enough for them.
Ummah infighting.
He didn't say anything wrong... arent we like servants... We beg them and then we dont like it when we r mistreated...
@Larki Desi All comments are made with the assumption that the news report is factually correct.
Does anyone else have this strange sense of satisfaction that I have?
You know what, I would have also been proud of our ASF men and women however last time I was at Quaid-e-Azam International Airport in Karachi, a Pakistani high-class lady refused to be patted down after she beeped in the scanner; her response, "uff, jaanai do, main MNA hoon." So if they will let her go then they have no right to stop others.
He might be one paid and assigned the task to spoil the relations between two countries for the benefit of the third country. He is in no way above the law and the Saudi Authorities must investigate him for his act.
Personally: You were too soft on him. Objectively: ...I don't feel sympathetic enough to make an attempt and being objective. It's the first time I can say the world should follow Pakistan's example when dealing with those types. I hate the whole genetically superior mindset. All they deserve is people making them regret acting like it physically because no other way would scratch their ego.
here is my take on this
investigate properly and honestly check the cct cameras etc. until them there is no need to blame any party. often ppl tend to say things and jump to conclusions and make silly statements as we are already seeing in some of the above mentioned comments. Be cool and not your emotions take over. best wishes @Larkidesi
If he’s a diplomat can he be searched? I doubt if they search Americans! Nevertheless this Arabs was very wrong to slap officer and start being abusive. Slapping is very common in Arab’s countries, it shows whose the master. I travelled on Gulf Air in Feb 2005 and stopped over in Bahrain. Most of the workers are Pakistans. As I was sitting in the lounge, this Arabs officer called over this worker and just slapped him. I was shocked, envy now I feel degusted at the officers. Arabs are basically tribal people with oil. They have no concept how treat other [lower workers] with any basic respect.
I feel sorry for the poor ASF staff, he will be fired or suspended. Our government will have to now please our benefactors, who seems to be at fault here, and shows how much KSA government respects us.
Sad to see some Pakistanis in this forum being more loyal to the Arabs than Pakistanis.
Good job, ASF!!!
well done ASF thats the way to deal with these arrogant saudis,, its not saudia where they look down at us and beat us ,, i,m 1005 sure this saudi said all these things(al masakeen etc) thats the way these shiekhs roll somebody must teach them a lesson and i,m happy the ASF staf fought back instead of bowing down,, no matter what action the govt takes against him,, this saudi wil always remmeber this lesson from ghairtamand pakistani
Arabs treat all Pakistanis very badly. Think they are a servant class, the mindset will never change so if you look Italian or European or any other nationality, just pretend with Arabs always and try and fleece them whenever possible. They deserve it.
Why didnt they check the video footage? That should clarify who attacked first. Whether the guy is diplomat or student, u cant talk to employees doing their jobs in a loud voice, let alone slap!! In other countries he'd be arrested!!
ASF is one of the most professional department of Pakistan. The ASF staff is always courteous and dutiful but they are doing a thankless job. Only ambassador of a country is exempt from body search but it is a common practice that any body belong to an embassy considers him/her exempt from routine search. They all require ASF staff to treat all employees od embassy as VIPs. Every single day there are incidents like this at airports in pakistan, but ASF personnel diplomatically handle it and the incident do not become news. I am 100% sure that the fight was started by the Saudi Colonel because firstly Saudies are very arrogant and rude, secondly ASF staff is around the clock under strict observation of their own Field Intelligence Unit plus so many other intelligence agencies that starting any wrongdoing by them is almost impossible.
i salute to ASF person. saudis consider all other muslims INFRIOR.
ok please wait before we judge others...! I have checked the same story from different sources and each story is biased to a side, so is it fair to judge a whole nation like Saudi Arabia on the basis of this version of the story which is clearly is biased and has refereed to eyewitnesses..! Sorry but this is not a source that I can take to judge other people, so lets wait for a official sources and then we can talk..! Anyway, please check the story on other sources and see how this version of the story is totally different than the others
I am sure there could had been a better way to handle the situation. Sad on ASF professionalism.
ASF guy did the right thing..
Story is unclear, and I have read about the same incident in different newspapers, first of all the express tribune reporting that he is the Military attaché is wrong, he is just a student at NDU. So I think we should wait to know the exact story, since all the sources quoted in this story are unknown. But I would like to ask a simple question if this Saudi was Ramon Davis would the ASF handle him in this way, even if he was abusive? Davis the white skin and the American, walked freely after he killed 2 Pakistanis!! This Saudi can be arrested, since he is not a diplomat, if he refused to follow the security check procedures at the airport, or he misbehaved with the ASF, which I can’t rule out knowing the Saudis arrogance, better than to act as if its a jungle !
Hats Off to the ASF guys.We salute your bravery.Ask this "diplomat" to refuse body search in USA then he will get proper treatment there too.
It will never be known to public whether the Saudi man was a diplomat or a military trainee as the regime in Saudi works and want others to work untransparantly. ASF is a trained force even to handle the royal visitors - but when it comes to Saudi Arabia everyone is a royal and people from Pakistan are slaves always hungry for jobs, money and favors. The men performing their duties at airports aren't crazy as plenty of passengers pass through the security checks every hour and no such incident has ever taken place or reported, I am proud of ASF more than Pakistan Navy who have been protecting us and the planes from this highest times of terrorism. Everyone must respect laws no matter how frustrating that is - Let's work for a new Pakistan and let's NOT allow any person to treat us or our country like this Saudi man has.
Good job ASF, you guys treated your 'master' well. He got what he deserved.
If someone from the "brotherly countries" believes all Pakistanis are "servant class" then he got what he deserved and by the way the issue was not about body searching him but his son who surely wasn't a diplomat...Good job ASF....
These kingdom people thinks everyone is there servants, I salute the ASF person standing up for his own dignity but I know it may cause him to loose a job!
Extremely sad. Pakistan is just spoiling relations with nearly all countries of the world.Now our brotherly country like Saudi Arabia. I feel it is lack of proper professional training........assuming he did not cooperate;he should have been arrested not beaten up
Full story? Looks excessive
And the Pakistanis talk about Amesrican high handedness??
Saudi official might be at fault for resisting search. But question is how many US diplomats go through this body search?