With Pakistan’s participation in the Olympics already hurt by the infamous passport ‘scam’, more staged ‘exposes’ could be in the works, if reports from the UK shared with The Express Tribune are to be believed.
According to sources, two British newspapers – whose names have been withheld by The Express Tribune, but intimated to the Pakistan High Commission in London – have planned another sting operation against Pakistan’s delegation at the Games.
Squad members, however, remains unaware of these plans.
Reports say that the operation involves three options – and any one of the three, whichever one materialises, will be used as an ‘expose.’ The tasks have been handed over to different journalists, known to have worked on ‘anti-Pakistan’ stories in the past. The deadline set for these tasks is the last day of the Olympics – August 12.
Sources told The Express Tribune that one option involves bribing a member of the Pakistani Olympic delegation to seek asylum in the UK. Before team members left for the Olympics, all were made to pay surety bonds against the possibility of seeking asylum in the UK. The bond, posted in Pakistan, will be paid by one of the newspapers for the one who will seek asylum, according to the plan. Those familiar with the development also revealed that the prime target could be a prominent member of the national hockey team, since an expose involving a star player would be considered a relatively larger ‘scoop’.
The second option involves getting a member of the Pakistani contingent to test positive in a drug test. Sources said that this plan would be executed using a waiter at a restaurant. Those familiar with the matter revealed that the waiter would be paid and tasked with slipping an illegal substance into the food or drink of one of the players.
The third option, the vaguest of the lot, will look to establish a link between a Pakistan delegation member and a banned outfit, sources in the UK said.
Sources fear the operations have already been initiated.
Regarding the first option, sources claimed that, a few days ago, an Iftar party was arranged by a bank where at least three well-known journalists, described as ‘anti-Pakistan,’ were invited. This platform, claimed sources, was to be used for ‘infiltration’ and ‘recruiting assets’ for executing the operation.
Similarly, said sources, the Pakistan delegation had recently visited a South Asian restaurant for a meal, where the second option could have been executed.
The British tabloid community is particularly focusing on the Pakistan Olympic team, according to the sources, and a number of British Pakistanis have been approached to ‘help’ in this regard.
On July 23, British tabloid The Sun broke a story on a ‘visa scam’ giving potential terrorists to sneak into the UK with the Pakistani Olympic delegation.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 7th, 2012.
COMMENTS (46)
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Heard that MI6 has asked Mossad and RAW to help the brit newsies destroy the wonderful image of pakistanis. This has to be taken seriously. I request the Pak national assembly to immidiately hold debates on this issue and ask the honorable and very wise Zaid Hamid to provide some inside analysis on how the world is out to get us.
@Mohammad: do you have any idea what sort of a nation Pakistan is known as in the civilised world? - i will let you guess
This clearly shows how britishers treat their guests in their own places and how we do treat our guests. History is here, read and evaluate!!
@Zeta: Aunty Zeta jee - the point is that the UK tabloids are held to account by the Law in UK - Look what happened to Rupert Murdoch - this despite him being a billionaire. Now compare that with the tabloids of pakistan who call for killing minorities (WAJIBUL KATIL) - when have they ever been held to account by the law? - and that's the difference between a civilised country and one still in the stone ages
These tabliods are no body' friends. They would go to any measuress to get their ratings higher. And they never ever stop using their dirty tactics on their own men and women. So you can not imagine them to play nice and decent to you. Its the job of the olympic team and management to ensure nothing like this happens. no one will help you out.
No wonder that the UK is known as 'a nation of spies'.......
British media is already bracing for serious criminal cases against them for allegedly illegal and invasive activities to get their stories. Already a major newspaper has been forced to shut down and others are under significant public and legal pressure to clean up their act. Would they want to attempt something as seriously illegal as spiking some one's meal just to get a story. This is unbelievable, coming from someone who thinks every other person on the streets of London is James Bond. I would have believed it if it said that they would try and peddle drugs to them.
Shame on UK Media.
Funny to see indians are getting so defensive about this story hahaha may be they didn't like it getting leaked as their plans getting sabotage :d
typical pakistan paranoia in action
Pakistanis are indeed uffereing from a persecution complex! Besides, this seems like an insurance policy, in case it actually happens. From the number of pakistanis, who have taken this vague story seriously, it seems that readers are so gullible.
@Mr S: They go there because they are fourth rated.
@Mr S: Simple either they are themselves 3rd rated or they are south Asian or there is a problem with your mind.
The content, vocabulary used and tone of this story along with the mysterious sources sounds like this story has been planted by our very own "deep state". Shame on them for making stupid allegations without bringing any evidence. This is not journalism.
If this conspiracy is already known to everyone which according to you is a planted drama then would it be still a problem for Pakistani Olympic team?
Why all this for Pakistan. Why no one cares about rest of 204 participants countries. May be no one trusts us any more. If we are patriot in true sense, we will never pick a bait.
South Asian restaurant ? Why Pakistanis even go for those third rated Indian restaurants at first place ?
All the pseudo-intellectuals now somehow would try to defend these Westerns.. It's Enough now I think Pakistanis need to realize world has never been our friend despite of our contributions and losses for different Nations at different times around the World..!
Indian obsessed trolls this is a pakistan related news what are you doing here don't you have a life?
Believe it or not, based on my person experience living around moving all over the world, I say, there are Indians behind this scam. They love to ‘expose’ Pakistanis.
@Majid: did you think for 30 seconds before typing that sentence or did you just cough up the oldest excuse Pakistanis give in order to justify their miserable status quo?
...because it is easy to target Pakistanis. They have a reputation for doing anything for a bit of money.
lol the indians calling it conspiracy. like they don't know what UK tabloids are known for.
Pakistan asks its Olympic squad members to post a surety bond? Wow! If there is anything to be ashamed of, it is this - not the 3 rather absurd conspiracies outlined in this story.
@Pankaj: Not the world, mostly Indians :)
knowing the UK tabloids, they will do anything to enhance its sales and what better opportunity than the London Olympics, and Pakistanis sorry to say have been dumb enough to fall for these sting operations, won't be surprised if such thing happens again.
This is somehow the same Brasstacks (Zaid Hamid) had preticted a long ago
Story planted by Rehman Malik :-)
so this is why there is no credibility to this story. Having personally trained on the US National team for the Olympics, There is almost nothing that a waiter could slip in to their food that would disqualify them. IOC, International Olympic Committee, tests for performance enhancing drugs. Performance enhancing drugs are generally injected vs. taken orally because the amount needed to show in the blood stream if taken orally would have to be high. Thus little chance that the athlete wouldn't notice. Secondly, based on the size of the Pak squad and minus hockey, their performance, they didn't need any help in being humiliated.
yaa... and the world revolves around Pakistan...get a life...
Express Tribune, good investigation, reporting, protecting the venerable.
Believe it or not, based on my person experience living around moving all over the world, I say, there are Indians behind this scam. They love to 'expose' Pakistanis. It's a pity that Pakistanis cannot make use of situations in India otherwise the things happening in India it's an utter shame for humanity.
Are we not paranoid? Everyone is out to get us?
So... Unnamed sources say that some unnamed newspapers may try to entrap some unnamed members of the Pakistani team in one of three vague ways. Is the author
Not to deny tabloids tend to be trashy, that's an awfully odd leak for how extreme it is. Most of the things involved are things that would land them in jail. Not that they're not low enough to go that far, but the range of people who would know about it wouldn't exactly be of the loose lipped typed. Stranger and dirtier things things have happened, though. There have also been plenty of dumber people when it comes to messing up their own plans.
I learned two things from reading his article 1) Pakistan continues to be the land of conspiracies and 2) Pakistan apparently requires it's Olympic athletes to posts a bond to deter them from "jumping ship" - perhaps tarnishing the reputation of Pakistan more than any of the suggested conspiracies.
An old Adage in my village is that The Weak , Non dignified and the Stupid are always Exploited but they should not Complain because they let the Cunning to let them exploited in the first place.. Tabloids in UK need stories like our Masala News Networks. Rather than complaining why not become a wise nation so that we will not fall into these traps in the first place. Why Our faith just change like a non Faithful dog who just wags tail for anyone who offer them food and a pat. Introspect into yourself and then say anything else.
Not again please..
After this news, squad members are unaware alright. If they have are involved in doping, or illegal stuff, jail them there for life.
seems like a speculative story
smells some conspiracy!
Looks like someone is playing safe.
All possible eventualities have been covered and should any of them happen " conspiracy" can quickly be yelled !
Conspiracy theories and Foreign Hands are two we S Asians love and works - always !
This is great. We Pakistanis paint the target on our heads ourselves, the Brits are only too happy to oblige as it sells newspapers and magazines.
They are simply showing us the mirror.
Pakistanis have given British media opportunity to demoralise our team. Well, British have ruled India for 200 years, arriving here without permissions or visas, now it is our turn to get their by whatever means we could muster. History is not at thei side any more.
well if you're going to deliberately pull people into that mud-hole, some are going to take the fall .. and that goes for anyone from any country, not just pakistan because human beings can be corrupted .. so stop victimizing pakistan to sell your stupid newspapers .. enough is enough, thank you
Brit journalists really need to get a life!