Air
Safety: How much information does America have the right to
ask
other nations to provide about its citizens who visit America?
The Nation, Pakistan
Rebuff America on Air Traveler Data
"It's
chilling to note that their plan involves tracking and monitoring the movement
of Pakistanis virtually around the world by storing their information in a
special database. It would also be mandatory for travelers to provide details
about the financial sources from which they are able to purchase plane tickets.
… By going to such extremes, isn't the U.S. signaling that it considers every
Pakistani a potential terrorist?"
The U.S. demand for Pakistan
to provide information on every Pakistani travelling outside the country as a way
to contain terrorism is a matter of serious concern and must be strongly
rebuffed. There is little doubt that the Americans intend to have Pakistan
effectively under their thumb. Indeed, it's chilling to note that their plan
involves tracking and monitoring the movement of Pakistanis virtually around
the world by storing their information in a special database. It would also be
mandatory for travelers to provide details about the financial sources from
which they are able to purchase plane tickets. Ostensibly, this is aimed at
seeking out networks providing financial means and support to terrorists.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
Apart from being a most
brazen attack on people's privacy, this amounts to an attack on our freedom to
move as citizens of a sovereign nation. In addition to the unprecedented level
of scrutiny and screening procedures that have become a virtual nightmare for
Pakistanis venturing to the U.S., the latest profiling of passengers travelling
abroad shows U.S. prejudice against the Pakistani nation. By going to such extremes,
isn't the U.S. signaling that it considers every Pakistani a potential
terrorist?
The most important thing to
note is that far from containing terrorism, such draconian and misplaced
policies only fuel it. How does the West expect Muslims to react the brutal
massacre aboard Palestine-bound aid ships and the hushed tones of the Obama
Administration’s condemnation? These are policies that are provoking more and
more Islamic men to strike back at what they see as a symbol of oppression and
injustice.
Islamabad must strongly
resist U.S. pressure on the issue of passenger information. The possibility
that the data given to U.S. authorities could be used to malign innocent
Pakistani travelers cannot be ruled out.
