During a recent visit to Pakistan, Lord Nazir Ahmed, a member of the British House of Lords who originally hails from Pakistani Kashmir, announced he was putting up a bounty of £10 million for the capture of U.S. President Barack Obama and his predecessor, George W. Bush. The announcement, made at a conference held in the Pakistani town of Haripur, came in response to a recent U.S. announcement offering a $10 million reward to anyone providing information leading to the capture of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, founder of the Pakistani jihadi organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and emir of LeT's charity arm, Jamaatud Dawa.[1]
Stressing the seriousness of his offer, Lord Ahmed said he would back the bounty at any cost, even if it meant selling his house. Qazi Muhammad Asad, minister for education in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, was among those present at the conference at which the announcement was made.
Following are excerpts from a report on the announcement that appeared in the Pakistani daily The Express Tribune:[2]
"In an expression of solidarity with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) Chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, British parliamentarian of Kashmiri origin Lord Nazir Ahmed has announced a reward for the [capture] of U.S. President Barack Obama and his predecessor, George W. Bush.
"He made the announcement at a reception arranged in his honor by the business community of Haripur on Friday [April 13, 2012]. Former [Pakistani] foreign minister Goher Ayub Khan, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl's (JUI-F) central leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, and [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa] Provincial Minister for Education Qazi Muhammad Asad were also present [at] the occasion.
"Lord Nazir said that the bounty placed on Saeed was an insult to all Muslims, and [that] by [offering it], President Obama has challenged the dignity of the Muslim ummah.
"'If the U.S. can announce a reward of $10 million for the [capture] of Hafiz Saeed, I can announce a bounty of £10 million [for the capture of] President Obama and his predecessor, George Bush,' Lord Nazir said, adding that he would arrange the bounty at any cost, even if he was left with the option of selling all his personal assets, including his house..."
Endotes:
[1] Speaking at another event, held on April 10, 2012, in the presence of Punjab University Vice Chancellor Dr. Mujahid Kamran, Lord Ahmed said that the U.S. had put up the bounty for Hafiz Muhammad Saeed in order "to keep Pakistan in [a] defensive position." He also warned of the likelihood of a U.S. or Israeli attack on Iran, noting that the governments of the U.S. and other countries, facing an election year, could use such an attack to win votes and distract public opinion from the dire financial situation they were facing. In the case of such an attack, he called on the Muslim ummah to unite against the attacking powers. Business Recorder (Pakistan), April 11, 2012.
[2] The Express Tribune (Pakistan), April 15, 2012. The original English has been lightly edited for clarity.
