Islam And The West

UPDATE: Islam-West Videos now has a news report on this case. The couples marriage video is included. It can be accessed by clicking Chandrasekhar Pant And Sabra Khan’s Wedding Video

Sabra Khan is a 21 year old Muslim Afghan women who worked as a translator for the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Kabul. In 2006 it is alleged that she married Major Chandrasekhar Pant an army doctor during a Muslim ceremony in Afghanistan. Sabra Khan claims that Dr. Chandrasekhar Pant even converted to Islam and decided to call himself Himmat Khan in order to secure the marriage.

Image source: Wallyg

After spending 15 days with his new Muslim bride he made his excuses and returned to India. Sabra Khan meanwhile waited 6 months for her Muslim husband only to find out during a telephone call with Chandrasekhar Pant that he was not returning. He informed her that he was already married and had two children. The Times of India in New Delhi has the details:

“…she has crossed the border, from Kabul to New Delhi, seeking justice. A young Afghan translator, Sabra Khan, is in the Capital, complaining about having been deceived by an Indian army doctor who allegedly married her and then abandoned her in Afghanistan.

Sabra, 21, has alleged that a Major, Dr Chandrasekhar Pant, who was associated with the Indira Gandhi Hospital run by the Indian mission in Kabul, married her during his stay in Afghanistan in 2006. “I was initially attached as a translator to another doctor but Major Pant asked for my services. In time, he asked for my hand in marriage but my parents refused on the ground that we were from different religions and he was much older than me,” she claims. According to Sabra, the doctor then converted to Islam and her parents finally agreed to the match.

But after living together for 15 days, Pant allegedly told her he had to go to India for work and would return in a year’s time. According to Sabra, she finally got a call from the doctor six months later but only to be left completely shocked. He said he won’t be able to take her to India as he was already married and had two children.

“I decided to come to India and look for him,” she told TOI. “I went to the Army hospital in Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand where the Major is currently posted. But he said he had made a mistake and asked me to go back. He even offered me money.”

…Meanwhile, the Army has already started probing her allegations. A day after she met Chidambaram in Delhi, the Army said a probe has been initiated. “The matter is under investigation. Based on facts from the investigation, further action will be taken. If found guilty, law will take its own course against Major Pant, director-general of medical services (Army) Lt-Gen NK Parmar said on Tuesday.” (Source: Times Of India)

In the words of Sir Walter Scott “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.”

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Update: For MSNBC analysis of this story see War On Terror And Viagra

Image source: Felixe

The Washington Post reports that one of the newest methods employed by American intelligence agencies in combating terrorism in Afghanistan is the humble Viagra pill.

Officers faced with a long running insurgency have used a variety of methods to get local warlords in Afghanistan on side. These include hard cash, pocketknives, tools, medicine, surgeries for ailing family members, toys, school equipment, tooth extractions and travel visas. But now it seems that the little blue pill has been enlisted in the war against terrorism:

“The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached into his bag for a small gift.

Four blue pills. Viagra.

“Take one of these. You’ll love it,” the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam.

The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taliban movements and supply routes — followed by a request for more pills….

…In their efforts to win over notoriously fickle warlords and chieftains, the officials say, the agency’s operatives have used a variety of personal services. These include pocketknives and tools, medicine or surgeries for ailing family members, toys and school equipment, tooth extractions, travel visas, and, occasionally, pharmaceutical enhancements for aging patriarchs with slumping libidos, the officials said….

..Officials say these inducements are necessary in Afghanistan, a country where warlords and tribal leaders expect to be paid for their cooperation, and where, for some, switching sides can be as easy as changing tunics. If the Americans don’t offer incentives, there are others who will, including Taliban commanders, drug dealers and even Iranian agents in the region.” (Source: Washington Post)

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