| Khalid Khawaja | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Colonel Khawaja |
| Born | 1951[1] Jaranwala, Punjab province |
| Died | April 30, 2010 Karam Kot, North Waziristan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) |
| Buried at | Islamabad |
| Allegiance | Pakistan |
| Service/branch | Pakistan Air Force Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) |
| Years of service | 1971–1986 |
| Rank | Squadron Leader (Major) |
| Unit | No. 16 Squadron Panthers Special Service Wing (SSW) |
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 Soviet-Afghanistan War |
Squadron Leader Khalid Khawaja (1951–2010) was a former Air Force officer, and the former Air Force's intelligence officer of the Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence agency.[2][3] A former member of Special Service Wing (SSW) and a vetern of Soviet war in Afghanistan, Khawaja described himself as a close associate of Osama bin Laden in the early days of the Afghan resistance against the Soviet Union.[4] He was once suspected of being involved in the murder of American reporter Daniel Pearl. This was later proved to be false but he did connect Pearl with men who would eventually kill him.
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Khawaja gained commission in Pakistan Air Force in January 1971. He completed his aviation training to became an aviator of Alouette III, and was selected to sent to PAF Special Warfare School. After his graduation in JUNE 1973, Khawaja as flying officer, was selected and joined the 312th Special Service Wing as a flight specialist. A former member of Special Service Wing, Squadron Leader Khawaja actviely participated in Soviet war in Afghanistan along with elite Black Storks, also known as Special Service Group. In 1985, Squadron Leader Khawaja pursued his career to became an intelligence officer. After passing the selection exam, KhawaJa joined ISI where he actively participated in Soviet war in Afghanistan. In 1987, former President and Chief of Army Staff General Zia-ul-Haq had dismissed from his position for his "outspoken views", a subsequent forced-retirement given by the Pakistan's Judge Advocate General Branch in 1987.[5]
| “ | We don't believe in killing innocent people, but we would certainly like to send you into the Stone Age the same way you have sent us into the Stone Age...a slave normally hates his master | ” |
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—Khalid Khawaja, 2005[6] |
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A November 9, 2005, article in the Asia Times described Khawaja as the "point man" for Mansoor Ijaz, which it describes as "...a US citizen of Pakistani origin with close ties to the right wing of the Republican Party".[7] The Asia Times says that Ijaz is negotiating a peace with the remaining elements of the Taliban, with Khawaja's assistance. The Associated Press names Khawaja a spokesman for a Pakistani human rights group named Defense of Human Rights.[8]
A noted friend of the Egyptian-Canadian Khadr family, Khawaja spoke in their defence saying they were being unfairly targeted by Canadian authorities because of deference to the United States, and Islamophobia.[9] He has also said that Canada is "selfish and self-centred" and deserves to be bombed by terrorists.[10]
Khawaja was arrested in Aabpara on January 26, 2007, on charges of distributing hate material (Section 295A of the Pakistan Penal Code), which he denied.[11]
He was found dead in Miranshah on April 30, 2010 – a month after being kidnapped by a group calling themselves the "Asian Tigers", while filming a documentary about Colonel Imam. Imam, British journalist Asad Qureshi and Qureshi's driver Rustam Khan were also kidnapped with Khawaja. Qureshi and Khan were released in September 2010. Imam was killed in January 2011.[12]