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Pakistani national pleads guilty to all charges in Guantanamo

Dunya News

Majid pleaded guilty to all charges, including attempt to kill Musharraf, at hearing in Guantanamo.

Pakistani national, Majid Shoukat Khan pleaded guilty to all charges, includinga failed plot to kill the then president, Pervez Musharraf in 2002, at a military commission hearing at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba on Wednesday.Majid Khan, first Pakistani detainee in Guantanamo who has his case being heard in a court, appeared for his arraignment hearing in a dark suit and tie. He was wearing glasses and had trimmed beard. When inquired by judge Col. James Pohl, Khan pleaded guilty to all charges brought against him by the prosecution and the Department of Defense.The charges included murder and violation of law of war, material support for terrorism, conspiracy and spying. He is accused of recording a martyr video and wearing a suicide vest to a mosque in Karachi in an attempt to assassinate president Musharraf in 2002. The plot failed when Musharraf never arrived at the mosque. The documents released after the hearing reveal that he, along with Khalid Shaikh Muhammad, also conspired to assassinate Musharraf at a wedding in Rawalpibdi at a Generals house.Khan is also accused of providing $50,000 that were used in bombing JW Marriott in Jakarta in 2003, in which 11 people died and 81 others were injured. He said, during the hearing, that he did volunteer to provide the money in Jakarta, without knowing what the money wil be used for.Other charges against Majid Khan include plotting to carry out terrorist attacks and blowing up underground gas pipelines in US after 9/11 on the directions of Khalid Shaikh Muhammad. I remained involved with Al Qaeda between Jan 2002 to March 2003 in Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand, US and elsewhere, Khan informed the court.I agree that I had links with Khalid Shaikh Muhammad and other Al Qaeda operatives. However, I had no special association or personal conspiracy with Osama bin Laden, and I never met him, Khan said asserting that he agreed to do it for them (Al Qaeda) voluntarily but never took any oath of supporting Khalid Shaikh Muhammad.He said that he was illegally kidnapped from Karachi in March 2003 and Jakarta bombing took place after that in August 2003. However, the judge barred him from speaking about his arrest and subsequent circumstances that reportedly involve him remaining captive in CIA custody at an undisclosed location from 2003 to 2006, before he was shifted to Guantanamo.Majid Khan answered courts questions himself, in clear American accent English, denying the opportunity of an interpreter. The plea agreement entered by Majid Khan with the US government was also presented in court. Defense counsel requested that specifications of the plea agreement be kept confidential to ensure Khans safety, but the judge rejected his motion. There are reports that he has agreed to testify against other Guantanamo detainees, including Khalid Shaikh Muhammad, in exchange of a reduced trial.The judge noted that as per the pre-trial agreement, Khans sentence period will start from this very hearing but sentence hearing will take place in 2016. These four years in the interim would likely be counted as part of his improsonment period whenever the sentence is announced.As per the pre-trial agreement, sentence will not exceed more than 19 years provided Majid Khan provided completes assistance to the law enforcement officials.Majid Khan also announced to give up his right to initiate litigation against US for his detention and interrogation before the formal proceedings were initiated.Nobody forced me to enter this pre-trial agreement and I understand all components of it and the effect on the trial, Khan said in response to a question from the judge who read out the stipulation of facts to Majid Khan one by one, in order to give him a chance to personally verify every detail.Judge Pohl told Khan that maximum punishment for such crimes as per the law was confinement for life and a fine. However, based on plea agreement, the convening authority of the military commissions could reduce his sentence; to which Majid Khan replied in the affirmative.Convening authority will also decide where he is kept during imprisonment period, but he will serve his sentence in Guantanamo in every likelihood. I know that I might not be release even after serving the sentence but I am taking a leap of faith, because thats all I can do, Majid Khan stated. It may be mentioned here though that he has been separated from other 14 detainees, considered high-value inmates of Guantanamos Camp-7, and is being detained seaparately at an unidentified location.Khan also expressed his desire to get a Pakistani lawyer in future and said that he had been trying to contact Pakistan embassy for the last nine years.Judge of the military commission declared Majid Khan guilty and accepted his guilty plea after ensuring that he understood all aspects of it.Parents of Majid Khan, based in Baltimore area of Maryland, were expected to watch the proceedings via CCTV at Fort Meade in Maryland, but decided against it. A source also denied reports of Khans marriage to Aafia Siddiquias untrue. Majid Khan did marry and had a child before his arrest, but it was another woman, he said.Following the adjournment of the court proceedings, Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, chief prosecutor of the Military Commissions said that Khan had admitted to his crimes and his sentence could be anywhere between 19 to 25 years years. He clarified that Majid Khan was not a US national as some earlier reports had mentioned. He lived as a lawful citizen in US from 1996 to 2002, but was never granted citizenship, and travelled back to Pakistan in January 2002 on a forged travel document, he pointed out.On the request of Majid Khans for access to Pakistani authorities, he said we have received request of Majid Khan that Pakistani authorities be granted access to Majid Khan. I have recomended to the convening authority of military commissions that he should be granted this access, Gen. Martins observed.Jonathan Dixon, Majid Khans defense lawyer, said that he is remorseful of his actions and wants a second chance in life.“He has accepted responsibility for his actions in plea agreement. He wishes that he had never got in contact with Al Qaeda and hopes to one day reunite with his family after serving his sentence, Dixon maintained. - Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Gunatanamo Bay, Cuba
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