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Asim Qadeer Rana
Islamabad, Sept 12: Former US leading diplomat – Richard Olson, 63, with illustrious 34 years of diplomatic career is in trouble – its not the story of just $60,000 necklace gifted to her mother-in-law, but a controversial relationship with Pakistani – British national television court reporter Muna Habib.
According to Washington Post: “State Department’s inspector general investigated Olson for failing to report a $60,000 gift of diamond jewelry to his mother-in-law from the emir of Dubai.”
But the centre of the controversy is an illicit relation with Moona Habib, as the the paper added: “FBI also questioned him about his extramarital affair with a journalist working in Pakistan while he was serving as the U.S. ambassador in Islamabad.”
However, on the flip side in Islamabad the diplomatic protocols have all together have been changed in US Embassy – Islamabad, revealed a diplomatic source.
A diplomatic source in Pakistan conveyed: “The secuirty Protocols of the US embassy has been changed drastically after the incident, and its in place since the arrival of the US Ambassdor Donald Blome to Pakistan, who had arrived in Islamabad on April, 2022.”
“No public interaction of US embassy officials other than the Ambassdor himself that too under tight security protocols with a regular security update by US security wing officials,” said the source.
Reporters, journalists and TV anchors have had more interaction with press section of the US embassy, the source added.
The US Ambassdor did interact with media but at events, and special gatherings, and on Tv interviews subject to requisite secuirty clearance by secuirty wing of the embassy, noted the source.
Aliens are not allowed close to US Ambassador at events and gatherings, specially unknown reporters from local little known newspapers instead they are discouraged to even come closer to the Ambassdor, the source disclosed.
The Washington Post meanwhile, also wrote: “Records show that Olson led a complicated love life that could have left him vulnerable to blackmail. While stationed in Pakistan from 2012 to 2015, he dated multiple women even though he was married to another U.S. diplomat, who was serving at the time as the ambassador to Libya, court documents filed by his attorneys show. Olson told the FBI that he had confided in the CIA’s Islamabad station chief about his dating habits, but court records indicate that he did not report his liaisons to U.S. diplomatic security officials in accordance with State Department counterintelligence rules.”
The source however, informed the whole US embassy staff is advised to updated the secuirty wing of the US embassy in case of alien interaction or approaches to the US embassy staff in Islamabad.
The persons appearing at US embassy events are properly vetted, with complete back ground check, aimed at plugging a repeat of Olson – Muna controversy.
Former Ambassdor Olson likely to be sentenced today by US Federal Court for minimum of six months in prison, for getting $18000 ticket he got for an interview, $60,000 given in form of necklace given to Olson’s mother-in-law by a Gulf dignitary, and arranging $25,000 for Muna Habib to pay Columbia School’s journalism fee through a tax fraud sponsor – a Pakistani origin US businessman Imad Zubari.
Ends.
