Evidence of meeting #5 for Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was know.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Thank you, Mr. Wilfert. Your time is up.
We'll move to Mr. Bachand for seven minutes.
3:50 p.m.
Bloc
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
That's good.
Thank you.
You will need your translation device.
First of all, sir, allow me to call you Pacha, because I think it's a beautiful name.
I would like to congratulate you for your courage. I admit I haven't heard such forceful testimony since that of Richard Colvin. I emphasize what my Liberal colleague, Mr. Wilfert, pointed out. He said that your letters of recommendation were irreproachable. We have them here on the table; everyone has received them. Virtually everyone you have associated with, including General Ménard—who holds a strategic position—the American armed forces, researchers, in short, everyone concedes that you were very helpful. I therefore hope no one here or elsewhere will question what you said. I believe what you said. If you didn't have these letters, we could always wonder what you did and whether what you said was true, but you were in the heart of the action and you therefore witnessed everything you have told us about.
Furthermore, your testimony, in my view, completely contradicts that of General Hillier. He told us, at the witness table, that the prisoners who were captured had been captured after extremely dangerous and violent combat involving exchanges of fire. He said that most of them, only those who were arrested, had explosive residue on their hands. In his mind, that was enough to say they were terrorists. He also told us that all those who were farmers and those who were innocent, ordinary people, were immediately released. Would you go so far as to say that General Hillier did not tell the truth before us?
3:55 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
First of all, thank you very much for the nice words.
No, retired General Hillier did not tell the committee the truth. When a Taliban detainee is detained and is taken to NDS prison, the NDS knows everything about him, because they will ask for the bribe. A dangerous Taliban commander, a dangerous element, can buy his way out of NDS prison. Known Taliban commanders walk out of NDS prison if they pay them.
I told you the story about Hazraji Baba, when over ten men were arrested. They went from 10 years old to 90 years old. With all due respect, I would ask retired General Hillier to tell me and explain to me how a 90-year-old man.... He was a 90-year-old man. He couldn't even walk without help. His hands were tied. His foot was shackled. He was blindfolded. Sometimes, when he couldn't walk fast enough, they pushed him. He fell many times, and he had injuries on his body.
Could he please explain to me how this 90-year-old man, who couldn't even walk, who needed help when you tried to pick him up, could be a fighter?
3:55 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
They went from 10 years old to 90 years old. All of them, even the 90-year-old man, were transferred to NDS.
3:55 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
The explosives test: this is the most ridiculous test I have ever seen.
Now, in Afghanistan, as we know, there has been war for 40 years. All the soils are contaminated.
3:55 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
It's anywhere you go. All the soils are contaminated.
Farmers work with fertilizers. Fertilizers are used in IEDs as explosives. The farmers work with the fertilizers bare-hand.
When I was in Kandahar, they were doing all these explosives tests. I disagreed with them: “You can't use that against people.” When they asked why not, I went over, put my hands in the soil, came back over to them, and asked them to please test my hands. I tested positive. I asked them, “Does that mean I should be transferred to NDS?”
This was soil from inside Kandahar airfield. I tested positive, so I should have been transferred to NDS.
This test is the most.... It's not only stupid, it's more than stupid, and I don't agree with it.
3:55 p.m.
Bloc
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
In your view, is it true that Canadian authorities willingly transmitted information to the Taliban that would have jeopardized your family? Is that why you sought refugee status in Canada?
3:55 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
When I was in Afghanistan, I was given a task because two Taliban commanders with 40 fighters were trying to surrender. They did not care about the Afghan government. All they wanted to do was to have a guarantee from ISAF, the Canadian part; the command of Kandahar was in their hands. They wanted a guarantee from them. So those two commanders.... I was given the task, and then they gave me some information. Some of that information was that they knew that Iranian intelligence had hacked Canadian computers—
3:55 p.m.
Bloc
Claude Bachand Bloc Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Ahmadshah Malgarai, I'm going to have to interrupt you because I only have 30 seconds left. I would like to know whether your family is in danger and, if so, whether you have informed Canadian authorities of that fact.
3:55 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
Yes, my information was leaked. I have received threatening...death letters from the Taliban. I have written to Peter MacKay and General Natynczyk. They have written me back and they have refused to help me relocate my family. That is it. My family is in great danger.
4 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Thank you very much, Mr. Malgarai.
We'll now move to Mr. Hawn.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Malgarai, you've made some pretty serious allegations. You have some pretty strong opinions, and I respect that.
You said you served from June 2007 to June 2008. Was that service continuous, as a translator, or was there a break in the middle or...?
4 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
It was continuous.
4 p.m.
Conservative
4 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
As I said in the beginning, I was with CI, counter-intelligence, which was part of ASIC, and then I was in service with the general, and also many other teams. You can see from the recommendation letters that I worked with many other groups because of the lack of Pashto-speaking interpreters. So whenever there was a need for me, they would call on me.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
Okay. Thank you.
Now, I have a couple of points on some of these stories you have brought us.
In the first one, you said he had a pistol. He was shot in the head, but the pistol wasn't his. Did he have a pistol? You said he had a pistol.
4 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
He did not have a pistol.
4 p.m.
Conservative
4 p.m.
An hon. member
He thought he was armed.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Laurie Hawn Conservative Edmonton Centre, AB
I thought you said he had a pistol. In any event, they thought he was armed.
You also said, I think--or at least you implied--that all people transferred were innocent. Is that what you meant?
4 p.m.
Advisor to the Former Commander of the Joint Task Force Afghanistan, As an Individual
All or most of them, yes.