Is this article biased? (re: Canadian bases in Pakistan)

Politics International Politics
1

I’m reading more news from international sources lately, and I guess I can say that I’ve found that news is biased in some way or another the world over.

Anyway, about this article from India: sify.com/news/canada-seeks-pakis … jigad.html

How “secret” is this alleged “Canadian secret military base” in the UAE if the reporter knows about it? Does the word “secret” have any meaning anymore?

[quote]Canada, which has been using Camp Mirage near Dubai for the past seven years as a forward base for its troops in Afghanistan, is being kicked out next month for refusing to accommodate the UAE demand for more flights by its airlines into Canada.

UAE airlines Emirates and Etihad, which fly six times a week to Toronto, have been seeking to increase the frequency and inclusion of Vancouver and Calgary as their other destinations in Canada.[/quote]

There just has to be more to the story than this.

[quote]Reports here said Wednesday that Canada made the request to Pakistan several months ago, prior to its sudden eviction from the Dubai base.

‘They want to use our military infrastructure to remove their troops and supplies from Afghanistan,’’ the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) quoted as a source in Pakistan’s foreign ministry as saying.
[/quote]

Okay, so Pakistan is cooperating in our getting out of Afghanistan.

The article ends with this:

and at the beginning of the article is an ad for Canadian immigration lawyers who promise a Canadian visa.

I would like people who have been living overseas longer than I have to weigh in on this.

I don’t like people throwing around allegations of “Canadian secret military bases”, especially in India, in an article about Canada cooperating with Pakistan. What could be behind all of this?

2

It’s very unlikely that Canada’s military has any strategic operations that are not conducted in concert with NATO, aka the US.

3

Perhaps the UAE stance might have some connection with the pro-Israel position of the Harper government’s foreign policy.

The UAE venue was a forward supply hub for the troops if Afghanistan. Nothing secret about it. The request to Pakistan is apparently not related to the UAE squabble, as it was first put forward last June.

[quote]KANDAHAR — Souring diplomatic relations between Canada and the United Arab Emirates forced a military flight carrying Canada’s top defence brass on a six-hour detour to Rome Monday.

A clash over expanded landing rights for the UAE’s two national carriers in Canada and the use by Canadian Forces of a key logistics base in Dubai escalated sharply Monday when a C-17 jumbo transport carrying Canada’s defence minister and its top general was denied the right to land in the UAE and ordered to stay out of the nation’s airspace.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay, General Walter Natynczyk and Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn were on board the diverted flight, which left Kandahar at dusk on Monday.

According to a senior military source, the C-17 flight was diverted to Europe and was expected to land in Rome late Monday or early Tuesday.

“The issue came up [on Sunday],” the senior officer said. “No explanation for the refusal to land was given.

“If they (the UAE) want to send a message, it’s a great way to do it.”
Read more: nationalpost.com/news/MacKay … z12Mp4cnL2[/quote]

[quote]Canada has asked conflict-ridden Pakistan for permission to ship supplies home through Karachi as part of a 2011 military pullout from Afghanistan − an exit that’s more complicated now that Canadian soldiers are being evicted from a Mideast air base.

Mian Gul Akbar Zeb, Pakistan’s high commissioner to Canada, said Ottawa has requested approval to start as early as June, 2011. It would amount to ferrying “non-sensitive” military supplies such as tents over land from Kandahar, Afghanistan.
theglobeandmail.com/news/pol … le1755150/[/quote]

4

Thanks GingerMan, that helps. Those links were a good read.

As if Canada could have a “secret military base” - secret from whom? :unamused:

I really wonder how prevalent articles like this one are. The idea that people out there could think that Canada is this menacing country that has secret bases and needs to be stopped - that’s rich. I’m not sure what I’d do if I were traveling and met someone who thought that.

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Maybe this journalist is the one who uncovered it and broke the news to the world? :slight_smile:

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Maybe this journalist is the one who uncovered it and broke the news to the world? :slight_smile:[/quote]

Sure, that must be it. I wonder how many other “secret Canadian military bases” there are around the world. Could be thousands. We’ve got so much airpower, made in secret aircraft factories, of course, to transport them around the globe, right?

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Maybe this journalist is the one who uncovered it and broke the news to the world? :slight_smile:[/quote]

Sure, that must be it. I wonder how many other “secret Canadian military bases” there are around the world. Could be thousands. We’ve got so much airpower, made in secret aircraft factories, of course, to transport them around the globe, right?[/quote]

I think ‘secret’ was used for lack of a better term. It might be best explained as ‘not advertised’ or ‘little known’.

Interesting angle on the Pakistani immigration numbers though. Maybe this could be an area for Canada to apply pressure to in the future.

As for the UAE carriers, there simply isn’t enough direct traffic, they are looking to profit from being a hub in the region. If they are going to be petty like this I say take away all landing privileges next time they come up for negotiations.