By A.B.S. Jafri, "BCCI Hijacking Part of the Bigger Plot", [Islamabad, The Muslim in English, 11 Jul 91, pp. 1, 10].

There is an infinite deal more to the plunder of BCCI (Bank of Credit and Commerce International) than the bank robbery that it so manifestly is. It is another big leap in the conspiracy to ditch the oil-rich Arabs, the Muslims in general and also the Third World as a direct consequence.

Who says that exploitative imperialism is dead? Don't you see it alive and licking? Are they not back in the Middle East? Is it not 1919 now instead of 1991?

Iraq's Saddam was used in a bid to bring Iran down. That Saddam didn't quite succeed is another matter. But the plot did drain Iran's wealth and blood. Also the Arab wealth and blood. So long as it was Muslim blood on both sides, it was O.K. Then, Saddam was turned on Kuwait. That plot again was aimed at the self-same purpose; to bleed the rich Muslim's white, to wound them where it hurts most, to literally conquer their territory, to return to rich Middle East with military power. The West's (or to be exact, the Zionists') control over Arab destiny is just about complete. Only a few details remain.

Now, those details. After the Gulf war, the picture's salient features are: the United States has collected some 54 billion dollars in hard cash from the Saudis and Kuwaitis. Impartial agencies say the bill for the Gulf war should not exceed 14 billion. That means some 40 billion dollars have been collected by the U.S. in excess. But that's between the helpless Arabs and their protector the United States who, goodness knows, couldn't care less about the Arabs because it is now Israel by another name.

The line in fine print on the Gulf war balance sheet is: the Saudis and the Kuwaitis have been reduced to borrowing. At this rate, it may be a matter of time when they have a bowl in hand. The reasons for this kind of misgiving is that the Arabs no longer control their oil wealth. The Americans are going to help them in selling the Arab oil to the best advantage of the West! [text missing]

Most staff had immediate financial worries, having had their June salaries paid into now frozen accounts.

A BCCI Investor's Support Group was set up in Bradford yesterday to help those who had accounts with the bank. Mr. Aurangzeb Iqbal, a Pakistani solicitor who is organizing the group, said, "The Bradford Asian business community finds itself in a very sad state. We need to have a very effective lobbying group and we want to see what can be salvaged." The meeting was also attended by Ajaz Choudhary, manager of the Leeds branch of BCCI. He said, "The bank was solvent. It is a conspiracy against Asian people. Their prosperity was not acceptable to the Jews of this country."

More tales of hardship come from the Asian community in Bradford where Pakistanis are concentrated. Mohammad Talib, a Pakistani who owns a clothing and fabric shop, found his finances stopped. He cannot order from his suppliers or pay has staff because his account with BCCI is frozen. Mr. Talib set up the Jamil Cloth house in Bradford some 16 years ago. His plight is typical of many Asians who banked with BCCI. He said: "We must get help from the government very soon or things will get desperate. John Major is the prime minister, he should be doing something. They (Conservative Party) believe in small businesses and should come out with a plan to save us."

Mohammad Talib came from Pakistan in 1963, had banked like other Pakistanis with BCCI for almost a decade. "We went to them because they were prepared to help us," He said. "They spoke our language, Urdu, and we were able to get loans very easily and quickly," he tearfully concluded.

It is now revealed that Price Waterhouse, the auditors of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International told the Bank of England that there was evidence of fraud in one of the BCCI's Cayman Island subsidiaries four years ago. They have a right to pass on such a confidential information to the Bank of England but not obliged to do so. It is strange that it is decided to inform the Bank.

The Bank of England is facing fresh demands from those MPs (members of Parliament) who depend on ethnic vote for urgent action to reserve investors hit by the closure of BCCI. Keith Vaz, Labour MP, is leading a delegation to Governor Robin Leigh-Pemberton to ask if all the avenues have been explored in the search for a solution. MPs are demanding an inquiry into the affairs of the BCCI, Keith Vaz said the Bank of England was secretly involved in restructuring the BCCI with Sheikh Zayad bin Sultan at-Nahyan, the leading shareholder. "Someone at the Bank has been negligent along the way," he concluded.