Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way by Jon Krakauer Page A
Authors: Jon Krakauer
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“ THE PROBLEM WAS OBTAINING A LAND TITLE CERTIFICATE FOR THE SCHOOL IN KHANE … . AFTER MANY WEEKS, I AM HIGHLY RECOMMENDING MOVING THE PROJECT SITE TO KORPHE VILLAGE (SEE MAP). ” Reasons Mortenson gave for relocating the project included, “ KORPHE HAS HAD A FULL TIME VOLUNTEER TEACHER FOR FIVE YEARS, MARRIED AND WITH FAMILY ALL FROM KORPHE … . KORPHE IS HIGHLY VISIBLE. EVERY TREK, EXPEDITION, AND ARMY CARAVAN TO ENTER THE BALTORO/BIAFO WILL PASS BY OUR SCHOOL. ” Near the end of the memo, he added, “ TO BUILD A SCHOOL IN KORPHE, WE WILL NEED TO BUILD A STEEL CABLE SUSPENSION BRIDGE ACROSS THE BRALDU TO KORPHE … . THE COST OF THE BRIDGE WILL BE ABOUT $10,000. WHICH I WILL RAISE ON MY OWN. I HOPE TO BEGIN BUILDING BY MAY 1995 . ”
3 Mortenson ’ s lies deeply offended Naimat Gul Mahsud. By falsely claiming to have been kidnapped by his hosts and threatened with death — an egregious contravention of Pashtunwali — Mortenson defamed the Mahsud clan. But aspects of Naimat Gul ’ s own story turn out to be as fishy as Mortenson ’ s. What Naimat Gul failed to disclose to Mortenson (and what Mortenson would likely never have known had it not been disclosed here) is that Naimat Gul was a professional con artist. Although his late father, Nadir Khan, had been a famous war hero and the revered leader of one of the four Mahsud clans, Naimat Gul Mahsud “ is just a criminal, ” says Hussein Mohammed (a pseudonym employed for the safety of the source), who has known Naimat Gul since he was a boy. “ Cheating here, cheating there. Live this place, then move to some other place to cheat some other people. ” According to Mohammed, Naimat Gul has a long history of thievery, extortion, and counterfeiting. He was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping a girl, but escaped from jail a year or two before meeting Mortenson, and has been on the lam ever since.
Naimat Gul committed most of his crimes in sprawling cites such as Karachi, Dera Ismail Khan, and Peshawar. While he escorted Mortenson around the tribal areas, however, Naimat Gul used Mortenson as an unwitting shill to pass counterfeit Pakistani rupees in the bazaars of North and South Waziristan. “ Local people trusted Greg, ” says Mohammed, because “ he is a foreigner and he would not cheat them. ”
When this swindle proved successful, Naimat Gul attempted to profit in a grander fashion from Mortenson ’ s visit by hatching an ill-advised blackmail scam: Naimat Gul falsely claimed that he had kidnapped Mortenson, then demanded a large ransom from wealthy members of the Mahsud clan — banking on the fact that if he ’ d actually kidnapped Mortenson, the authorities would hold Naimat Gul ’ s entire family responsible.
When Naimat Gul tried to extort money from his relatives by purporting to have abducted Mortenson, his family was irate. If it were true, it would have brought disgrace to the entire clan. But instead of ceding to Naimat Gul ’ s demands for hush money, his relatives called his bluff. According to Hussein Mohammed, “ Naimat Gul Mahsud ’ s family told him, ‘ If you kidnap this man, and something happens to us or our businesses, if our jobs get in trouble due to you, then we will hold you responsible. ’” After reflecting on the extremely harsh payback his enraged relatives were apt to deliver, Naimat Gul backed down and abandoned his scam.
When Mortenson flew home to Montana in the summer of 1996, he had no idea Naimat Gul Mahsud claimed to have kidnapped him. Ironically, Naimat Gul had no idea Mortenson would soon make the same spurious claim of abduction — a charge that millions of Americans now accept as fact.
4 According to Three Cups of Tea , during a layover at Calcutta International Airport while flying home from Asia in September 2000, “ Mortenson learned that one of his heroes, Mother Teresa, had died … and decided to try and pay her his respects. ” Arriving at the Missionaries of Charity
3 Mortenson ’ s lies deeply offended Naimat Gul Mahsud. By falsely claiming to have been kidnapped by his hosts and threatened with death — an egregious contravention of Pashtunwali — Mortenson defamed the Mahsud clan. But aspects of Naimat Gul ’ s own story turn out to be as fishy as Mortenson ’ s. What Naimat Gul failed to disclose to Mortenson (and what Mortenson would likely never have known had it not been disclosed here) is that Naimat Gul was a professional con artist. Although his late father, Nadir Khan, had been a famous war hero and the revered leader of one of the four Mahsud clans, Naimat Gul Mahsud “ is just a criminal, ” says Hussein Mohammed (a pseudonym employed for the safety of the source), who has known Naimat Gul since he was a boy. “ Cheating here, cheating there. Live this place, then move to some other place to cheat some other people. ” According to Mohammed, Naimat Gul has a long history of thievery, extortion, and counterfeiting. He was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping a girl, but escaped from jail a year or two before meeting Mortenson, and has been on the lam ever since.
Naimat Gul committed most of his crimes in sprawling cites such as Karachi, Dera Ismail Khan, and Peshawar. While he escorted Mortenson around the tribal areas, however, Naimat Gul used Mortenson as an unwitting shill to pass counterfeit Pakistani rupees in the bazaars of North and South Waziristan. “ Local people trusted Greg, ” says Mohammed, because “ he is a foreigner and he would not cheat them. ”
When this swindle proved successful, Naimat Gul attempted to profit in a grander fashion from Mortenson ’ s visit by hatching an ill-advised blackmail scam: Naimat Gul falsely claimed that he had kidnapped Mortenson, then demanded a large ransom from wealthy members of the Mahsud clan — banking on the fact that if he ’ d actually kidnapped Mortenson, the authorities would hold Naimat Gul ’ s entire family responsible.
When Naimat Gul tried to extort money from his relatives by purporting to have abducted Mortenson, his family was irate. If it were true, it would have brought disgrace to the entire clan. But instead of ceding to Naimat Gul ’ s demands for hush money, his relatives called his bluff. According to Hussein Mohammed, “ Naimat Gul Mahsud ’ s family told him, ‘ If you kidnap this man, and something happens to us or our businesses, if our jobs get in trouble due to you, then we will hold you responsible. ’” After reflecting on the extremely harsh payback his enraged relatives were apt to deliver, Naimat Gul backed down and abandoned his scam.
When Mortenson flew home to Montana in the summer of 1996, he had no idea Naimat Gul Mahsud claimed to have kidnapped him. Ironically, Naimat Gul had no idea Mortenson would soon make the same spurious claim of abduction — a charge that millions of Americans now accept as fact.
4 According to Three Cups of Tea , during a layover at Calcutta International Airport while flying home from Asia in September 2000, “ Mortenson learned that one of his heroes, Mother Teresa, had died … and decided to try and pay her his respects. ” Arriving at the Missionaries of Charity
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