The problem with Mr. Hamid is that he makes some very dubious claims. I have no problem with him selling his brand of things, more power to him.
But as I have mentioned here before I have known ZZH through professional circles, we spoke many times. I had dinner with his family. He studied computer engineering at NED University in Karachi.
He is the son of Col. Zaman Hamid who was a very highly respected and well regarded officer in Pakistan army.
ZZH himself never served in the Pakistan Army or any security establishment due to suffering from a weak chest.
He was a porter and did however smuggle weapon as a porter into Afghanistan during Russia-Afghanistan war, he uses this to claim he was a veteran of the Afghan-Russia war (which is an embellishment of the facts).
Due to his father's close contacts in Pakistan Army ZZH became very close to a shining officer Brig Zahoor Fazal Qadri Shaheed 73L/C ex CMI.
He started his this by starting a shell company by the name of Brasstacks in 2004:
Mainly selling selling reports on a Monthly basis which were a compilation of news paper articles with some analysis which often always seemed to lean towards a war with India. Back in 04-05-06 he was a respected security consultant and was contracted by various embassies, Shell Petroleum and a few MNCs.
The so called "Scholar and Muslim Warrior" was once on the payroll of an American Oil Giant with investments in Zionist enterprise...
Brig. Zahoor brought him into the fold as a guest speaker and analyst mainly writing synopsis on current security affairs during Gen. Mush period, his synopsis are still held in the NDU Library if you want to read them.
He was heavily promoted by "helping hand" who tried to prop him up as Pakistan's answer to Professor Michael Clarke. But none of the western media outlets took him seriously, and after his melt down during an interview in Washington he was actually banned from interviews with western media.
Somewhere between 06-08 he fell off the rails and claimed he had some
divine inspiration and built up a social movement to inspire young people to counter "enemy narrative", he started publishing monthly magazines under the name of his old security company "BrassTacks" and several books.
During this time he was also propelled by a "helping hand" to air as a guest speaker on a TV show on security analysis by the name of "Brass Tacks".
He used his reach with students to visit universities and sell his books and give lectures on security, "grand strategic analysis" and "4th Generation Warfare". During one such lecture a student from Peshawar university visiting Islamabad asked a critical question about ZZH's "4th generation warfare", this resulted in ZZH's followed brutally beating up the student.
On his visit to Peshawar University, some Islamia Student Union locked ZZH in a room and beat him up, the police and university intervened and rescued ZZH from this.
Around this time ZZH had amassed a massive following and he started publishing an online Magazine which he sold for Rs. 500 a month, he started an MLM (multi-level-marketing campaign) fooling his young followers to invest in his "Gold Dinar Scheme"
In 2010 following the Murder of Mufti Saeed Ahmed Jalalpuri and ZZH's subsequent arrest
https://www.dawn.com/news/887019/zaid-hamid-named-in-jalalpuri-murder-fir
The "helping hand" withdrew their support of ZZH and he fell out of favour with Pakistan Army.
Being powerful and connected he once again dodged a bullet, after his friends in Pakistan Army lost interest in him and saw him as a lunatic.
He became increasingly vociferous and bold, it was around 2012 that he went totally mental, he claimed on his Facebook page and YouTube that he was a "Green Eyed Mujahid" that would establish "Khilafat e Rashida” in Pakistan and lead “Ghazwa e Hind”.
By 2015 ZZH had amassed a massive following of over 1.2 million followers on X and over 550,000 followers on Facebook with multiple income streams from his students buying his CD's, bullshit books and magazines.
Using his website, YouTube channel, twitter handle, Facebook page and TV channel He had made some silly remarks about the Saudi intervention in Yemen which resulted in his arrest in Saudi an eight year prison sentence and 1000 lashes:
Due to his family influence he was released from Saudi and returned to Pakistan. During this time his websites and Facebook pages deleted his contact information including his office address which was also his home address and his Mobilink mobile number and personal email.
He lost his TV contract and several student unions that supported him withdrew their support. You will notice that he has been relegated to making his own YouTube videos, this is because he is now considered a liability every time he is invited to discuss any serious topic relating to defence, security or political analysis.
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I have nothing personal against him, if people want to believe him they are welcome to but he misguides a lot of people with some of the things he says...
And remember as for his "analysis" if you fire a shotgun at a target the chances are at least one pellet will hit the target.
