Washington, D.C. (July 20, 2011) - The Hindu
American Foundation (HAF) expressed hope that the arrest of the Kashmiri
American Council (KAC) executive director, Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai, for
allegedly engaging in illegal lobbying activities on behalf of Pakisan’s
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Directorate, signals an awareness
within American intelligence agencies about any other ISI activities in
the United States. Fai, a Fairfax, Virginia resident, along with Zaheer
Ahmad, currently believed to be in Pakistan, were charged on Tuesday
with conspiring to act as unregistered agents of the Pakistani
government. Both are US citizens.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, KAC, otherwise known
as the Kashmir Center, was created by the ISI to specifically promote
Pakistan’s agenda on Kashmir amongst U.S. government officials and
policy makers. Similar centers were also set up by Pakistan in London
and Belgium to disseminate anti-India and pro-Kashmiri separatist
propaganda on the Kashmir issue.
"The arrest of Fai is a troubling reminder of the extensive reach
and influence of the ISI,” said Aseem Shukla, MD, Co-Founder and Board
Member of HAF. “We commend the FBI for exposing the alleged
illegitimate activities of the Kashmir Center and revealing its
connection to the ISI, an authoritarian government institution of
Pakistan that does not heed the norms or laws of public engagement -- at
home or abroad.”
Since 9/11, Pakistan has received nearly $20 billion in U.S. aid,
including more than $12 billion in military assistance to combat
al-Qaeda and Taliban militants. According to the Foundation, which
publishes an annual human rights report
documenting persecution against Hindus worldwide, Pakistan has
redirected large amounts of this money to purchase military equipment
for use against India. Between 1989 and 1991, a brutal insurgency funded
and nurtured by Pakistan’s ISI in Kashmir has been responsible for the
death and displacement of over 350,000 Kashmiri Hindu Pandits. According
to the report,
this insurgency continues today as a proxy military force in the Indian
state of Jammu and Kashmir and remains a threat to the native Kashmiri
Hindu population as well as to the entire nation of India.
Fai, who was reportedly on the ISI’s payroll for more than 20
years, received approximately $4 million from Pakistan to use as
political contributions for members of Congress from both parties. KAC
also used the money to sponsor high-profile conferences and seminars on
Kashmir. Among those that received contributions from Fai was
Representative Dan Burton (R-Ind), who heads the Pakistan Caucus, and
was a harsh critic of India on many issues, including Kashmir.
"We're disappointed that the Kashmir Center’s possibly false
identity as a legitimate non-profit went unnoticed for so many years as
it secretly advanced Pakistan’s interests on Kashmir while ignoring the
plight of more than 350,000 Kashmiri Hindu Pandits,” said Sheetal Shah,
HAF’s Senior Director. “If Pakistan is found to have contravened
American laws and attempted to influence U.S. foreign policy through the
Kashmir Center, such actions must be denounced, and further affect the
flow of military support into that country. Furthermore, this is US
taxpayer dollars going to a rogue state who is then sending it back to
the US through covert means to influence our government officials to do
its bidding.”
HAF leaders recently issued a statement applauding the Obama Administration’s decision
to withhold $800 million in military assistance to Pakistan, and again
urged the Administration and Congress to further reduce assistance to
Pakistan until it severs all ties to Islamic militant groups operating
in the region.
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