ID :
196276
Thu, 07/21/2011 - 13:17
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/196276
The shortlink copeid
Fai arrest could add to the US-Pak tension
From Lalit K Jha
Washington, Jul 21 (PTI) The arrest of separatist
Kashmiri leader Ghulam Nabi Fai on charges of working for the
ISI could very well add to the already tensed atmosphere
between the US and Pakistan, a media report has said.
"In a move that could add to the tension between the
United States and Pakistan, the FBI Tuesday accused a
Pakistani-American of secretly funneling at least USD 4
million from Pakistan's top spy agency into American political
activities, aiming to influence US policy on Kashmir,"
reported ProPublica; the popular investigative news website.
Fai, 62, ran the Washington-based Kashmiri American
Council (KAC) which the FBI alleged lobbied at the Congress
and the Administration on behalf of Pakistan without declaring
himself as the a Pakistani agent.
"It's not clear where all the money went—much seemed
to go to setting up conferences — but some was funneled into
campaign contributions to members of Congress and other
political candidates. The supporting affidavit says the money
has been coming in from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence
Directorate, or ISI, since 1995," ProPublica said.
The charges could be the first implicating
Pakistan's main intelligence service in a case involving
political influence by foreign agents, a US law enforcement
official told ProPublica.
"This charge is extremely rare," the official, who
spoke on condition of anonymity, told the website.
"They don't happen very often. The government
generally works to get someone into compliance rather than
charging. I am not aware of any other cases that have involved
Pakistan," the official said.
"Mr Fai is accused of a decades-long scheme with one
purpose—to hide Pakistan's involvement behind his efforts to
influence the US government's position on Kashmir," said US
Attorney Neil MacBride of the Eastern District of
Virginia.
The case is striking not necessarily for its
severity— the charges against Fai and Ahmad would mean a
maximum of only five years in prison — but for its depth, it
said.
The FBI investigation appears to have started six
years ago, when a jail inmate offered to trade information for
a reduced jail sentence.
More than anything, the case highlights how, after
years of US officials publicly treating the ISI like a close
ally in the war on terror, their relationship has fallen
apart, the report said.
ProPublica, who carried out several investigative
report on the David Headley case, said the Fai case is in
contrast to that.
According to ProPublica, Department of Justice has
denied any motive behind the timing of the case and Fai's
arrest.
"The timing had nothing to do with anything but the
facts of the case," said Justice Department spokesman Dean
Boyd.
"This is a long-term investigation and it predates
recent developments in Pakistan and in relations with
Pakistan. It was solely driven by the facts of the case," Boyd
was quoted as saying by ProPublica.
Washington, Jul 21 (PTI) The arrest of separatist
Kashmiri leader Ghulam Nabi Fai on charges of working for the
ISI could very well add to the already tensed atmosphere
between the US and Pakistan, a media report has said.
"In a move that could add to the tension between the
United States and Pakistan, the FBI Tuesday accused a
Pakistani-American of secretly funneling at least USD 4
million from Pakistan's top spy agency into American political
activities, aiming to influence US policy on Kashmir,"
reported ProPublica; the popular investigative news website.
Fai, 62, ran the Washington-based Kashmiri American
Council (KAC) which the FBI alleged lobbied at the Congress
and the Administration on behalf of Pakistan without declaring
himself as the a Pakistani agent.
"It's not clear where all the money went—much seemed
to go to setting up conferences — but some was funneled into
campaign contributions to members of Congress and other
political candidates. The supporting affidavit says the money
has been coming in from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence
Directorate, or ISI, since 1995," ProPublica said.
The charges could be the first implicating
Pakistan's main intelligence service in a case involving
political influence by foreign agents, a US law enforcement
official told ProPublica.
"This charge is extremely rare," the official, who
spoke on condition of anonymity, told the website.
"They don't happen very often. The government
generally works to get someone into compliance rather than
charging. I am not aware of any other cases that have involved
Pakistan," the official said.
"Mr Fai is accused of a decades-long scheme with one
purpose—to hide Pakistan's involvement behind his efforts to
influence the US government's position on Kashmir," said US
Attorney Neil MacBride of the Eastern District of
Virginia.
The case is striking not necessarily for its
severity— the charges against Fai and Ahmad would mean a
maximum of only five years in prison — but for its depth, it
said.
The FBI investigation appears to have started six
years ago, when a jail inmate offered to trade information for
a reduced jail sentence.
More than anything, the case highlights how, after
years of US officials publicly treating the ISI like a close
ally in the war on terror, their relationship has fallen
apart, the report said.
ProPublica, who carried out several investigative
report on the David Headley case, said the Fai case is in
contrast to that.
According to ProPublica, Department of Justice has
denied any motive behind the timing of the case and Fai's
arrest.
"The timing had nothing to do with anything but the
facts of the case," said Justice Department spokesman Dean
Boyd.
"This is a long-term investigation and it predates
recent developments in Pakistan and in relations with
Pakistan. It was solely driven by the facts of the case," Boyd
was quoted as saying by ProPublica.
