ID :
196387
Thu, 07/21/2011 - 21:10
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https://www.oananews.org//node/196387
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Fai managed to rope in Indian journalists and intellectuals
FAI-CONFRENCES
Fai managed to rope in Indian journalists and intellectuals
Lalit K Jha
Washington, Jul 21 (PTI) Separatist Kashmiri leader,
Ghulam Nabi Fai, who according to the FBI was a paid agent of
the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan, had roped
in several eminent Indian journalists and intellectuals during
his more than two decades of high-profile operations.
Kashmir-born and educated at the Aligarh Muslim
University, Fai even managed get them in the drafting
committee of his annual event "International Kashmir Peace
Conference."
Fai, 62, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of
Investigations (FBI) from his house in Fairfax in Virginia, an
affluent suburb of Washington D.C., on charges of receiving
hundreds and thousands of dollars from the ISI and using them
for lobbying at the Capitol Hill and holding seminars and
conferences.
According to the 43-page FBI affidavit submitted to a
US court, the ISI not only funded his Kashmir American Council
(KAC), which was run from its headquartered in Washington, but
also dictated his speeches, determined who was to be invited
to the conferences and even the results.
The five-member drafting committee of the resolution
adopted by the two-day conference from July 29th-30th, 2010
included the eminent Indian journalist and former Indian High
Commissioner to Britain, Kuldip Nayar, former Pakistan
Ambassador to the United States, Maleeha Lodhi, according to a
press release issued by Fai on July 30, 2010.
The conference, held in the prestigious Gold Room of
the Rayburn House at the Capitol, was on "India-Pakistan
Relations: Breaking the Deadlock over Kashmir". More PTI LKJ
ASR
FAI-CONFRENCES 2
The resolution titled "Washington Declaration" said
the participants "unanimously" expressed grave concern over
the "deteriorating" human rights situation in Kashmir and
urged the Indian government to withdraw its armed forces from
civilian populated areas. It also sought an impartial
commission to investigate "killings" in a transparent manner.
According to another press release issued by the
Kashmiri American Council for its annual 2010 conference the
participants included Justice (Retd) Rajinder Sachar,
journalist Harinder Baweja, Ved Bhasin, Editor-in-Chief of
'Kashmir Times', Gautam Navlakha, Editor, 'Economic and
Political Weekly'.
But his conferences were always Pakistan-centric and
were heavy with anti-India agenda.
In its invitation sent to the press before the event,
KAC listed the Indian Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, as
an invitee. But Indian Ambassadors never participated in its
conferences as they always knew who KAC was working for.
One of the purposes of inviting eminent Indian
journalists and intellectuals was to gain some kind of
legitimacy for KAC, highly placed Indian sources said, adding
that some of the Indian invitees could have been taken for a
ride by KAC.
However, many journalists and intellectuals did not
fall into the ISI trap. For instance for the 2010 annual
conference, Siddharth Varadrajan of 'The Hindu' was listed as
a panel speaker. He did not turn up, informing the organisers
that he was bogged down in another pressing assignment.
"I made some enquiries and decided not to attend," he
said today when asked about his decision. More PTI LKJ
ASR
FAI-CONFRENCES 2
The resolution titled "Washington Declaration" said
the participants "unanimously" expressed grave concern over
the "deteriorating" human rights situation in Kashmir and
urged the Indian government to withdraw its armed forces from
civilian populated areas. It also sought an impartial
commission to investigate "killings" in a transparent manner.
According to another press release issued by the
Kashmiri American Council for its annual 2010 conference the
participants included Justice (Retd) Rajinder Sachar,
journalist Harinder Baweja, Ved Bhasin, Editor-in-Chief of
'Kashmir Times', Gautam Navlakha, Editor, 'Economic and
Political Weekly'.
But his conferences were always Pakistan-centric and
were heavy with anti-India agenda.
In its invitation sent to the press before the event,
KAC listed the Indian Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, as
an invitee. But Indian Ambassadors never participated in its
conferences as they always knew who KAC was working for.
One of the purposes of inviting eminent Indian
journalists and intellectuals was to gain some kind of
legitimacy for KAC, highly placed Indian sources said, adding
that some of the Indian invitees could have been taken for a
ride by KAC.
However, many journalists and intellectuals did not
fall into the ISI trap. For instance for the 2010 annual
conference, Siddharth Varadrajan of 'The Hindu' was listed as
a panel speaker. He did not turn up, informing the organisers
that he was bogged down in another pressing assignment.
"I made some enquiries and decided not to attend," he
said today when asked about his decision. More PTI LKJ
ASR
FAI-CONFRENCES 3
Among others in the drafting committee as members for
the 2009 resolutions were Bhasin and Navlakha. In both the
drafting committees, Fai was listed as a member in his
capacity as the host.
The "Washington Declaration" issued at the conclusion
of the two-day KAC conference at the Capitol Hill on July
23-24 urged the United States Congress to persuade the US
Administration to support the appointment of a special United
Nations envoy to Kashmir.
According to an overview of the KAC conference sent to
the media after the 2009 event by Fai, Bhasin was quoted as
advocating for Kashmir as an independent state in South Asia.
"The only solution is an independent state in South
Asia. The status quo is not a solution; the division of the
state is not a solution," Bhasin was quoted as saying.
Reacting to this, Bhasin said over phone today,"my
policy to attend these conferences was to present my point of
view with an objective of peace between India and Pakistan and
a solution to Kashmir problem which satisfies the people (of
Kashmir) and India and Pakistan".
On the issues of his reported advocacy of independent
Kashmir State, Bhasin refused to comment.
He also said he was not aware that ISI had any links
with conferences organised by Fai.
"I was told that Kashmir diaspora in the US and other
countries abroad were funding it through contributions," he
said.
Speaking in the session, 'When Peaceful Protests Fail,
What Next?', Gautam Navlakha, editorial consultant of the
Economic and Political Weekly, reportedly warned that if the
aspirations of Kashmiris continued to be ignored, the armed
struggle could start again "which will have repercussions for
all of South Asia". PTI LKJ
ASR
Fai managed to rope in Indian journalists and intellectuals
Lalit K Jha
Washington, Jul 21 (PTI) Separatist Kashmiri leader,
Ghulam Nabi Fai, who according to the FBI was a paid agent of
the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan, had roped
in several eminent Indian journalists and intellectuals during
his more than two decades of high-profile operations.
Kashmir-born and educated at the Aligarh Muslim
University, Fai even managed get them in the drafting
committee of his annual event "International Kashmir Peace
Conference."
Fai, 62, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of
Investigations (FBI) from his house in Fairfax in Virginia, an
affluent suburb of Washington D.C., on charges of receiving
hundreds and thousands of dollars from the ISI and using them
for lobbying at the Capitol Hill and holding seminars and
conferences.
According to the 43-page FBI affidavit submitted to a
US court, the ISI not only funded his Kashmir American Council
(KAC), which was run from its headquartered in Washington, but
also dictated his speeches, determined who was to be invited
to the conferences and even the results.
The five-member drafting committee of the resolution
adopted by the two-day conference from July 29th-30th, 2010
included the eminent Indian journalist and former Indian High
Commissioner to Britain, Kuldip Nayar, former Pakistan
Ambassador to the United States, Maleeha Lodhi, according to a
press release issued by Fai on July 30, 2010.
The conference, held in the prestigious Gold Room of
the Rayburn House at the Capitol, was on "India-Pakistan
Relations: Breaking the Deadlock over Kashmir". More PTI LKJ
ASR
FAI-CONFRENCES 2
The resolution titled "Washington Declaration" said
the participants "unanimously" expressed grave concern over
the "deteriorating" human rights situation in Kashmir and
urged the Indian government to withdraw its armed forces from
civilian populated areas. It also sought an impartial
commission to investigate "killings" in a transparent manner.
According to another press release issued by the
Kashmiri American Council for its annual 2010 conference the
participants included Justice (Retd) Rajinder Sachar,
journalist Harinder Baweja, Ved Bhasin, Editor-in-Chief of
'Kashmir Times', Gautam Navlakha, Editor, 'Economic and
Political Weekly'.
But his conferences were always Pakistan-centric and
were heavy with anti-India agenda.
In its invitation sent to the press before the event,
KAC listed the Indian Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, as
an invitee. But Indian Ambassadors never participated in its
conferences as they always knew who KAC was working for.
One of the purposes of inviting eminent Indian
journalists and intellectuals was to gain some kind of
legitimacy for KAC, highly placed Indian sources said, adding
that some of the Indian invitees could have been taken for a
ride by KAC.
However, many journalists and intellectuals did not
fall into the ISI trap. For instance for the 2010 annual
conference, Siddharth Varadrajan of 'The Hindu' was listed as
a panel speaker. He did not turn up, informing the organisers
that he was bogged down in another pressing assignment.
"I made some enquiries and decided not to attend," he
said today when asked about his decision. More PTI LKJ
ASR
FAI-CONFRENCES 2
The resolution titled "Washington Declaration" said
the participants "unanimously" expressed grave concern over
the "deteriorating" human rights situation in Kashmir and
urged the Indian government to withdraw its armed forces from
civilian populated areas. It also sought an impartial
commission to investigate "killings" in a transparent manner.
According to another press release issued by the
Kashmiri American Council for its annual 2010 conference the
participants included Justice (Retd) Rajinder Sachar,
journalist Harinder Baweja, Ved Bhasin, Editor-in-Chief of
'Kashmir Times', Gautam Navlakha, Editor, 'Economic and
Political Weekly'.
But his conferences were always Pakistan-centric and
were heavy with anti-India agenda.
In its invitation sent to the press before the event,
KAC listed the Indian Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, as
an invitee. But Indian Ambassadors never participated in its
conferences as they always knew who KAC was working for.
One of the purposes of inviting eminent Indian
journalists and intellectuals was to gain some kind of
legitimacy for KAC, highly placed Indian sources said, adding
that some of the Indian invitees could have been taken for a
ride by KAC.
However, many journalists and intellectuals did not
fall into the ISI trap. For instance for the 2010 annual
conference, Siddharth Varadrajan of 'The Hindu' was listed as
a panel speaker. He did not turn up, informing the organisers
that he was bogged down in another pressing assignment.
"I made some enquiries and decided not to attend," he
said today when asked about his decision. More PTI LKJ
ASR
FAI-CONFRENCES 3
Among others in the drafting committee as members for
the 2009 resolutions were Bhasin and Navlakha. In both the
drafting committees, Fai was listed as a member in his
capacity as the host.
The "Washington Declaration" issued at the conclusion
of the two-day KAC conference at the Capitol Hill on July
23-24 urged the United States Congress to persuade the US
Administration to support the appointment of a special United
Nations envoy to Kashmir.
According to an overview of the KAC conference sent to
the media after the 2009 event by Fai, Bhasin was quoted as
advocating for Kashmir as an independent state in South Asia.
"The only solution is an independent state in South
Asia. The status quo is not a solution; the division of the
state is not a solution," Bhasin was quoted as saying.
Reacting to this, Bhasin said over phone today,"my
policy to attend these conferences was to present my point of
view with an objective of peace between India and Pakistan and
a solution to Kashmir problem which satisfies the people (of
Kashmir) and India and Pakistan".
On the issues of his reported advocacy of independent
Kashmir State, Bhasin refused to comment.
He also said he was not aware that ISI had any links
with conferences organised by Fai.
"I was told that Kashmir diaspora in the US and other
countries abroad were funding it through contributions," he
said.
Speaking in the session, 'When Peaceful Protests Fail,
What Next?', Gautam Navlakha, editorial consultant of the
Economic and Political Weekly, reportedly warned that if the
aspirations of Kashmiris continued to be ignored, the armed
struggle could start again "which will have repercussions for
all of South Asia". PTI LKJ
ASR
