Kashmiri lobbyist arrested for withholding information
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested a 62-year-old US citizen, Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai, who is accused by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) of not informing the US government that he was in the pay of the Pakistan government while lobbying for the Kashmir cause and donating funds to Congressmen.
Fai, who is director of Washington-based NGO Kashmiri American Council (KAC), was arrested on Tuesday morning and is a resident of Fairfax, Virginia. The DoJ, in its statement to the press, said that Fai had violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act (Fara), and conspired to “falsify, conceal, and cover up material facts he had a duty to disclose in matters within the jurisdiction of Executive Branch agencies of the US government.”
According to witnesses mentioned in an affidavit prepared by the FBI, Fai received thousands of dollars for the KAC over the last two decades. A witness has been quoted as saying that the “ISI created the KAC to propagandise on behalf of the government of Pakistan with the goal of uniting Kashmir”. The witness also alleged that the ISI has maintained links with Fai for the last 25 years, mentioning a retired brigadier general of the Pakistan Army called “Brigadier Javeed Aziz”, with the nicknames Rathore and Abdullah.
The affidavit also highlights Fai’s response to the DoJ when he was questioned about the KAC last year: “KAC or I have never had written or oral agreements with Pakistan or any other foreign entity.”
Another accused in the case, Zaheer Ahmed, is allegedly at large and according to the DoJ, is believed to be in Pakistan.
The DoJ has accused Fai of receiving up to $4 million from Ahmed and his “network” for KAC, and has been in contact with his handlers over 4,000 times since 2008. According to Neil MacBride, US Attorney for District of Eastern Virginia, “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. His handlers in Pakistan allegedly funneled millions through the Kashmir Center to contribute to US elected officials, fund high-profile conferences, and pay for other efforts that promoted the Kashmiri cause to decision-makers in Washington.”
If found guilty, Ahmed and Fai could face up to five years in prison.
A spokesperson for the Pakistan Embassy in Washington said that Fai is “not a Pakistani citizen and the government and embassy of Pakistan have no knowledge of the case involving him.”
The affidavit outlines statements from witnesses detailing transactions where money is referred to in code as “Brylcreem”, correspondence between Ahmed and Fai about KAC and the involvement of alleged ISI representatives. In another instance, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency headquarters is referred to as “the library in Islamabad”.
According to the FBI affidavit, KAC has two branches in London and Brussels. The FBI says that the KAC describes itself as an “NGO dedicated to raising the level of knowledge in the US about the struggle of the Kashmiri people for self-determination.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 20th, 2011.
COMMENTS (107)
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@Rakib: I stand by what I have written. No specisl previliges to any one ethnic community. Period.
@Mussarat Hussain:
Thanks sir, you perfectly got my point.
Regards
@Sheikh Usman Nadeem: US does not have a problem with the fact that he was lobbying for the Kashmir cause. Lobbying is legal in US. What is illegal is the fact that he hid the source of his funding i.e. ISI. A foreign governments lobbyist musty be registered as such. This was not the case with Fai who hid his funding from ISI.
Credibility refers to the objective and subjective components of the believability of a source or message.Traditionally "Trustworthiness" is a key component of credibility which Pakistan lacks.
Wonder what will happen to his Chinese Begum when he is deported. All cozy arrangements of a nice western life, foreign Begum, free money at the pretense of representing the Kashmirees is about to end.
@Tony Singh:
By "unravel" if it is meant as "undo", may Heaven forbid! May even the gods not put together those that men have pulled asunder. Someday in future, Delhi & Islamabad may thank their stars for having hit a century if they can at least hold on till 2047 to whatever they are left with.
Among the leaders of the time Nehru was the one who had a sense of history. Even he did not realise that "Delhi" was never an overbearing Central Authority at any time in history. Not even under Mughals & British. Regional autonomy for Provinces & Princes was the rule rather than exception.
Even Aurangzeb was a greater Federalist than Nehru/Patel. A very loose Federation with ample room for every interest group to breathe with Delhi playing the role of a firm Coordinator/Moderator/Mediator as it always had would have kept the subcontinent relatively peaceful and prosperous. India was a pioneer in federalism since times immemorial. That strength was lost in blind imitation of 19th century European craze for "unification". India has come a full circle now, what with Telengana & Gorkhaland!
Alas! Everybody back in '47 wanted to be a Bismarck & a Garibaldi-from Dy PM Vallabh Patel to PM Muhammad Ali Bogra of One Unit fame. Eventual result was secessionist Bangladeshis and very many disenchanted Kashmiris,Nagas,ULFAs,Baluch etc.
Now to try to put the paste back in tube would be a worthless enterprise.
Kashmir issue will never be solved as such because in the game of "passing the parcel" no government on either side would want to be at a disadvantage. Simplistic minds do not grasp that all problems do not have solutions and all questions do not have to have answers. One learns to live with a problem or makes a question irrelevant over time. Leadership of both India & Pakistan have understood that at last, rhetoric to the contrary notwithstanding.
dr fai is an iconic figure of kashmir freedom struggle in the US. His illegal detention is just a pressure tactics to force pakistan to allow their covet agents to operate from the pakistani soil.
Whay has Fai taken US citizenship?
@Rakib: People who think the "Kashmir issue" can be solved without unraveling partition are living in fool's paradise.
Dont be victim of delibrate provocations.This has nothing to do with kashmir dispute this a all between CIA - ISI cold war and Fai seems to be a latest Victim of this war
@observer777:
As an Indian I always suspected this but your comment makes it clear. Pakistan doesn’t really care for Kashmir people’s “freedom” that is just propaganda purpose.
As an Indian, you suspect the very basis of Pakistan. Tell me something new.
@woohoo:
Muhammad Ali was President of Indian National Congress during 1923-24. In1923 he said the following during a speech to Congressmen:-
"...I make bold to say that I have not yet found any person who in actual character is entitled to a higher place than Mahatma Gandhi. But between belief and actual character there is a wide difference. As a follower of Islam I am bound to regard the creed of even a fallen and degraded Mussalmaan as entitled to a higher place than that of any other non-Muslim irrespective of his high character,even though the person in question be Mahatma Gandhi himself....."
Gandhi's response to angry Hindus that demanded Ali's resignation was very Gandhian. He chided them for making "mountain out of a molehill" and said that Muhammad Ali by his statement was proving "the purity of his faith in his own religion".
Mother Theresa, had she ben around, would have approved..
@abdulaziz khattak: Its BAD!!
Who is he ????
Our leader had done a great mistake.At the time of partition muslim and hindu ratio were 1:4.Now in sub continent it has become 3:4.If our leader would be visionary,if we would have waited little more,we could get 3/4th land of India.Kashmir problem could have been solved by this time.Now we should not just demand Kashmir but also north Kerala and south Assam where muslim are getting majority.
@abdulaziz khattak
There are two kinds of 'Water Experts' in Pakistan.
One kind keeps on shouting about India allegedly stealing Pakistan's waters, without producing an iota of proof. The most vociferous proponent of this brigade is Hafiz Saeed of JuD and LeT fame.
The other kind consists of the Indus Water Commissioner and the Minister of Water, people who know the facts on the ground.According to both India has not violated the treaty. And that, is the bottom line.
@G.Din
Sir, perhaps what they mean is that the normal flow which comes from the glacier melt can not be impounded to the detriment of Pakistan. But as we all know during the Monsoon rains these rivers do carry unusual amounts of water which Pakistan does not really need for its survival, as was seen in the last year's floods.Diverting this increased flow to dams does not divert Pakistan's share of water.
Dear Seher Khan,
All nations have aspirations. But please remember, not all nations are created equal. A 200 pound Muscular man can lift 98 pounds without a problem. What happens to a 98 pound weakling who tries to lift 200 pounds? He'll wind up in a hospital.
Regards
I wonder how much Pakistan paid or is paying to the mobs of Syed Ali Geelani and the Hurriyat. Was the father of the Hurriyat leader killed by terrorists killed because they couldnt agree on the amount of money or did he threaten to spill the beans.??
KAC is an independent human rights organization dedicated to the rights of Kashmiris in Indian Occupied Kashmir. We enjoy full support from all Kashmiris in America, in addition to others who hold univeral values of freedom and justice dear. KAC has the mandate of Kashmiris. Dr. Fai will be proven innocent in the alleged oversight. Meanwhile KAC will continue to serve Kashmiri Americans.
I think the US needs a lobbyist to plead their case with the Taliban. One trillion dollars later they have still lost the war. It would have been far less costly if they had given a thousand dollars to each Afghan civilian. Going after this two bit lobbyist for Kashmir just show the american desperation!
@Raja (India): You are free to confuse all possible problems with the simple news regarding breaking of a US law. If asking to keep it civil and not hateful is too much? If we confuse every possible problem and issue in one news item that has nothing to do with the each other, then what are we solving, except creating more hate. Go ahead and talk about Bollywood, Cricket, river water, boundry lines, and whatever makes you feel good all in one news comments. Regards, Mirza
@ashok sai: dude, seriously If you cannot contribute to constructive discussion then just be a silent spectator.
@mind control: "Pakistani Water and Power Minister Raja Parvez Ashraf observed that India does have a right to build dams, but that it cannot stop the flow of water into Pakistan in order to fill the dams." Now here is a dam engineer fit enough to be a "Water and Power Minister" of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. If you can't fill the dam with water, what was the dam constructed for? And, if you must fill the dam with water, where is the water to fill it to come from if not from the same river the dam was built on? The minister probably meant that India cannot stop the flow of water "entirely" into Pakistan! Water flow will have to be slowed to fill the dam! In fact that is what is done to begin with anyway! @abdulaziz khattak: "it is allowed to make limited use of their waters, including developing run-of-theriver hydroelectric power projects. " How do you build "run-of-the-river hydroelectric projects without first building a dam which would store water before it can generate hydro-electric power? Thus a dam has to be a storage dam howsoever you call it. For the rest, your ministers and political leaders can make every kind of pronouncement. naturally such pronouncements go in your favour. Pronouncements are NOT citations. Citations come from a presiding or a policing entity.
We and our govt should not waste our precious resources on such illegal activities.We need these resources for development of our nation
we and our govt.should concentrate on development of our nation rather than waste our foreign exchange and national resources on such illegal lobbiest
The US action is indeed laughable but it tells few things: 1. US and Pak relationship is really going bad. 2. Due to their log standing relationship USA knows Pakistans week points well and can exploit easily. 3. US has been taking advantage of differences between India and Pakistan, so far they were letting all these anti Indian activities take place in USA despite knowing about them. 4. Pakistan is wasting lots of money for useless acts (4 million to a lawyer for putting forward kashmir cause? )
@abdulaziz khattak
Juswant Singh wrote his book on Jinnah’s and praised the great leader, he was taken to task by the Hindutva forces and the whole nation alike. This follows the same treatment meted out to the BJP’s Advani when he praised the great leader, Jinnah, as well.
Mr Khattak, do you know what did Jaswant Singh and L K Advani say in praise of Jinnah. They called him a 'SECULAR' leader.
Now, do you agree with them and believe that the present day 'Islamic' Republic of Pakistan is a betrayal of Jinnah?
Or, are you quoting M/S Singh and Advani out of complete ignorance?
@mind control: Thank you so much for the report. I quote here from the report:
"Under the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, India is not permitted to build dams for the purpose of water storage on the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum rivers, but it is allowed to make limited use of their waters, including developing run-of-theriver hydroelectric power projects. India is required to provide Pakistan with the technical details of any water project it wants to develop on these rivers before building begins." (Page 4 - Para 1)
"On June 6, 2009, two years after the Lafitte verdict, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi accused India of violating the Indus Water Treaty. Qureshi further warned that any failure to resolve the water disputes "could lead to conflict in the region." (Page 5 - para 2)
"These include Chutak Dam with 59- meter height, Nimoo Bazgo with 57-metre height and Dumkhar of 42-meter height. These projects are at initial or middle stages of construction. Pakistan has repeatedly sought river flow data from India to ascertain the actual flow of western rivers at their source but the latter had cold-shouldered the request. Under the 1960 Indus Water Treaty India is bound to share the data with Pakistan. Under the treaty it cannot interfere with the flow of western rivers before they enter Pakistan but it does so blatantly." (Page 9 - para 4)
"Other violations are: India is irrigating about 800,000 acres in Chenab area which is not permissible; it has built five more canals in the past 10 years to increase the irrigated area in the region." (Page 9 - para 5)
There are many other citations that go in Pakistan's favour. Please go through the report again.
@Mirza: I agree with you we have tried hate and war for 60 yrs and look where that has brought us . Love instead of hate might be like asking for the moon but being CIVIL should not be that difficult and it is the first step that we have to take if we hope one day to live like peaceful neighbors .
@Sonam Shyam: One more thing dear, the two-nation theory was put forward by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and not Jinnah, the great leader. Jinnah was only an exponent as were the other pro-Pakistan leaders of the freedom movement.
@Sonam Shyam: You asked: "You are saying that if India were to recognize Pakistan then they also need to recognize Jinnah?"
And the answer is YES.
Simple isn't it?
@abdulaziz khattak:
Dearest, so you would prefer Osama bin Laden over Mother Theresa?
@Abdulaziz Khattak- Now Mr.Khattak you are simply changing the goal post to suit your convenience. You first said that Hindutva forces don't recognize Pakistan and when I rebutted it, you are now telling me that Jinnah wasn't recognized in India. What Mr.Advani and Mr.Jaswant Singh said was their personal opinion and the whole country does not need to agree with it. Even I say that Jinnah was a secular man but it is also a truth that he created Pakistan on communal lines. Remember Jinnah's famous two nation theory? That is why many people in India don't approve of Jinnah. Now if Indians don't approve of Jinnah then does that automatically mean that they don't approve the existence of Pakistan? You are saying that if India were to recognize Pakistan then they also need to recognize Jinnah? You first make up your mind as to what Pakistan actually stands for and then I will be in a better position to comment. Thanks mate for your advice but I don't need to wash my eyes to see the truth since truth for me is God and God can't be seen by naked eyes.
@Sonam Shyam: You are funny. Just because I said Hindutva forces don't recognise Pakistan doesn't mean I am insecure. Honestly, I don't care if the entire world doesn't recognise Pakistan. The fact is that Pakistan is a reality.
Speaking of the BJP, I do also know that when Juswant Singh wrote his book on Jinnah's and praised the great leader, he was taken to task by the Hindutva forces and the whole nation alike.
This follows the same treatment meted out to the BJP's Advani when he praised the great leader, Jinnah, as well.
Now tell me what does this tell about the inner core of Hindutva forces regarding Pakistan?
I think it is you who should wash your eyes with cold water to see the truth.
@vickram: Dear, I would favour a "seriously IQ-challenged" good Muslim over all non-Muslims at any given time. Trust me, with the US forces moving out, history is starting to repeat itself. Kashmir will be free inshaAllah, whether you like it or not. May you live to see that day.
@abdulaziz khattak:
Groucho Marx once famously said,"I don't care to belong to any club that would have me as a member."
Similarly, do you really want to have those Kashmiris who are 'dying' to join Pakistan? Do you seriously want a group of seriously IQ-challenged people?
@saeed: Sir respect is earned not demanded
@Janzab: Some of you are so biased and brain washed that even the large letters on the wall look totally smudged. Sad to see that every wrong and law breaking looks justified or a conspiracy.
If they dig a little deeper, they may discover his Chinese connections, too!
@Khan: For the past 60 years, the country has imported its food stuff. It can't feed its people despite having an extensive agri base. As for the water issue, India has been violating the Indus Water Treaty for years. You do remember the Baglihar dam. And this cable provides some very good insight into the issue:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/02/2005-more-indian-dams-in-kashmir-could-imperil-peace-process.html
Even strategically Kashmir is important.
Do you think that by giving up Kashmir, India is going to let you go scotfree? The Hindutva forces don't even recognise the very existence of Pakistan. Might as well just give away the entire country. Hey let's join India; become Indians; and let Modi burn, rape and kill our women and men.
As for your theory on the govt getting mad and fixing up the pressure groups, let me tell you that these groups have already incurred losses of over $68 billion. The army is incapable of doing anything. If a mighty US army took more than 10 years to understand how these groups are willing to fight till the last man; the Pakistani army will take a 100 and still not figure out.
Lastly, whether Kashmir opts to stay with India, Pakistan or remain independent is their prerogative. However, a good deal of Kashmiris still yearn for Pakistan, simply because they are more determined than you are to remain free from Hindutva forces.
Isnt it his right to remain silent under the 5th ammendment to US constitution Bill of Rights???
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Righttosilence
@abdulaziz khattak: Khattaka ... how contradictory your point of view is ... I am not saying what US, Israel & India does is right or wrong but can't we mind our own business instead of hitting our head against walls ... Why not make our own people & country as stronger as US or any other developed country. Kashmir issue isn't going to be solved and Indian atrocities are going to continue because they are powerful than us ... We definitely need to leave this issue to native people. Now regarding your statement that, "Nearly, all your water sources are from the Indian occupied state. What are you going to eat if you don’t grow anything" read it and you will see contradictions ... We have been growing from past 60+ years despite Kashmir being occupied. No one can/will stop those rivers. Now if you want to side with those groups you are talking about Always remember no group can every be stronger to challenge government writ .. they can't be more advance or stronger than Japan or Germany of WW II ... it will take less than ten minutes to flatten their bases IF govt goes mad at them.
All this while it was black collared paki criminals now the white collared paki criminals are being nailed too...
What is weird here is not that a Lobbyist broke the law, it is that Pakistan govt. financed and assisted such breaking of law in another country.
With each incidence which brings out such rogue activity of Pakistan govt. it looses more of its 'remaining credibility'.
Many has already said it. But it appears that the message hasn't sunk with many of the bloggers who is paranoid with their hatred for US.
The authorities acted upon because non registration of foreighn agents are against the law. Period.
Now I think all freedom loving citizens will realize why the Military needs such a large budget and why they insist their accounts should not be audited. Corrupting foreign citizens of Pakistani origin and putting them into trouble will only alienate the Pakistani diaspora. It is not the job of any Military to be indulging in such activity, the foreign office should be the source for lobbying and diplomacy. Will be nice to see how the conspiracy theorists spin this one.
Surprised to see how much Pakistanis hate Pakistan. Does anyone know that if you lose Kashmir, you lose Pakistan? Nearly, all your water sources are from the Indian occupied state. What are you going to eat if you don't grow anything. The Father of the Nation wasn't stupid to have called Kashmir as Pakistan's jugular vein. And to those naive ones, the charges of leveled against Mr Fai were to please the visiting Indian delegation. And if you all after all intend on breaking Pakistan, then I better side with the strongest of the groups -- and I guess you know, who is giving a tough time to the Pakistan army!!! So please stop acting like jerks and stand up and own your country, no matter how bad it is.
@ashok sai: Can you please keep it civil and not start various hate topics? Looks like one dispute is not good enough for you? Let us not start blame and revenge game for a positive change. There are already too many reactionaries and you do not want to create more. I would greatly appreciate if you listen to my peacemaking advice. Thanks and regards, Mirza
@Cosmo....illegal activities??...that's the way my indian brother...you are blind or you are so much obsessed with Pakistan that you cant see illegal activities of another countries in the world..What America is doing all over the world..what Israel is doing..first get aware your self with what is said in the article and then comment..other wise you are just a laughing stock here..d you guys have any thing else in your mind other then criticizing Pakistan...how pity.
@Roflcopter: @S. Ali Raza: The news item means that not only Mr. Fai had violated US laws but also the "Kashmiri American Council" has nothing to do with Kashmiri People but it is a Pakistani (or ISI) propaganda. . The affect will be that in future any Kashmiri or a Kashmiri Organisation approaches US congressmen or such other people with their complain or for support for their cause, such people has to ensure that they are genuine Kashmiri and not a Pakistani or ISI propaganda. . The other affect is on the Pakistani credibility. It indicates that Pakistan may use even unfair and wrong means to achieve its goal. Pakistan is no averse to breaking the country's law. . So, such news may have serious repercussions.
USA appears to be desperate otherwise such activities fall in the domain of political freedom of a citizen. Lobbyist exists for every country in USA. All the public representatives including all the presidents have used them for financing their election campaigns. The country which spend the most on lobbying in USA is India followed by Israel. Let us see whether USA is becoming Burma under its home land security apparatus or its courts will uphold the banner of justice.
Its another attack on ISI, what American government wants? Fai was the only lobbyist in the USA what about all those who are lobbying for Indian held Kashmir???
American Propaganda Zindabad..... What the hell is doing by Pak Army? Please come out and give a shut up call to them////
@Saleem: Dear Saleem, I agree with each word that you have written. I have been demanding this all my life, but have been called names and traitor. Here is a new in just today's ET, which about 9% of Pakistanis are Hep B or C positive. These diseases are fatal and infectious. Both of these can be prevented by education and common sense practices. Hep B can be prevented by vaccination. However, we have money for hundred plus nuclear warheads but not for nation's kid's vaccination. The monies distributed by the ISI can be used for all school going kid's vaccine. Thanks for pointing it out and regards, Mirza
If ISI cannot cover its tracks properly, it shouldn't try to get into such stuff. It only causes loss of trust and credibility for our diplomats abroad.
No matter how important Kashmir is to Pakistan!!.. It is not more important than healthcare, education and basic civil rights for Pakistanis.. Money should have been invested on Pakistanis first.. Would love to know who disagrees and why?
@S. Ali Raza:
The difference between legal and legitimate is fine and often not defined. The deep state in Pakistan thrives on the notion of "deniability" of involvement but it is not doing Pakistanis any good in terms of gaining credibility.
The lack of clarity of source of funding is a considered a repressed or mala-fied intent on part of organisation.
People in Pakistan may have hard time understanding the concept, the TTP released a live video of execution of 17 Pak soldiers yet the general masses sees a foreign "Zionist" hand behind all this.
@S. Ali Raza:
Fai had violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and have conspired to “falsify, conceal, and cover up material facts they had a duty to disclose in matters within the jurisdiction of Executive Branch agencies of the US government.”
If you still don't get it, read the article again.
$250 to obama for influencing on Kashmir --- ROFL... seriously ? :D
That money was basically paid out of US aid, so Pakistan didn't loose anything.
Since Pakistan wants Kashmir, it'll do whatever it can to achieve the goal, and there is nothing wrong in it.
The point is, for how long will Pakistan continue to waste everything is has on a cause that is a lost cause for now. It has suffered enough losses (too much, actually), and must update its strategy.
As most on this board would agree, the right action at this stage is to put Kashmir on hold and fix the terrorism problem and the economy. Once that goal is achieved, then come back to Kashmir, but not by sending "freedom fighters" or creating another Kargil.
Regardless, no one should break a country's law.
Kashmir is not a train and neither a station.It is a dispute that still remains a potential flash point in the region.
This news as rightly pointed out in one fo the posts is a tit for tat game going on at this time.Why this happened now serves alot of purposes including appeasing the "new ally" India.
I don't believe this. If the charges against him about lobbying (by spending money on schmoozing US lawmakers to influence US policy are true), what about arresting the Pro Israel lobby. Oh but wait they can't do that because 1. The number of arrests will require a jail cell the size of New Hampshire. 2. The rich and famous life styles of too many lawmakers addicted to Jewish money will come to an end.
The US and the West amazes me by their selective justice: punish Qadafi and Assad but support Emir of Bahrain, give India a nuclear deal but chastise Pakistan that its nukes are not safe, support a free Tibet but posture that Kashmir is an Indo Pak issue and endorse occupied Kashmir...
The west has lost its moral superiority and with the resurgence of China its economic superiority as well.
Can't wait for what immense changes the 21st century brings.
Surprise surprise some one is trying to make someone happy! Anyway Indian trolls are having a field day...
@Sheikh Usman Nadeem: It is a US law that foreign lobbyists have to register and declare whom they are working for. In case of not following the law, they would go to jail for 5 years. It is not like domestic lobbyists, the law is stricter with the foreign lobbyists. The sad thing is Pakistani govt could not find Kashmiri freedom fighters who would do the job for their freedom for free. No wonder after getting caught, Pakistani embassy is distancing itself from this illegal lobbying. The last thing we need from Pakistani govt and ISI is more illegal acts. Thanks and regards, Mirza
Just returning the money the US gave PAK.
What about current Pak Got hiring lobbyist? See: http://www.topnews.in/benazir-s-speechwriter-siegel-may-soon-lobby-new-pak-govt-washington-235020 Benazir’s speechwriter Siegel may soon lobby for new Pak govt in Washington
http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdaily/2011/05/pakistan-locke-lord.html Pakistan Taps Locke Lord for Lobbying Work Following OBL Fallout
What is the difference between AIPAC and KAC both are representing foreign countries....both should be treated equally and banned.
Well @Mirza, the people of Occupied Kashmir are well "Occupied" so yes its a little hard for them to lobby their position. But those who get out of the cycle of suppression do do so (such as Farooq Kathwari, the owner of Ethan Allen). And I find this more than a little well timed that this relation which I'm sure the US intel would have been aware of since decades is only now brought to light when the US wants to arm twist Pakistan as much as it can. I mean seriously, I'm usually the first one to loath conspiracies, but compared to AIPAC's activities this is a mere drop in the earth's many oceans (read my Professor, Stephen Walt of Harvard's book).
Now resorting to scheming against human rights activists. It won't help them in AfPak, where they are losing.
US attorney say Pak Govt give him 4million dollar. hahahha :D Joke of the day
@Sheikh Usman Nadeem: Dear Sir, Again confuse the issue. Name it some sort of conspiracy against Pakistan. Why and Why not for once face the truth that vested interests are taking Pakistan towards international disaster by wasting the money of people of Pakistan on their whims.
What these paid agents like Ghulam Nabi , masquandering as independents , do is crowd out any independent , true representation of dissenting Kashmiris and prevent any reasonable solution to the issue. Thats the real damage.
No one in America listened to us about Kashmir anyways Such a waste of money. Americans love India and hate Pakistan these days.
I believe the best that Pakistan do is be satisfied with the part of Kashmir they have and move on. This move will save a huge amount of money which can be used for health, education. It will increase bilateral trade with India which will benefit both countries. Time to move on from Kashmir issue which is poisoning relations between India-Pakistan.
"These lobbyists are very common, there is a big Indian funded lobby present in US, however this is I believe just a step to put pressure on ISI."
Comical, yes there is an Indian lobby, but they follow the rules and register as a foreign agent. A lobby for a foreign government cannot give money to an elected official. It is not hard to figure out why.
No surprise here --- Pakistan doesn't have a great reputation for being forthright.
@Sheikh Usman Nadeem: Here is the law of the land, and its violation carries 5 years in prison. This law was not made for or against Pakistan. “FARA is designed to ensure that the U.S. government and American public know the underlying source of information and identity of persons attempting to influence U.S. policy and laws. The defendants are accused of thwarting this process by concealing the fact that a foreign government was funding and directing their lobbying and public relations efforts in America.” There are thousands of lobbyists in the US capital and everybody knows about them and their domestic supporters. However, foreign paid lobbyists have to register so people know exactly who their master is? That is the reason Pakistani embassy has distanced themselves from these law breakers. We do not obey and respect our laws in Pakistan, that does not give us license to do the same in other countries.
Good riddance. Now we can stop wasting money on nothing. They have clearly failed at their job. Nobody listen to us on Kashmir since 10 years so why should we waste money. I think some of this money is kicked backed to our politicians.
So this is what Shuja Pasha (DG ISI) meant when he said the 'differences' between US and Pakistan intelligence services have been ironed out following his recent visit to US!
Strategic Depth in US Congress.
Why ? I mean why is it only Pakistan who's involved in all kind of illegal activities around the world? How in world is anyone ever going to trust anything associated with Pakistan?
He did nothing wrong.
Fantastic!!!
This seems to be a retaliatory attack by USG. These lobbyists are very common, there is a big Indian funded lobby present in US, however this is I believe just a step to put pressure on ISI. It is interesting to see that this step has been taken in the backdrop of recent meeting between ISI and CIA chiefs in Washington.
So.. whats wrong with that?
So much for the "Azad or free" Kashmir. Why do we have to have mercenary Kashmiri to lobby for their “freedom” or annexation with Pakistan? If people of Azad Kashmir cannot even lobby for themselves without being highly paid by Pakistan, then shame on both of us? I am glad that the US is enforcing its laws and separating freedom fighters from mercenaries. The good thing is even our ISI/army cannot refute the US govt, otherwise they would never admit paying top dollars to the mercenaries under the cover.
pakistan fails to accept the reality,the kashmir train left the station long ago in '99 after kargil.