Ghulam Nabi Fai
WASHINGTON: Up to 80 per cent of the public statements made by Ghulam Nabi Fai, who was arrested here for allegedly collaborating with ISI by funneling money to influence US policy on Kashmir, were provided by the Pakistani spy agency to “repeat and disseminate verbatim”.
This information was provided by the FBI in an affidavit filed in a US court.
Fai, popular as “doctor sahib” in the local Pakistani American community here was arrested by the federal agency yesterday from his home in Fairfax, Virginia on charges of being an ISI agent.
He ran the Kashmiri American Council (KAC) from Washington, which the FBI in its affidavit said was established at the behest of the ISI to lobby on Kashmir at the Capitol Hill.
Up to 80 per cent of Fai’s public statements are provided by ISI “to repeat and disseminate verbatim,” the court document said.
“The other 20 per cent of the KAC’s messaging consists of Fai’s own ideas, which have been pre-approved by the ISI but not provided by them,” it said.
Fai, who was produced before a local court in Alexandria, faces imprisonment of up to five years if proved guilty.
According to court documents, a confidential witness told the FBI the ISI selected Fai because he had no overt ties to Pakistan. In January this year, Fai received a list of media persons and think tanks from a senior Pakistani Embassy official in Washington with whom he was needed to meet and cultivate relationship.
According to FBI affidavit, on January 6, Fai received a message from Fozia Bibi, the Third Secretary of the Embassy of Pakistan, attaching a list of 11 media persons and six intellectuals from think tanks.
“On January 10, 2011, Fai responded by noting that he had “requested the DCM” for the list of names, and that he would try to contact the individuals that he did not yet know.
“I believe that Fai’s reference to “DCM” referred to the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Pakistani Embassy,” a FBI agent said.
“Between January 29, 2011, and March 7, 2011, Fai contacted four of the six individuals named on the “Think Tank” list, as well as the peer of a fifth individual, and asked them whether they would be willing to receive a lecture on the Kashmiri conflict from Fai and the KAC board members,” the agent said.
According to the FBI, on January 23, Fai had a conversation with an individual referred as “John,” who serves as an officer of a Kashmiri organization.
FBI investigation has revealed that John, like Fai, has received numerous emails from Fai’s former ISI handlers.-PTI
