80 per cent of Ghulam Nabi Fai's public statements provided by ISI: FBI

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.

His next court hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.According to court documents, a confidential witness told the FBI the ISI selected Fai because he had no overt ties to Pakistan.

"ISI's sponsorship and control of the KAC was secret, and that the ISI has been operating Fai for at least the past 25 years," the court documents said.

Fai, has however, denied his association with the ISI. On March 22, Fai was interviewed by FBI agents at the KAC office in Washington.

At that time, Fai stated that he had never met anyone who identified himself as being affiliated with the ISI, and did not suspect any associates or acquaintances of being ISI operatives.

Further, Fai stated that he was not aware of any ISI presence within the US, and believed that the ISI did not operate in the United States at all.

However, the FBI in its affidavit claims that all documentary evidences indicate that Fai was an ISI agent and he acted at the direction of his ISI handlers – to whom he not only submitted the regular annual report and sought approval of his various activities, but also who all should be invited to the conferences being hosted by the KAC.

About a year before his arrest, Fai was found by New York Police having USD 35,000 in cash, the FBI informed a US court.

Fai told the police that he had just received the cash from Straw Donor B (not named) as a contribution to KAC. Shortly after being stopped, Fai called Straw Donor B and told him that the police had stopped him, searched his car, and found the money, the FBI affidavit said.

However, the fact was that this was the money which was being made available to him allegedly by his ISI handlers in Pakistan for his separatist Kashmir campaign in the US.

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 organisation.

FBI investigation has revealed that John, like Fai, has received numerous emails from Fai's former ISI handlers.