Dissident Pakistanis Gather in the US
By Sajjad Shaukat (JR113SS12)
While quoting the Press Trust
of India, under the caption, “Dissident
Pakistanis gather in US to chalk future course of action,” as part of the
continued propaganda campaign against Pakistan, BusinessStandard.Com indicated on December 15, 2018 that a two
day conference was arranged by Hussain Haqqani-Pakistan’s former ambassador to
the US and Dr. Muhammad Taqi in the US on December 15, 2018, which culminated
on December 18. The conference was the third to be organized by the notorious
anti-Pak forum “South Asians against Terrorism and for Human Rights (SAATH)”.
The title of the event was “Pak after the Elections”. The event was reportedly
attended and addressed by US Congressman Bard Sherman, who is well known for
his anti-Pak rhetoric and also by journalists, bloggers and social media
activists who keep writing negatively about Pakistan. Few discussed items were
as under:-
Terrorism and
international isolation are the real threats to Pakistan, but unfortunately Pakistan’s
establishment refuses to recognize that reality.Liberals and Baloch, Sindhi,
Pashtun, Saraiki and Muhajir nationalists see the appointment of Imran Khan as
Prime Minister as a virtual military takeover, with a very poor civilians facade.
The Pakistanis press remains in chains.
It is notable that because of the ideal strategic location of
its province Baluchistan and being the lonely nuclear country in the Islamic World;
Pakistan has become special target of the foreign entities like US, India,
Israel and some western countries whose secret agencies have been destabilizing
it through various kinds of terror attacks, as witnessed in the recent years
and during the election-campaign of 2018. These hostile elements are also using
propaganda in maligning Pakistan.
In this regard, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has
become special target of these external entities, as India and America have
already opposed this project.
For the purpose of propaganda campaign against Pakistan,
these external elements have also hired the services of those Pakistanis who
are vulnerable and can work against the national interest of their own
country.
According to online sources, on 28-30 October 2016, these
traitors got together and a conference titled “Future of Pakistan” was
organized in London under aegis of SAATH. The moot was termed by segment of
social media as “Pakistani Left Gathers in London to Set Things Right”.
However, the website of SAATH leaves no stone unturned in spreading
disinformation about Pakistan, it security agencies and the government.
In the recent past, SAATH raised forum and the conference
which was co-hosted by a US-based activist Dr. Mohammad Taqi and Hussain
Haqqani was participated by the anti-Pakistan entities.
It is mentionable that on January 13, 2016, Farahnaz
Ispahani, the wife of Husain Haqqani was invited by Observer Research
Foundation (ORF), RAW affiliated think tank in New Delhi to launch her newly
written book titled ‘Purifying the Land of the Pure–Pakistan’s Religious
Minorities’. A good number of Indian foreign analysts, diplomats, retired
defence and intelligence officers attended the launch ceremony. Highlighting
the plight of minorities in Pakistan, Indian participants mainly focused on
Pakistan’s identity and argued that national identity for Pakistan was not
Islam, but their being part of Indian civilization was more realistic.
During her presentation, while exaggerating the plight of minorities
in Pakistan and targeting the ideology of Pakistan, Farahnaz said that
religious minorities are not safe in Pakistan. Following the foreign agenda
against Islamabad, Farahnaz Ispahani totally ignored the plight of religious
minorities in India. She did not take cognizance of the facts that since the
leader of the ruling party BJP Narendra Modi became Prime Minister of India,
various developments like unprecedented rise of Hindu extremism, persecution of
minorities, forced conversions of other religious minorities into Hindus, ban
on beef and cow slaughter, inclusion of Hindu religious books in curriculum
etc. clearly show that encouraged by the fundamentalist rulers, Hindu extremist
outfits such as BJP, RSS VHP, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena including other similar
parties have been promoting religious and ethnic chauvinism in India by
propagating ideology of Hindutva (Hindu nationalism).
It is noteworthy that Husain Haqqani also leaves no stone
unturned in distorting the image of Pakistan and its armed forces, while
showing Pakistan a fundamentalist state in order to please his external
masters. As regards Husain Haqqani, while serving as Pakistani ambassador, he
was protecting American interests. He had issued visas to many CIA agents like
Ramond Davis to weaken Pakistan. Besides, working at various American
institutes, Husain Haqqani developed secret liaisons with Indo-Israeli lobbies
and became covert element of anti-Pakistan campaign. Particularly, this could
be judged from his book, titled, ‘Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military.’ In
this book, Husain Haqqani targeted both military and Islamic ideology. While
pointing out relationship of the Pak Army and its primary intelligence agency,
ISI with the Islamic militants, Haqqani allegedly wrote, “since September 11,
2001, the selective cooperation of Pakistan’s military ruler, General Pervez
Musharraf—sharing intelligence with the United States and apprehending Al Qaeda
members—have led to the assumption that Pakistan might be ready to give up its
long-standing ties with radical Islam.” He advised America, “Washington should
no longer condone the Pakistani military’s support for Islamic militants.”
American famous writers and authors exaggeratedly praised the
book of Husain Haqqani, as it was in accordance with the hidden agenda and
blame game of the US and Indian high officials and their media and which still
continue against Islamabad and its security agencies. Especially, Stephen P.
Cohen, author of the book, ‘The Idea of Pakistan and The Pakistan Army’
allegedly wrote, “We are in Husain Haqqani’s debt for providing the
authoritative account of the linkages between Pakistan’s powerful Islamists and
its professional army.”
While, Husain Haqqani also escaped to America to avoid
judicial inquiry of the famous memogate issue, which proved his disloyalty to
Pakistan. He was declared absconder by the court.
It is of particular attention that during his briefing to the
National Assembly, on January 19, 2016, while confirming anti-Pakistan lobbies
in the US, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif had revealed,
“Pakistan is trying to acquire eight F-16 fighter jets from the US on lease,
but Husain Haqqani, the former ambassador to the US was campaigning
along with India to implicate Pakistan and to block delivery of F-16 fighter
jets.”
Nevertheless, SAATH forum has been able to get maximum attention
in Indian press and electronic media which published many articles and blogs to
malign Pakistan, its security forces—ISI and criticism of military operation
Zarb-e-Azb.
Nonetheless, the timing of holding this forum in the US is
interesting, as Pakistani Line of Control (LoC) is under direct assault from
the Indian Prime Minister Modi’s terrorists—stepping up in Balochistan and
Karachi in wake of determination of Islamabad and Beijing to complete the CPEC
project.
In fact, this “so called” forum meant for spreading
disinformation about Pakistan, its government and the armed forces. The forum
is being sponsored by the anti-state actor Hussain Haqqani. Many Pakistani
personalities like Dr. Muhammad Taqi etc. are on the list of SAATH forum, which
are known for anti-state and anti-army elements and are continuously engaged in
activities to defame Pak at international level.
Notably, the US congressmen such as Brad Sherman, Dana
Rohrabacher etc. are purposely invited as guest speakers to augment their
spiteful designs and to reinforce their narratives that harm Pak.
