Context
The FBI has detained an American citizen, Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai, who has been blamed by the US Department of Justice for not telling the US government he received funding from Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) while campaigning for the Kashmiri cause and making donations to Congressmen.
The 62-year old Fai, who heads the Washington-based Kashmiri American Council (KAC), was taken into custody on Tuesday. A statement from the Department of Justice said Fai defied the Foreign Agents Registration Act and tried 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.” If found guilty, he can face up to five years behind bars.
The incident has taken place in the aftermath of the arrest made by Pakistani authorities of Dr. Shakil Afridi. Dr. Afridi allegedly helped CIA launch a fake vaccination campaign in Abbottabad to get Osama bin Laden. The arrests represent tit for tat responses by the intelligence organizations of the two countries, as the Pakistan relations continue to deteriorate over the future of Afghanistan.
