The already beleaguered Pak-US relations took another dip with the arrest of Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai by the FBI. The news of Mr Fai’s arrest came as a shock to most countrymen, especially to those familiar with the name. He has toiled hard for more than two decades for creating awareness regarding the Kashmir dispute amongst the US policymakers. An Indian Kashmiri by origin, he has been living in exile in the US since 1980. He is widely recognised as the executive director of the Kashmir American Council (more commonly known as Kashmir Centre) — an NGO based in Washington, dedicated to propagating the peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute through peaceful discourse between all the stakeholders, namely governments of Pakistan and India, and the people of Kashmir.
The FBI’s affidavit accused him of “acting as agent of the Pakistani government in the United States without disclosing his affiliation as required by law”. It goes on to explain that Mr Fai had been receiving funds from Pakistan’s premier spy agency, the ISI, for making donations to US Congressmen in order to tilt their views in favour of Pakistan’s position on Kashmir.
Dr Fai did well as a lobbyist, and enjoys cordial relationships with many US Congressmen. Prestigious accolades bestowed upon him, like the Republican Senatorial Medal of Freedom and American Spirit Medal, are an emblem of his close connections with Washington’s power circles. Fai, like many other Kashmiri Muslims, dreamed of an end to the tyrannical occupation of his homeland at the hands of the Indian forces, and of a peaceful settlement of the dispute that is in line with the wishes of Kashmir’s inhabitants. Unlike others, he dedicated his life to what appeared to be a very farfetched dream. He also organised international peace conferences, year after year, to promote the cause; according to the FBI these (‘high-profile’ conferences) were also funded by the ISI.
These biographical details are mentioned here to point out that Mr Fai had been lobbying actively for the Kashmir cause ever since he set foot on American soil. All these years he had a clean chit from the US law enforcement agencies. However, the FBI claims to have questioned him on the topic at least twice in the past. Even if he was questioned regarding the sources of his funding, his activities were never hindered or restricted. His sudden arrest has left analysts speculating regarding the possible reasons behind this change of heart on the part of the American establishment.
On the face of it, Ghulam Nabi Fai appears to be the latest victim of the ever growing scuffle between the ISI and the CIA. The decade-long cordial relationship started showing shades of bitterness as the ISI expressed discontent over the issuance of visas to supposed CIA operatives. The distrust aggravated in the wake of the Raymond Davis saga, and the cracks in the relationship got exposed to the world as the CIA hunted down the world’s most feared man without trusting the ISI enough to share the mission’s details — a step that was viewed by Pakistan’s military as a violation of mutual rules of engagement. Reports suggest that Fai’s arrest might have been the CIA’s way of expressing discontent over the arrest of a Pakistani, Dr Shakil, who allegedly aided the Americans in conducting the Abbottabad operation. Many believe that during his recent visit to the US, the ISI chief was asked to set free the doctor, which he reportedly refused. The arrest of Fai just days after General Pasha’s return fuels speculations that the talks between the two spy agencies did not yield desirable results. Moreover, intentionally or coincidentally, the arrest came during Hillary Clinton’s visit to India. The timing is important.
A recent news story in the New York Times accuses the ISI of spying on, and harassing, Pakistani-Americans in order to bar them from openly speaking against the ISI’s policies. Details of a Pakistani spy who operated under the cover of a diplomat and was declared ‘persona non grata’ by the hosts have also surfaced. Analysts are predicting a further tightening of screws around the ISI’s covert operations in the US in what appears to be a possible reaction to the restrictions imposed on the movements of American agents in Pakistan by the ISI.
Such hostility amongst the spy agencies of different countries is not an uncommon occurrence, but this level of animosity between the two agencies fighting a war side by side is indeed a rare sight. It is quite evident that the ill will between the two spy agencies is growing with every passing day. In the past, the ISI has been blamed for making foreign policy decisions thought to be beyond its jurisdiction. These germs seem to have travelled to its American counterpart (or maybe were originally incubated in CIA laboratories). Currently, the Pak-US relationship appears to be a foreign policy fiasco. Probably it is time for the political leadership to step up. The leaderships need to realise that foreign policy is not a game of spies, fought by bloated egos. The intelligence agencies cannot be given the authority to determine the course of foreign relations.
The writer is deputy editor of an Urdu national daily. He can be reached at [email protected]