Fai not to fog Pak talks

New Delhi, July 23: The arrest of alleged Kashmiri militant Ghulam Nabi Fai in the US and the investigation into his links will figure in talks between the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers next week.

But government sources in New Delhi believe that the unearthing of Fai’s connections to the Pakistan government, whose funds he was allegedly using, may not impact the talks between S.M. Krishna and Hina Rabbani Khar.

India has been in touch with authorities in the US urging an investigation into Fai’s activities at least since the time the late Siddhartha Shankar Ray was ambassador in Washington (1992-1996), sources said here today.

They believe a close look into Fai’s links were part of the joint effort on counter-terrorism that India and the US are involved in and also the counter-terror effort that Islamabad has committed itself to in its talks with New Delhi.

Fai was heading the Kashmir American Council that invited many prominent Indian journalists, politicians and public figures to participate in seminars and funded their visits to the US. He used these platforms to further Pakistan’s Kashmir agenda.

He was arrested this week because the US justice department found evidence of his connections with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) that he had not disclosed, as was required under US law.

Among the Indians who were hosted by Fai was Dileep Padgaonkar, journalist, who is one of three interlocutors appointed by the Centre for talks with political figures and activists in Kashmir.

Asked how the Centre saw these links that Fai had developed, the government source said: “I am sure all of them are very embarrassed now. In their position I would not have done the same thing. They may have gone as contrarians. It may not be that they endorsed Fai’s views. At least Fai has now met his comeuppance.”

The government official believe that pro-militant outfits in London and Brussels who were also advocating Pakistan’s Kashmir agenda could also be running for cover now. The official said the investigation in the US was right now being conducted by the justice department and “it is of enormous significance that for the first time the net is closing on these people”.

India would involve itself in looking at “Fai’s money trail as and when the US government shares evidence with us”, the source said.