On the occasion of the second anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 by the Indian government, ISI agent Ghulam Nabi Fai led a protest in front of the Indian Embassy in Washington DC on August 5. It was part of several protests carried out across Europe and America, mostly sponsored by the Pakistan government. It may be noted that Pakistan has decided to mark the day 5th August as Youm-i-Istehsal or the day of exploitation, as the Islamic nation is trying to replicate the annual Al Quds Day protests sponsored by Iran govt in support of the Palestinians and to oppose Israel.
However, the Indian Embassy officials didn’t entertain the protestors and sent them back from the embassy. The embassy also refused to accept some documents Fai wanted to hand over to them.
A video of the incident has emerged on social media, which showed that Fai and some other protesters went to the Indian embassy in Washington DC. When they approached the main gate of the embassy, the security guard on duty redirected them to a different door. There, an embassy official emerged to talk to Fai and his group. When Fai wanted to hand over a packet of documents, presumably containing a memorandum of demands, to him, the officer said that he is not authorised to accept anything. The official asked them to send the documents by mail instead.
When asked who is authorised to do so, the official said that the authorised person is not available at present. He also refused to divulge his designation and name, saying he has been asked not to share those details. Snubbed by the embassy officials, Fai and his group had to return without holding protests.
The protest in Washington DC was organised by the World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF), an organisation of Ghulam Nabi Fai. The protest was supported by several Islamic groups such as U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA).
Ghulam Nabi Fai is known to be the public face of the anti-India Kashmiri lobby in the United States. He has organised high-profile events to lobby against the Indian government on the issue of Kashmir on behalf of ISI. Fai, who was born Kashmir was charged with using at least $4 million in Pakistani funds in a bid to influence the US position on the issue Kashmir.
Fai was convicted for working in the United States for Pakistani intelligence network Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to lobby for Kashmiri independence. He was arrested in July 2011 from Virginia for concealing the transfer of $3.5 million from the ISI to fund his lobbying efforts, and was sent to 24 months of a prison sentence in March 2012. However, he was released earlier in 2013 for his “cooperation” with US officials.
Among the WKAF leaders that accompanied Ghulam Nabi Fai to the Indian Embassy was Khalid Qazi, who is known to raise funds for a terror group. He was accused of raising money for Global Relief Foundation, which was designated by the US government as a terrorist organisation because of its links with Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. Global Relief Foundation is also listed in the UN Security Council Sanctions List. Other participants in the protests also have linked to Islamist terror groups.
