Are Indian intellectuals on the take from Pakistan's spy agency?
The indictment of Ghulam Nabi Fai, Executive Director of Kashmiri American Council (KAC) by US authorities, has blown the lid off what must have been an open secret in the secu-liberal crowd and what we had long suspected. Fai ran one of the many Pakistan affiliated NGOs in America that purport to fight for human rights and Azadi aspirations of Kashmir folks. Well, it turns out he was actually being funded by ISI, Pakistan's well known spy agency. In order to subvert US policy, Fai would funnel millions of dollars into the US, even donating to political campaigns of American politicians, including President Barack Obama. Fai's organization paid $250 to the presidents campaign kitty.
Unfortunately, the source of funds and their use ran afoul of the US laws.
Fai also cultivated Indian 'intellectuals' to further his cause. Dozens would attend his seminars in the US as guest speakers. Indian intellectuals speaking against India and for the Kashmir cause in front of an audience of American lawmakers and academicians gave KAC's agenda a certain type of legitimacy. Did they know?
As far back as 2003 (update: maybe even 1994), Indian Embassy circles knew that "it wasn't a real conference but an anti-India shop". There is no reason to believe various Indian intellectuals who attended those seminars did not know the true nature of Fai's organization. Did they willfully ignore the danger signs?
Was there any quid pro quo? Did all it take to turn Human Rights wallah into the public relations equivalent of a tactical nuclear weapon against India just a round trip ticket to the US of A?
The list of Indian 'intellectuals' who attended Fai's seminars runs about a mile long, virtually all the biggest blowhards of secularism can be found on this list. Some of the names that are making the rounds are: Kuldip Nayar, Justice Rajinder Sachar, Gautam Navlakha, Siddharth Varadarajan (editor, The Hindu), Harinder Baweja (Tehelka), Praveen Swamy, Subramanian Swami, Bharat Bhushan (Mail Today editor), Dilip Padgaonkar, Harish Khare, Rita Manchanda, Kamal Chenoy, Praful Bidwai, Ved Bhasin.
Justice Rajinder Sachar authored the controversial Sachar report.
Dilip Padgaonkar is one of the Government appointed Kashmir 'interlocutors'.
Harish Khare is the media adviser to the Prime Minister.
This is serious. Some of them owned up to attending Fai's seminars and/or provided reasonable explanations, among them are Sid Varadarajan and Subramanian Swamy. The rest seems to have clammed up.
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So, what we have here is a club of self-anointed high priests of virtue which turns out to be no better than a cottage industry of cheap hustlers. Between fake affidavits and anti-national rants for bits from a very hostile entity, there isn't much left of one's conscience to be compromised.
The Government is likely to question the intellectuals involved. It remains to be seen how they go about this. This investigation might provide vital clues as to whether the Congress establishment has remained merely corrupt and exploitative or has transitioned into the dark zone of open subversion.
3 comments:
ISI claims that it didn't breach any understanding with the US - it may be true. It's US, long aware of the close Fai-ISI ties, that changed the rule.
Please don't call them 'liberals'. By allowing them to assign a positive word like 'liberal' or 'progressive' to themselves, we already concede the battle before it has even begun. Would you want to enter into a public debate with someone under the agreement that they get to call themselves the 'smart/good person' while you have to be known as the 'dumb/evil person'?
Timely. Concise. Sharp.
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