INDIA-HATING USCIRF SEEKS TO POISON INDIA’S TIES WITH US
an government agencies and officials responsible for the “severe religious freedom violations” by freezing their assets, including barring their entry into the US.
According to Indian officials, who are posted in the West and are tracking these developments, the recent surge in anti-india speeches and events that are being organised in Western countries where Indian “influencers” are being invited on an allexpenses paid trip to share their views on the “religious intolerance” taking place in the country is related to this annual report releasing exercise, apart from making a fresh bid to present India as a country where religious persecution has increased manifold in the recent times.
What has also caught the attention of independent observers is the similarity in the “findings” of USCIRF when it comes to India and the propaganda that is spread by groups and individuals who are known to be working for Pakistan’s interests at the global level.
The USCIRF, in 2014, changed India’s map, and removed Jammu and Kash
mir, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh from India. While J&K is regarded as “disputed” by Pakistan, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh are termed as “disputed” by China, Pakistan’s “iron brother”.
Maenza, who joined the USCIRF in 2018, had earlier worked for US politician Rick Santorum, a known friend of Pakistan. Maenza is also president of an organisation called “Patriot Voices”, which was founded by Santorum in 2012. Among her colleagues at Patriot Voices, is Terry Allen, who also happens to be a partner in a lobby firm called Fidelis Government Relations (FGR).
FGR was hired by Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) to lobby with USCIRF to target India. For their services, FGR was paid $40,000 between 2013 and 2014 alone by IAMC. IAMC is headed by Rasheed Ahmed, who was executive director (200817) of Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA), which was accused of embezzling public Covid funds. IMANA’S Director of Operations, Zahid Mahmood is an ex-pakistan Navy official.
FGR was also hired by Burma Task Force (BTF), another anti-india front, which was founded by Shaik Ubaid, who gave $267,000 to FGR between 2018-2020 to lobby against India with the US Congress among others.
BTF also hosted ISI agent Ghulam Nabi Fai, who was found guilty in 2011 by the
FBI for concealing the transfer of US$3.5 million from the US to Pakistan and was a well-known lobbying agent for Kashmiri separatists at the behest of ISI. Fai has also been seen frequently with “human rights” activist Angana Chatterji. Shaik Ubaid was a founding member of Coalition Against Genocide along with Angana Chatterji. Chatterji was with USCIRF Commissioner Maenza in another of her companies, Hardwired Global.
BTF, as per officials, is another front for Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). ICNA played a crucial role in banning the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US in 2005.
ICNA’S earlier avatar was Halqa-e-ahbab-e-islami (HAI) which was set up in 1968. One of the convicts in the Genocide of Bengali intellectuals in 1971, Ashrafuz Zaman Khan was associated with ICNA Queen’s Chapter New York. He was also one of the co-founders of Burma Task Force. ICNA’S connection with Jamaat-e-islami and Hizbul Mujahideen founder Syed Salahuddin are well documented.
In 2016, ICNA generated a lot of headlines after it felicitated Motiur Rahman Nizami—the leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-islami and Al-badr—who was responsible for the mass genocide of Bengali intellectuals during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. ICNA honoured him posthumously for his “Outstanding Contribution” to Islam and his role in the 1971 tragedy.
A crucial role played in the 2020 USCIRF report that called for blacklisting India was by Harrison Akins, a policy analyst with the organisation. Akins has been Ibn Khaldun Chair Research Fellow at American University’s School of International Services, where his mentor was Akbar Ahmad. Akbar Ahmad is a former Pakistani high commissioner to the UK.
Experts in India allege that not just Pakistan, even People’s Republic of China is involved in all these activities in a bid to throw a spanner in the burgeoning India-us relations.
Emails sent to USCIRF seeking their response on matter did not generate any response until the time the news report went to print.