Viewing cable 06ISLAMABAD22174, TERROR FINANCE: EMBASSY PRESSES GOP ON UN 1267

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Reference ID	Created	Released	Classification	Origin
06ISLAMABAD22174	2006-11-27 09:09	2010-11-30 21:09	SECRET	Embassy Islamabad

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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 ISLAMABAD 022174 

SIPDIS 
SIPDIS 

EO 12958 DECL: 11/25/2016 
TAGS AF, EFIN, PK, PREL, PTER, KTFN, UN 
SUBJECT: TERROR FINANCE: EMBASSY PRESSES GOP ON UN 1267 
COMMITTEE CASES
REF: ISLAMABAD 22000

Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

¶1. (C) Summary: As noted in Ref A, post has raised the ongoing operations

of two UN 1267 Committee-designated entities -- Al Rashid Trust, Al Akhtar

Trust and Lashkar-e-Tayyba/Jamaat ud-Dawa (LeT/JuD) -- with contacts 

throughout the Government of Pakistan (GOP). While the Ambassador has 

pressed the issue with the Foreign Secretary and National Security 

Advisor, emboffs have engaged the MFA’s UN Directorate and the Information

Ministry. The GOP has responded by reviewing its procedures to disseminate

information on the prohibitions that accompany UN 1267 designation to

ensure that broadcasters and print media are aware that they should 

decline requests to purchase advertising space. No GOP official, however,

has committed to taking direct action to close the operations of these

entities. In addition to raising the issue with GOP officials, post has

also shared open source reports of these entities fund-raising activities

with like-minded missions in the Islamabad diplomatic community, as well

as with the visiting UNSC Counterterrorism Executive Directorate delegation.

End summary.

¶2. (C) In a November 17 meeting, the Ambassador presented Foreign Secretary

Riaz Khan with open source material detailing Al Rashid’s television 

solicitations for Zakat donations, a website highlighting federal Minister

of Information Durrani’s participation in an Al Akhtar Trust Ramadan event,

and a press report on the declaration of the Ministry of Defense 

Parliamentary Secretary that he was proud to be a member of LeT and that

he seeks to extend support to jihadi organizations when they seek his

“cooperation.” Each of these reports is disturbing in itself, the

Ambassador said, as they seriously damage Pakistan’s image in the 

international community. These incidents point to a more fundamental 

question: is the GOP is committed to implementing the sanctions that follow

a UN 1267 Committee designation?

¶3. (S) While the Foreign Secretary recognized the detrimental consequences 

of the news reports of these incidents, he cited Al Rashid’s pending 

challenge to the GOP’s implementation of 1267 sanctions (freezing accounts,

closing offices, etc.) as an impediment to more active government

intervention. The Ambassador emphasized that this series of incidents

could lead reasonable observers to conclude that the GOP is not serious

about its UN 1267 obligations; he urged the GOP to take immediate and

definitive steps against the designated entities. The Ambassador concluded

by stating that without strong public action by the GOP, the U.S. will

be forced to formally bring these incidents to the attention of the UN

1267 Committee. (Note: In an aside, the Foreign Secretary asked the 

Ambassador whether the U.S, has evidence linking JuD to terrorist activity.

The Ambassador replied affirmatively, noting that the USG has shared 

such information with GOP intelligence agencies. The Ambassador also 

advised the Foreign Secretary that there is a growing concern in the USG

about LeT/JuD support to the insurgency in Afghanistan. End note.)

¶4. (C) A week later, in a November 24 meeting with National Security 

Advisor Tariq Aziz, the Ambassador presented the same points, supported

by copies of the open source reports. (Note: This package of open source

material included a
ISLAMABAD 00022174 002 OF 003
November 20 report of a full page Al Akhtar advertisement in a Karachi 

Urdu-language paper solicit donations of meat for the poor during the 

coming Eid-al-Adha holiday. End note.) The Ambassador reported that he 

had also raised the issue with the Foreign Secretary, but was not certain

that the gravity of these UN 1267 Committee violations had registered 

with the MFA. The Ambassador observed that the bilateral relationship would

not be helped if the U.S. is forced to formally notify the UN 1267 

Committee of Pakistan’s lax implementation of its international obligations.

NSA Aziz agreed that the GOP wished to avoid a formal referral to the

UN 1267 committee, expressing serious concern over the broadcast and 

publication of the Al Akhtar and Al Rashid zakat solicitations and particular

irritation over the remarks by the Parliamentary Secretary for Defense.

While saying that the GOP cannot close down the accounts and operations 

of JuD, as the entity is not yet the subject of a 1267 designation, Aziz 

agreed that there is no similar impediment to taking firm action against

designees Al Akhtar and Al Rashid Trusts. Aziz promised the Ambassador

that he would pursue the matter within the GOP interagency.

¶5. (C) Complementing the Ambassador’s outreach, Public Affairs Counselor

and econoff have raised the issue of 1267 designees’ published and

broadcast fund-raising solicitations with the Information Secretary and 

with the MFA Spokesperson and Director General (UN). The Information 

Secretary pleaded ignorance that UN 1267 sanctions applied to broadcast

and print media; once the matter was brought to his attention by the 

Embassy, he said that he ordered the Information Ministry to advise all 

state-affiliated media outlets that they must not/not to accept advertising

or public service solicitations from any of the 1267 designees. (Note:

According to the MFA, a similar effort to reach private media outlets 

is said to be underway by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory 

Authority. End note.) Tasneem Aslam, the MFA spokesperson and UN

Director General, reaffirmed the GOP’s commitment to honoring its UN

obligations, but noted that a way must be found to “rehabilitate” 

designated entities, as their charitable and humanitarian activities

are a vital part of Pakistani society.

¶6. (C) The Ambassador discussed the recent spate of public reports on

1267 designee solicitations with Ambassador Ruperez, who led the UNSC

Counterterrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) delegation on a November

17-24 mission to assess Pakistan’s commitment to combat terrorism. 

PolCouns also privately briefed the senior legal advisor on USG concerns

over the continued operation of these entities in Pakistan. PolCouns 

has also shared the open source reports of the 1267-designated entities

with like-minded colleagues in the diplomatic community whose Embassies’

also engage the GOP on terror finance issues.

¶7. (SBU) Post’s efforts have not gone unnoticed: the November 25 

edition of the English-language “The Pakistan Post” carried a 

front-page article with the headline “Banned Outfits’ Ads Annoy US.”

The article said that the Interior Ministry has instructed relevant

government departments “to create awareness” within the press that

media should not accept advertising by organization designated by 

the UN. The Pakistan Post says that the Interior Ministry’s report

notes that “our each and every paper is monitored by the U.S. State

Department that (sic) has a separate section to monitor Urdu 

newspapers.” The Post article also reviews alleged U.S. efforts to

include JuD in the LeT 1267 designation, a campaign the paper 

describes as stymied after China demanded
ISLAMABAD 00022174 003 OF 003
evidence that JuD is connected to terror finance activities. (Note:

The Post’s story coincided with banner headlines describing dozens 

of new bilateral Pak-Chinese initiatives announced during Chinese 

President Hu’s November 23-26 state visit to Pakistan. End note.)

¶8. (C) Comment: Emboffs will continue to engage GOP officials and

contacts in the press, financial community, political parties and

the diplomatic community to raise awareness and generate multiple

points of pressure to demand that the GOP take firm action to terminate

the operations of 1267-designated entities. Post recommends reassessing

GOP progress on this issue in late December, with an eye to formal 

notification to the UN 1267 Committee in early 2007 if the GOP response 

is unsatisfactory. End comment. CROCKER