US-based Kashmiri separatist Ghulam Nabi Fai is known for
organizing annual conferences for leading political and intellectual figures,
human rights activists as well as Kashmiri separatists from both sides of the
Indo-Pak border and Line of Control (LoC). He was arrested yesterday by Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for illegally lobbying for Pakistan and
ISI. Fai used to call its events as “International Conferences” on Kashmir.
Most of self styled intellectuals and journalists who
attended conclaves, all-expenses paid trips, claim they had no idea about Fai’s
covert association with ISI. Ironically, one big name among the list is of
Dalip Padgaonkar, who had been appointed as chief interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir by
Government of India in October 2010. Which send shivers deep into spine of
people in India and Jammu and Kashmir, as
one who has been invitee and speaker in conclaves of G. N Fai, how could he be
the interlocutor, whose task is to strengthen the bonds between state and rest
of the country? As Fai’s mission was to aware and educate politicians,
journalists and intellectuals for self determination agenda of Kashmiri
separatists.
It is simply beyond to understand that a person who attendants
as speaker in Fai’s conclaves can not be one who could mediate between state
and rest of country in a satisfactory manner. Even authorities, who had
appointed Padgaonkar, will have to answer to the people of India that
whether they have gone through his credentials before appointing him on a
highly sensitive job. Such questions will be raised in the Parliament and
government has to answer.
Commenting upon the issue Vice President Bhartiya Janata
Party Rajesh Gupta said that these ISI agents should be rounded up as they had
been enjoying upon the ISI money. Referring to Dalip Padgaonkar, he said people
who had been on the pay role of ISI can not decide the future of generations to
come in Jammu and Kashmir.
He asked if US has awaken why India
is in asleep. He said that all those figuring in the list of Fai’s visitors
should be brought under scanner and their activities should be checked.
Spokesperson BJP, Dr Jatinder Singh while commenting on the
issue said that an impartial Inquiry Committee should be constituted to
investigate the source of income of some of so called activists, politicians
and intellectuals who were living hand to mouth before 1990 but became
overnight rich and amassed huge moveable and immovable properties. He also
demanded a government report on the progress made on state operations against
Hawala money channels funding Kashmir
separatists. Replying to a query, Singh said on the day one Dalip Padgaonkar
appointed his party raised questions, knowing that he had been links with Fai
who has been ISI agent in US.
Meanwhile, Padgaonkar said he had attended one conference organized
by Fai in 2005. “It was a two-day meeting. I had no idea about his antecedents
but went only after I was assured that many leading journalists from India and Pakistan would be participating. In
hindsight, I agree that if I had the slightest idea about who he actually was,
I would never have agreed to go to the US for his conference,” Padgaonkar
told to media.