The advisor to the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Firdaus Ashiq Awan was seen sharing the stage with the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen founder and US-designated terrorist Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil in an All parties Kashmir conference held in Islamabad on September 16, 2019.
US banned Terrorist Fazlur Rehman, founder of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen sharing stage with Pak PM’s advisor
Firdaus Asiq Awan@realDonaldTrump Mr President, Pak is fooling US in broad daylightFriends,Tag to @FATFNews so they Know that terrorists & Govt are one and same thing in Pak pic.twitter.com/51Snf6JZBH
— Major Surendra Poonia (@MajorPoonia) September 18, 2019
Besides Pakistan PM’s Special Assistant on Information-Firdaus Ashiq Awan, various other prominent Pakistani leaders were also seen attending the conference in the presence of Fazlur Rehman, the founder of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen terrorist group, that has been on the US State department’s foreign terrorist organisation list since 1997. Rehman was considered as a close aide to the Al-Qaeda terrorist Osama Bin Laden and allegedly in direct contact with the terrorist while he was living in hiding in Pakistan’s Abbottabad with his family. HuM was also involved in the murder of the Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl.
The presence of a dreaded terrorist like Fazlur Rehman in Pakistan government’s convened conference on Kashmir reaffirms India’s long-held assertion that Pakistan provides safe havens to terrorists on its land and they form an indispensable part of their foreign policy instrument. In order to escape the blame of sheltering terrorists, Pakistan has often described them in euphemistic terms as non-state actors. However, the legitimisation and mainstreaming of terrorists like Rehman betray Pakistan’s real intentions behind curbing terrorism emanating from its land.
Pakistan PM Imran Khan is also said to have a soft corner for the extremists operating right under his nose in Pakistan. He is also called as Taliban Khan for his staunch support for the terrorist group. Recently, in an interview with a Russian channel, Pakistan PM Imran Khan appeared to defend the jihadists in Pakistan while pinning the blame of the rise of terrorism in Pakistan on the United States of America. HuM terrorist Fazlur Rehman Khalil has been a fervid proponent of Imran Khan and has pledged his support for Imran Khan’s PTI, following which Imran Khan had inducted him into the party.
The photo of HuM terrorist addressing a conference on Kashmir comes on the heels of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting where Pakistan’s obedience to the action plan will be assessed, failing which it fears blacklisting. Pakistan is under the scanner of FATF for facilitating terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed to proliferate under its stewardship. In addition, other terrorists such as Hafiz Saeed are regularly spotted in political rallies across Pakistan spewing venom against India and soliciting donations for its so-called ‘charitable trust’ that indulge in promoting terrorism in India.
