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RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT PRIORITY 1473
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK PRIORITY 3879
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RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO PRIORITY 1018
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RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 8896
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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
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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
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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