Hindu Human Rights Group Assails Pakistan's Harboring of bin Laden - Emblematic of "Double Game"
Washington, D.C. (May 2, 2011) - The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) hailed the heroism of U.S. Armed Forces and congratulated the Obama Administration today for the successful operation in Abbotabad, Pakistan that ended the life of Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda and mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. That bin Laden’s end came in a compound so close to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, where some have speculated he had been hiding and operating his terror base for several years, is emblematic of “profound intertwining “of the Pakistani military and intelligence service with terror networks, asserted HAF leaders as they assessed the aftermath.
"Today, a man who slaughtered thousands of innocent Americans was brought to justice despite being harbored in the heartland of Pakistan, but the war on terror is far from over,” said Suhag A. Shukla, Esq., HAF Managing Director and Legal Counsel. “The Pakistani military, that has institutionalized terror as a proxy war weapon, stands exposed despite dubious assertions to the contrary, of its close relationships with al Qaeda and the Taliban. The real test for the global community is whether it is brave enough to call out and expose Pakistan’s double game.”
According to public records, since 2001, the US has given Pakistan over $17 billion in military and humanitarian aid to fight Islamic insurgency and invest in its infrastructure. But no serious progress has been made in dismantling the Islamist terror infrastructure that fueled a decades old conflict in India’s state of Jammu and Kashmir, supports the ongoing instability in Afghanistan and perpetrated the Mumbai attacks of 2008. Shukla pointed out that HAF’s upcoming annual Hindu human rights report once again censures Pakistan for serious persecution of Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan, and that they have been “disenfranchised for decades by the same ideology that brought attacks to America’s borders.”
“In a country where the rule of law affords little protection to Hindus, Christians and Ahmaddiyas, and brave public officials are assassinated when they dare to speak, how can ordinary citizens expect justice for crimes perpetrated against them,” asked Jay Kansara, HAF’s Associate Director. “With bin Laden gone, U.S. engagement with Pakistan should not end here but rather continue with open dialog regarding its fledgling human rights record. We urge the Obama Administration to put heightened pressure on the Pakistani Government to protect their religious minorities and adequately serve justice to those who perpetuate intolerance.”