Campaign of slander against Pakistan: Foreign Office lodges strong protest with US embassy

Pakistan accused United States on Thursday of a campaign of slander against Islamabad over the arrest of a man accused of acting as a Pakistani government agent in the US. Appreciating the contributions made by the Kashmiri American Council (KAC) and Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai for the cause of Jammu and Kashmir, the Foreign Office said that Pakistan Embassy in Washington has also been asked to ascertain details of the incident.
Sources said Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will also take up the issue with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a meeting expected to be held tomorrow (Saturday) in Bali on the eve of 18th ministerial meeting of the Asean Regional Forum (ARF). Hina is also expected to have bilateral meeting with the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yang Jiechi.
FBI arrested Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, the executive director of the Kashmiri American Council on Tuesday and charged him with being an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
"We appreciate the contributions made by the KAC and Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai for the cause of Jammu and Kashmir," the Foreign Office said, adding that Jammu and Kashmir was one of the oldest disputes on the agenda of the UN and there were several UN Security Council resolutions on the subject that affirm the inalienable right of the Kashmiris to self-determination. He said Dr Fai is a US citizen. The Foreign Office made it clear that upholding fundamental rights of Kashmiris was the fundamental responsibility of the international community and all the people who value human rights and values.
"The KAC has been working towards this end and Kashmiris appreciate and applaud its services, it said, adding that campaigns to defame the just cause of the Kashmiri people will not affect its legitimacy."