80 per cent of Fai's public statements provided by ISI: FBI

Washington, Jul 20: Up to 80 per cent of the public statements made by Ghulam Nabi Fai, who was arrested here for allegedly collaborating with ISI by funnelling money to influence US policy on Kashmir, were provided by the Pakistani spy agency to "repeat and disseminate verbatim".

This information was provided by the FBI in an affidavit filed in a US court. Fai, popular as "doctor sahib" in the local Pakistani American community here was arrested by the federal agency on Tuesday from his home in Fairfax, Virginia on charges of being an ISI agent.

He ran the Kashmiri American Council (KAC) from Washington, which the FBI in its affidavit said was established at the behest of the ISI to lobby on Kashmir at the Capitol Hill.

Up to 80 per cent of Fai's public statements are provided by ISI "to repeat and disseminate verbatim," the court document said.

"The other 20 per cent of the KAC's messaging consists of Fai's own ideas, which have been pre-approved by the ISI but not provided by them," it said.

Fai, who was produced before a local court in Alexandria, faces imprisonment of up to five years if proved guilty.His next court hearing is scheduled for on Thursday.

According to court documents, a confidential witness told the FBI the ISI selected Fai because he had no overt ties to Pakistan.

PTI