US Congressman wants Biden to recall Imran's new envoy to US; states Masood Khan is terror sympathizer

By Anish Kumar | First Published Jan 31, 2022, 5:59 PM IST

Scott Perry, Member of Congress 10th District, Pennsylvania recently shot off a letter to the US president urging him to decline any diplomatic credentials presented to Masood Khan.

Months after Pakistan named former president of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Masood Khan as its new ambassador to the United States, a US Congressman has termed him as a 'jihadist' and urged President Joe Biden to reject his installation as Islamabad’s envoy.

Scott Perry, Member of Congress 10th District, Pennsylvania recently shot off a letter to the US president urging him to decline any diplomatic credentials presented to Masood Khan.

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Stating that Imran Khan's nomination of a 'bona fide terrorist sympathizer' working to undermine the American interests in the region, including that of the security interests of India, Perry stated that Masood can only be described as a breathtaking lack of judgment at best, and a demonstration of Islamabad’s unmitigated contempt for the United States at worst.

Further slamming Imran Khan's new appointee, Perry said Masood has openly praised both terrorists and foreign terrorist organizations like the Hizbul Mujahideen in unsettling terms.

'He has encouraged young men to emulate jihadists like Burhan Wani, a former commander of Hizbul Mujahideen who dedicated his life to a holy war against India. In 2017, Khan lashed out at the United States for designating the leader of Hizbul Mujahideen for sanctions, calling those sanctions ‘unjustifiable’,' Perry highlighted in his letter to Biden.

Giving more details about Masood in his communication, Perry said, 'In 2019, he willingly appeared alongside Fazlur Rehman Khalil, a specially-designated global terrorist who is the founder of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen -- a US-designated foreign terrorist organization. Khalil’s SDGT designation was justified by the Treasury Department in 2014 due to his ‘close relationship with the Al Qaida, including with Osama Bin Laden prior to his death. Khalil was a key member of Osama's International Islamic Front and a cosignatory of the slain Al Qaeda head's first fatwa, issued in 1998, calling for attacks against the United States.'

This unscrupulous individual also called on the United States to free would-be mass murderer Aafia Siddiqui, the US Congressman said, adding that in 2010, Siddiqui was convicted of attempting to murder American troops; since then, jihadists have regularly clamoured for her release -- to include the perpetrator behind the anti-Semitic hostage crisis in Colleyville, Texas earlier this month.

Currently, the United States has put his appointment on hold. Perry further added that a pause is not enough. Instead, his deployment at the Pakistan embassy in the US should be rejected. Masood Khan was to replace Asad Majeed Khan, who had been serving as Pakistan’s envoy since January 2019. He is expected to return to Islamabad by mid-2022.

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