As the World's focus shifts to Af-Pak in the war against terror, and US President Obama describes it as one of the most important regions in the world in terms of global security, I trace back a money trail that originated from a natural calamity.
Osama Bin Laden's sanctuary and the recruiting fields for Al-Qaeda have now been in the focus of International attention, and funding for their weapons and terror operations could have been done by you , yes YOU, inadvertently.
The earthquake that rocked India and Pakistan in early October of 2005 secured international headline spots for the magnitude of destruction. Something that nobody had expected was the continuation of the earthquake in the news, but for very unobvious reasons.
The United Nations officials who supervised relief work in the quake affected areas of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and parts of NWFP had said that Pakistan would need at least 10 years to recover from the October 8 tremor.
The United Nations officials who supervised relief work in the quake affected areas of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and parts of NWFP had said that Pakistan would need at least 10 years to recover from the October 8 tremor.
Over 73000 people lost their lives and another 69000 were injured in the incident, and humanitarian aid from all over the world started pouring in.
The Pakistan government left no stone unturned in its effort to bring in as much relief possible into the country, at a donor conference convened by the UN and Pakistan in Geneva the flash appeal was raised to USD 549 million from the earlier appeal of USD 312 million.
The conference was addressed among others by UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan who focused on providing international assistance to Pakistan for relief and rehabilitation of the victims.
President Pervez Musharraf had stated that the damage caused by the earthquake was more than a billion dollars.
The conference was addressed among others by UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan who focused on providing international assistance to Pakistan for relief and rehabilitation of the victims.
President Pervez Musharraf had stated that the damage caused by the earthquake was more than a billion dollars.
The hearts melted, the souls were stirred and the images of young orphans wandering in the cold rubble laden terrain were beamed into the living rooms of almost every developed country in the world to substantiate the cause for donation.
Jamaat-ud-Dawa played a considerable role in helping the residents of Pakistani-occupied Kashmir and northern Pakistan recover from the earthquake, which struck a region that is home to several camps and bases belonging to militant Kashmiri groups and other radical organizations linked to al-Qaeda.
Jamaat-ud-Dawa is a reincarnation of Lashkar-e-Toiba. In 2002, Pakistan's President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf had banned Lashkar-e-Toiba, but the group renamed itself Jamaat-ud-Dawa as a way to evade sanctions, according to the US State Department. Lashkar-e-Toiba is one of the largest and best-trained groups fighting Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir. Lashkar-e-Toiba has been linked by U.S. authorities to al-Qaeda.
The very fact that Jamaat-ud-Dawa was created out of a rogue group placed the entire effort under suspicion. Hafiz Abdur Rehman Makki, the number two in Jamaat-ud-Dawa's hierarchy. An eloquent orator, Makki has the power to draw tears from his listeners. On October 21- 2005, Makki justified the earthquake as a punishment of Allah on the sinful quoting numerous verses from the holy Koran.
The very fact that Jamaat-ud-Dawa was created out of a rogue group placed the entire effort under suspicion. Hafiz Abdur Rehman Makki, the number two in Jamaat-ud-Dawa's hierarchy. An eloquent orator, Makki has the power to draw tears from his listeners. On October 21- 2005, Makki justified the earthquake as a punishment of Allah on the sinful quoting numerous verses from the holy Koran.
He ridiculed seismologists who rationalized the quake on scientific grounds, he said: “You are saying that the earthquake has occurred because the plates beneath the earth have dislocated. Oh foolish scientists, don't you know that the plates could have never moved without Allah's order? Human beings' knowledge is nothing before Allah who is the creator of the universe. Whatever knowledge you have today is due to His will. You could have learnt nothing had Allah not wished so! Don't you learn a lesson from the Jews? They are the worst receiver of Allah's wrath because they flayed His commandments blatantly. The earthquake is a reprimand to the rulers 
on their un-Islamic policies e.g. recognition of Israel, maligning jihad and ditching the jihadis, ridiculing jihad, perverting society with obscenity by urging women to work with men in all spheres of life, secularizing the curriculum, etc.”
on their un-Islamic policies e.g. recognition of Israel, maligning jihad and ditching the jihadis, ridiculing jihad, perverting society with obscenity by urging women to work with men in all spheres of life, secularizing the curriculum, etc.”“We can rise again. We can rule the world again. I give you a simple recipe. Donate money and sons for jihad and your glorious days will return. The entire world will be under your control. Bush and Blair will become your slaves and lick your boots.'”
Considering the fact this man was an instrumental figure in the relief efforts in PoK, it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to assess that a lot of money was siphoned off to organisations that preach terror.
Considering the fact this man was an instrumental figure in the relief efforts in PoK, it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to assess that a lot of money was siphoned off to organisations that preach terror.
With the unearthing of August 10-airliner terror plot, the murkier side of relief operations was highlighted. The incident sent shockwaves throughout the world and its ripples were felt in PoK too. The British intelligence community toiled hard to put the pieces of the terror-funding jigsaw together, and all fingers pointed at Pakistan after just two days of investigation.
Muslim Charity of UK remitted a huge amount of money to three individuals in three different bank accounts in Mirpur, Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) in December of 2005 as earthquake relief money.
Muslim Charity of UK remitted a huge amount of money to three individuals in three different bank accounts in Mirpur, Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) in December of 2005 as earthquake relief money.
But the money in the three accounts in Saudi Pak Bank, Standard Chartered and Habib Bank Ltd was solely for the purpose of financing the foiled bomb plot, according to the MI5 investigation. Two of the recipients were British citizens of Kashmir origin while the third was an Islamabad-based builder, also of Kashmir origin.
All three have been arrested lately, but the damage has already been done .Al Qaeda or Lashkar-e-Toiba might have benefited immensely from the relief money
All three have been arrested lately, but the damage has already been done .Al Qaeda or Lashkar-e-Toiba might have benefited immensely from the relief money
UK National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit authorities carried out ‘discreet enquiries’ about all major money transactions involved with relief money to Pakistan and tipped off the Pak Intelligence agencies about the same. Interrogation of the suspects revealed some key elements of the aircraft-bombing plan. It was then that the Pakistani officials informed British authorities about the plan and the terror attempt was successfully foiled.
Large portion of the money sent from Britain to the charity was siphoned off and ultimately used to prepare for the attacks. About 5 million British pounds, or USD10 million, was transferred to Pakistan, but that less than half was used for relief operations after the earthquake last October.
British intelligence smelled a foul play the moment the transfer was made in December last year. The unsuspecting souls in Britain contributed generously for the victims of the earthquake without having absolutely no idea that their contributions were used to hatch one of the biggest terror plots.
Large portion of the money sent from Britain to the charity was siphoned off and ultimately used to prepare for the attacks. About 5 million British pounds, or USD10 million, was transferred to Pakistan, but that less than half was used for relief operations after the earthquake last October.
British intelligence smelled a foul play the moment the transfer was made in December last year. The unsuspecting souls in Britain contributed generously for the victims of the earthquake without having absolutely no idea that their contributions were used to hatch one of the biggest terror plots.
The extent of money that has poured into the devastated region has been unprecedented and surpasses any previous aid amounts that Pakistan has received. A snippet of what various countries and unions donated should help get an insight into the extent.
The United States pledged a total of USD 510 million to Pakistan for relief and reconstruction efforts, following the earthquake. The American private donations for the earthquake relief and reconstruction were nearly USD100 million. Sri Lanka also donated USD 100,000 for undertaking relief and rehabilitation work in earthquake hit areas of Pakistan besides dispatching relief supplies like tents and blankets.
Japan gave a loan worth USD100 million to Pakistan for earthquake rehabilitation and reconstruction and a grant of USD270,000 for human resource development.
The European Commission earmarked 10 million Euros for the victims of the devastating earthquake in South Asia, out of which a major portion goes to Pakistan as the Indian side of Kashmir was affected less compared to its neighbour.
Japan gave a loan worth USD100 million to Pakistan for earthquake rehabilitation and reconstruction and a grant of USD270,000 for human resource development.
The European Commission earmarked 10 million Euros for the victims of the devastating earthquake in South Asia, out of which a major portion goes to Pakistan as the Indian side of Kashmir was affected less compared to its neighbour.
Jamaat- ud- Dawa initiated efforts to raise funds in British Pakistani areas in London, Birmingham and Manchester. The group also urged non-resident Pakistanis in Britian to go to the affected region to help in the relief efforts, and hundreds did. Out of the 23 suspects in custody after the arrests by British police, 17 are of Pakistani origin. As both a militant group and an organization for the masses, Jamaat ud Dawa resembles several of its counterparts that exist in the Muslim world, like Hamas in the Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The extent of suspicion the West has on these organisations can be gauged by the fact that post 9/11, the United States government shut down many Muslim charities suspecting them of funding terror activities.
A troublesome situation is brewing in Pakistan following the catastrophic earthquake. Exploiting the general public sentiment and riding on a wave of popularity gained by helping refugees, a host of religious extremist organizations have found new breeding grounds and a modus operandi to fill the void and present themselves as the better alternative to the secular and pro-West governance of President Pervez Musharraf. Lashkar-e-Toiba– an entity formerly known as Markaz-Dawa-wal-Irshad- looks all set to grow with the influx of millions of dollars.
Their ploy seemed to work and the earthquake that took lives of thousands proved to be a blessing for the terror group that intends to claim thousands of more lives.
The new question that arises out of this incident is a very disturbing one and even leaves the biggest of philanthropists in dilemma – How safe is it to donate to the ones in distress?
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