Washington, December 03: Former US ambassador to Pakistan Ryan C. Crocker wanted to delay the designation of the Jamaatud- Dawa ( JuD) as a terror outfit.
This was revealed in a new batch of diplomatic cables made public by WikiLeaks on thursday night.
In the cable dated March 7, 2006, the US ambassador requested Washington to delay designation of the JuD — a cover for militant extremist outfit Lashkar- e- Tayyeba ( LeT) — as a terrorist entity until US troops left northwestern Pakistan.
US troops were flying aid to villagers affected by the 2005 earthquake in NWFP at the time and Crocker feared they could be targeted in the backlash if the JuD was branded a terror outfit.
“After reviewing the domestic terrorism finance designation of the JuD as an alterego of current terrorism finance designee LeT, Ambassador requests a two-week delay in pre-notification, presentation to the UN 1267 Committee and in the domestic designation,” the cable reads.
It adds: “In order not to increase the risk to our military personnel as they conclude their successful mission to Pakistan, post recommends that no action on the JuD designation be taken until all operations have concluded and DAC (Disaster Assistance Center) personnel are in Islamabad.”
The JuD was not designated until over two years later, in December 2008, following the Mumbai attack by LeT militants.
According to another cable exposed by WikiLeaks, Asif Ali Zardari told a top US official that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not understand the constraints under which he was functioning and had “ no clue” of what it takes to change the mindset of the Pakistani establishment, given Pakistan’s short history of fragile democratic regimes toppled by the military.
James Jones than the Indian PM was unaware of what it took to change the mindset of the Pakistani establishment. The discussion took place during a meeting in Islamabad on June 25 last year.
Zardari is said to have told Jones he was not convinced that the Indian PM understood the constraints under which the President was operating, said the cable signed off by the then US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson. “ Helping Singh to understand them is of import,” Zardari said.
On another note, Internet retailer Amazon on thursday kicked WikiLeaks off its hosting service following intense US pressure, prompting the whistleblower site to shift to web- hosting services in Europe.
The US, meanwhile, faced the ire of foreign governments who were scrutinised in leaked cables.
Many leaders voiced outrage upon learning that US diplomats privately doubted their intentions, abilities or integrity.
Vladimir Putin, for instance, blasted the US for calling Russia an oligarchy run by the security services. “ To be honest with you, we didn’t suspect that this would be done with such arrogance, with such a push and, you know, being so unethically done,” Putin said.
And UN Secretary- General Ban Ki- moon, who according to a leaked cable was under US surveillance on Clinton’s orders, said: “ I do not believe that anybody would be happy when somebody knows that he or she is under watch by somebody,” Ban said.
—Agencies