In a critical letter written by US Congressman Scott Perry to President Joe Biden, the congressman has urged to reject the appointment of Pakistan’s Ambassador Masood Khan to US. Congressman Perry said that Masood Khan’s appointment 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.”
Scott Perry calls Masood Khan a “terror sympathizer” and says “While I am encouraged that the State Department has reportedly placed a pause on approving Masood Khan as the new Ambassador from Pakistan, a pause is not enough. I urge you to reject any diplomatic credentials presented to you by Masood Khan and reject any effort by the Government of Pakistan to install this jihadist as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States.”
As per reports, Masood Khan’s nomination was sent by Pakistan’s Foreign Office in November last year, but was deliberately delayed by US. Masood Khan was supposed to replace Asad Majeed Khan, who had been serving in the position since January 2019.
The Congressman in his letter points that Masood Khan had praised both terrorists and terrorist organizations in the past. He says, “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. In 2019, Khan willingly appeared alongside Fazlur Rehman Khalil, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) who is the founder of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), a US-designated foreign terrorist organisation.”
Scott Perry further explains that Masood Khan has been the supporter of terrorist groups Kamaat-e-Islami and Helping Hand for Relief and Development, a group that had no qualms establishing a partnership with the foreign terrorist organization, Lashkar-e-Taiba, responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Masood Khan
As per reports, Masood Khan joined the foreign service in Pakistan in 1980. During the early stages of his career, he worked as a TV news anchor, but soon went to become the Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies, a think tank based in Islamabad, funded by Pakistan’s foreign ministry. Beside serving as the ambassador to China from 2008 to 2012, he also served as the Permanent Representative to the UN in New York from 2012-2015. He also held the position of president of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir from 2016 to 2021.
Calling Terrorist – A Hero
In an article published by Pakistan’s The Dawn on 8 July 2021, Masood Khan called slain militant leader, Burhan Wani a hero on the latter’s death anniversary. He said, “The history of Kashmir will remain incomplete without the chapter of Burhan Wani because he is a hero and a glittering star of the liberation struggle which has been continuing for the last seven decades.” Burhan Wani was a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, an Islamist militant organization active in India’s Jammu and Kashmir. He was killed by Indian security forces in July 2016. Hizbul Mujahideen has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States, European Union, India and Canada.
