WASHINGTON: A US legislator has called for the designation of Pakistan as a state guarantor of terrorism while two others sought an inquiry into Ambassador Masood Khan’s contended links with Kashmiri and Pakistani groups.
The generator of the move is Scott Perry, a Democratic Solon from Pennsylvania.
The bill moved by him seeks to “ give for the designation of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as a state guarantor of terrorism, and for other purposes”. The bill has now appertained to the US House committee on foreign affairs.
The proposed warrants include restrictions on foreign backing; a ban on defense exports and deals; certain controls over the import of binary use particulars; and eclectic fiscal and other restrictions.
Others call for penalizing persons and countries engaging in trade with a state declared a guarantor of terrorism.
Only four countries have been designated guarantors of terrorism so far Cuba, North Korea, Iran, and Syria.
On March 9, three lawgivers — Scott Perry, Gregory Steube, and MaryE. Miller — transferred a letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, claiming that Ambassador Masood Khan’s close relationship “ with domestic actors linked with the Pakistani governance remains a critical concern”.
Masood Khan, Pakistan’s new minister to the US, is an elderly diplomat who formerly served in New York as Islamabad’s endless representative to the United Nations. He was also Azad Kashmir’s chairman till August last time.
The three US lawgivers have called for a disquisition into allegations that Mr. Khan, who has formerly been verified as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US, has links with Muslim groups and organizations in the United States.
Last month, another US legislator tried to block Mr. Khan’s advertisement, but the Biden administration rejected his kick and verified the appointment.
