'Dangerous Pak regime to co-opt Islamists through appointment of new envoy to US'

New Delhi, Nov 23 Pakistan's new Ambassador to the US, Masood Khan is a dangerous radical with a long history of working with Islamists in the West and jihadis in the East. His appointment is evidence of an increasingly dangerous Pakistani regime, which is working to co-opt and support Islamists all around the world, including in the US, Sam Westrop wrote in a recent article in National Review.

"Masood's appointment will serve not just to advance Pakistan's influence within American Islamism but also to assist Pakistan's Islamist-driven foreign policy against India. As the former leader of Pakistani Kashmir, he is the obvious choice for a spokesperson to divert attention away from Pakistan's reprehensible role in Afghanistan and toward the question of Kashmir — denouncing India and justifying Pakistani-backed jihad," Westrop said.

"Masood Khan is the latest example of a renascent theocratic Pakistan. His tenure in D.C. will empower radicals in both the U.S. and South Asia. He is an open supporter of US-designated terrorists, dressed in the niceties of international diplomacy. Although foreign ambassadors are rarely rejected by Western countries, the Biden administration should at least consider this option for Masood Khan," Westrop wrote.

"Examples of Khan's jihadi links are shamelessly plentiful", it said. In July 2021, while serving as president of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Khan provided a "special message" on the "fifth martyrdom anniversary of Kashmir's most beloved freedom fighter Burhan Wani", he said.

Wani is not the only Hizbul Mujahideen jihadi regarded favourably by Khan.

In June 2017, following the US State Department's decision to designate the terrorist organization, mainstream Pakistani media reported that Khan expressed full support for the Hizbul Mujahideen. Khan further declared that US sanctions against the terrorist group's leader, Syed Salahuddin, were "unjustified". Salahuddin is also the chair of the United Jihad Council, a Kashmiri umbrella group for terrorists backed by the Pakistani regime, Westrop said.

The Hizbul Mujahideen is not the only terrorist organization that Khan is willing to embrace. In 2019, alongside senior officials of the Pakistani government, he took part in the All Parties Kashmir Solidarity Conference in Islamabad. Indian media revealed that Khan shared the stage with Fazlur Rehman Khalil, founder of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen

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