With more evidence emerging about Pakistani establishment's close links with terror groups,the country fits into US standard of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST) criteria in more than one way which have been designated under this category so far. The revelations during the ongoing trial of 26/11 suspect Tahawwur Hussein Rana in a Chicago court this past fortnight,and the information that has become public in the aftermath of the killing of Osama bin Laden in a safe house near Islamabad,has provided more evidence than ever to declare Pakistan as SST by the United States,well-informed sources said. According to the US,State sponsors of terrorism provide critical support to many non-state terrorist groups. Without state sponsors,these groups would have greater difficulty obtaining the funds,weapons,materials,and secure areas they require to plan and conduct operations. Till date,the US has designated four countries - Cuba,Iran,Sudan and Syria - as SST for several reasons,including providing physical safe haven and ideological support to members of terrorist organisations that are designated as Foreign Terrorist Organisations by the US (Cuba,Syria,Iran) and for continuing to permit US fugitives to live legally (Cuba). The US has also declared them SST for being principal supporter of groups that are implacably opposed to the Middle East Peace Process (Iran),provided weapons,training,and funding to terrorist organisations (Iran),unwilling to bring to justice senior al-Qaeda members (Iran) and the existence of foreign fighter facilitation networks (Syria). Pakistan provides physical safe haven and ideological support to members of terrorist organisations that are designated as Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the US (Lashkar-e-Taiba,Hizbul Mujahideen etc); and for continuing to permit US fugitives and terrorists designated by the UN to live in the country (Osama bin Laden,Dawood Ibrahim etc). Further it is principal supporter of groups that are implacably opposed to the US Role in Afghanistan and a general anti-Indian stance (Haqqani network,LeT,HM etc),provides weapons,training and funding to terrorist organisations (LeT as revealed by David Headley in his testimony in the Chicago Court) and is unwilling to bring to justice senior al-Qaeda members (Osama bin Laden was living peacefully in Abbottabad for five years). Not only this,in Pakistan there is also the existence of foreign fighter facilitation networks (all terrorist plots that have targeted the US,including the Times Square attempted bombing,Shoe Bomber etc were traced back to training in Pakistan and similarly,existence of large number of foreign fighters for al-Qaeda in Pakistan training camps have been found). As in the case of Sudan,which has been declared as a SST by the US in spite of the strong bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation because al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist as well as elements of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad,and Hamas,remained in the country,presence of Haqqani network,LeT,HM,and other affiliated groups of al Qaeda in Pakistan puts it on the same pedestal. Syria continues to be labeled a SST because of its "double speak". While Syrian officials have publicly condemned international terrorism,they continue to insist there is a distinction between terrorist attacks and attacks undertaken by "national liberation movements" engaged in legitimate armed resistance,including Palestinian groups,Lebanese Hezbollah,and members of the Iraqi opposition. The US does not agree with this characterisation and has designated a number of these groups as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTO). Similarly,Pakistan's attempt to depict some of the FTOs so declared by the US,as "freedom fighters" (LeT,HM etc) should automatically make it a SST,analyst feel. In the same manner that the Syrian government allowed conferences organised by Hamas to take place and has made no attempt to restrict the operation,travel,or movement of these groups' leaders or members,Pakistan has been allowing LeT,an organisation declared FTO by the US,to hold rallies,conferences,meetings and fund-raisers openly in all parts of the country. The Obama Administration,is unwilling to put Pakistan in the same bracket of SST,despite the fact that Islamabad meets more criteria's than any of these four countries because the implications it would have on US-Pak relationship,and also on its war against terrorism in Afghanistan. The designation of countries that repeatedly provide support for acts of international terrorism as SST carries with it four main sets of US Government sanctions: a ban on arms-related exports and sales,controls over exports of dual-use items,requiring 30-day Congressional notification for goods or services that could significantly enhance the terrorist-list country's military capability or ability to support terrorism and prohibitions on economic assistance. It also imposes a number of financial and other restrictions,including requiring the US to oppose loans by the World Bank and other international financial institutions; exception from the jurisdictional immunity in US courts of state sponsor countries,and all former state sponsor countries (with the exception of Iraq),with respect to claims for money damages for personal injury or death caused by certain acts of terrorism,torture,or extra-judicial killing.
