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Monday, November 14, 2011

[chottala.com] Digital Action of Golden Sons of Sk. Mujib





Sheikh Hasina's 'golden sons' are in action!

The police in Brahmanbaria arrested one local Chhatra League leader on specific charges of explosion, and then this is how his supporters attacked them. Will Sheikh Hasina's crusade against terrorism be directed against these hooligans in her party? Probably not. Because she is after the phantom of terrorism only to conceal the thugs in her camp.



Source: Amar Desh, Dhaka, 15 November 2011:

http://www.amardeshonline.com/pages/details/2011/11/15/117390




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[chottala.com] Lest we forget : BNP's jewish connection .....[Via Shamsher M. Chowdhury]



BNP's Jewish Connection !!!!!!!!

The Talented Dr. Richard Benkin

[Hat tip to Shafiur via his comment and another hat tip to Salam Dhaka and Shuchinta]

It turns out that Dr. Richard Benkin, the "reporter" who is the source of stories about Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and Mr. Choudhury's supporter, is registered as a foreign lobbyist. However, if I asked you to guess which government he represented, you would probably be way off the mark.

On September 6, 2005 Dr. Richard Benkin registered as a foreign agent with the United States Department of Justice, under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), for the Government of Bangladesh. [Click here to see the registration document.] Given the kind of articles Dr. Benkin writes about Bangladesh, this revelation is rather shocking.

Dr. Benkin was hired to prepare and disseminate informational materials via radio or TV broadcasts, magazines or newspaper articles, letters or telegrams, press releases and the internet. He was hired to disseminate this information to public officials, civic groups or associations, legislators, newspapers and editors. According to the document filed with the US government, Dr. Benkin had already received $5000 from the Government of Bangladesh as payment for his services. He was to receive $5000 per month based on an oral agreement between Dr. Benkin and the Government of Bangladesh. According to the filing:

The Registrant agreed to provide Public Relations services to the Foreign Principal at a cost of $5000.00 per month, to be paid to the Registrant at the beginning of each month for services that month. There is no formal duration, but it is expected to last at least twelve months.

A month after Dr. Benkin filed his paperwork, the respected lobbying firms Ketchum Washington and The Washington Group also registered as foreign agents for the Government of Bangladesh to do public relations. [Click here to see Ketchum's registration and click here to see The Washington Group's registration.]

There is one significant difference between Dr. Benkin's lobbying and those of Ketchum and The Washington Group. While Ketchum and The Washington Group indicated in their filing that they would deal with the Bangladeshi Embassy in Washington via the ambassador, Shamsher M. Chowdhury, the filing by Dr. Benkin indicated that he would deal with Lutfuzzaman Babar, State Minister for Home Affairs in Bangladesh. The difference is significant.

As an aside, the reader will note that in the first email Rabbi Sue Levy sent me regarding Mr. Choudhury, she accused the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington of trying to discredit Mr. Choudhury.

It does seem unusual that Dr. Benkin would ink his deal with a Bangladeshi state minister involved with domestic law and order, rather than with the official representative of Bangladesh, that is the ambassador and the Embassy. Why the Bangladesh Embassy was sidestepped in a foreign lobbying effort is certainly food for thought. Further Mr. Babar is featured and cited in a large number of Dr. Benkin's "reports" about Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury - yet, Dr. Benkin never mentions that he is a paid consultant working for Mr. Babar. Mr. Babar was also featured in a glowing article dated June 15, 2006 entitled "Babar & His Magic Stick" in the Asian Tribune, Dr. Benkin's mouthpiece of choice. The article was written by a certain Christopher Giddings whose prose is decidedly Bangladeshi in tone, rather than one of a native english speaker.

Those familiar with Bangladesh will note that Mr. Babar is a young politician who gained a reputation for ruthlessness by creating the Rapid Action Battalian (RAB) in March 2004, a paramilitary force responsible for countless extra-judicial killings in Bangladesh. Those unfamiliar with RAB under Mr. Babar can get a sense of their modus operandi by reading the publication "Judge, Jury and Executioner" by Human Rights Watch.

The current interim government in Bangladesh is likely tightening the noose on Mr. Babar, now the former state minister, on alleged corruption charges. So far, anti-corruption forces have raided his home, and have arrested his personal secretary and his cousin on corruption charges.

I can see why Mr. Babar might want a personal PR man to defend his brand of human rights abuses - a lot of people have famously died in the "crossfire" as RAB hunted extremists and common criminals alike. However, Mr. Babar might have been running his own little fiefdom without official government sanction. It makes little sense that at the same time the Government of Bangladesh, through legitimate diplomatic channels, was enlisting the likes of Ketchum and The Washington Group, that a state minister in Bangladesh would hire a foreign lobbyist on his own. It also seems odd that he is repeatedly cited by Dr. Benkin in his "reports" that masquerade as news stories without mentioning that Dr. Benkin is on Mr. Babar's payroll. I am sure the anti-corruption authorities in Bangladesh will have a few questions.

There is a lot of reporting to be done here. I leave it to the reader and fellow Bangladeshi bloggers to fill in the blanks to paint the complete picture. Something smells, and it smells bad.

BONUS for Bangladeshi readers: Here is a glowing article about Tareque Rahman by the aforementioned Christopher Giddings in the Asian Tribune. For non-Bangladeshis, Tareque Rahman, the son of the previous prime minister, is known in Bangladesh as "Mr. Ten Percent" and he has just been arrested for massive corruption.

 [FARA documents via Shuchinta]

 © 2007 Mashuqur Rahman | Category: Bangladesh, Foreign Policy, Politics | 20 comments | 9,829 views | Subscribe to the comments of this post

 

http://www.docstrangelove.com/2007/03/12/the-talented-dr-richard-benkin/

 

20 comments to The Talented Dr. Richard Benkin

  • Aah, the plot thickens. Great work, Mash. I knew your blog wasn't a fraud. I wonder what the opposing view's response will be to this little nugget of information. :-"

  • Great digging! Bring the rats out of their holes.
    I have wondered why Babar hasn't been on the list of hundred corrup individuals (many of them former ministers and MPs) that are being detained. Rumor had it, he used to have his own trained army of goons that attacked prominent poiticians during rallies in the last five years.

  • What a bizzare world.

    Good question - why is Babar not on the first 100 list?

    Richard Benkin lobbying for him? :-)

  •  Mash

    Robbie, I think the conversation in the other thread has hit rock bottom :)

    Zafa, Salam Dhaka, I think the charges against Shoiab are starting to get some meat on the bones. Dr. Benkin has been rather busy for his client. I wonder how many folks in Bangladesh actually know about the connection between Benkin and Babar from the filings in the US.

    Another thing to track down is this "Christopher Giddings" of the Asian Tribune. My money is that it is a pseudonym for some Bangladeshi writer. I have an obvious guess but it needs to be run down first. The two pieces he wrote praising Babar and Tareque are quite hilarious - the most sycophantic Bengali would have to work hard to heap such praise.

    Like I said, there is definitely some there there.

  • Group Captain Mandrake

    Great digging, Mash–investigative journalism at its best. This deal just keeps getting more interesting.

  • sharon

    Why are you trying to discredit Dr. Benkin? He, I believe is very sincere, and has helped Mr. Choudhury. Mr. Choudhury tries to fight propaganda and is an honest man.

  •  Mash

    Sharon, I think his record speaks for itself.

  • Sajjad Jahir

    Benkin should repent for his role during BNP-Jamaat raj.

  • Sajjad Jahir

    Sharon is very much wrong. Shoaib is the most dishonest person I ever came across. Less than two years ago, he was in New York hotel where a number of high profile businessmen and lobbyists were giving him awards. Shoaib, the crook was sitting side by side with the Nobel Laureate Eli Wiesel. In his speech, Shoaib made up a story of a fourteen year Jewish girl in Chittagong being raped. He knew it was a big lie, but he wanted to dramatize bringing persecution of Jews in Bangladesh. He was challenged by a Bengali guy and could not give any good answer for his lie. Read the following essay:
    http://deshivoice.blogspot.com/2009/04/karma-chameleon-salah-uddin-shoaib.html

  • Jordan

    I saw Mr Choudhury speak at Rutgers during his most recent US tour. Mr. Choudhury was invited by various Jewish student groups at the school. I knew that something was strange when only Rutgers and Yale invited him to speak. An outspoken Muslim friend of Israel! Jailed and beaten for his beliefs! This should have been so interesting that Jewish student groups would be climbing over to invite him to speak. As a former Hillel event leader I thought about contacting my alma matter and telling them that they had to bring him - thank god I didn't.

    At the talk, I naively remarked to the girl next to me that he seemed to be in remarkable physical health for someone who had been severely beaten so many times. I detected no limps or scars. I generally am an obsessive googler of any person or talk that I am going to meet, as I believe that it is always beneficial to have context, but in this case I had been too busy in the days before the talk. While sitting there I started research him and Benkin through my phone's web browser, which is when I came across this blog. As an American Jew who made great sacrifices to move to Israel and serve in the IDF, there are few people who can claim to be bigger supporters of Israel than I. As such I was deeply embarrassed when I started putting the pieces together and realized what a sham this was. Mr. Choudhury's "talk" was nothing more than a diatribe against the Arab and Muslim worlds, in such simplistic and exaggerated terms as to be insulting to anyone with a hint of intelligence, let alone an esteemed university. I am a relatively right-wing Israeli voter - I voted for Ariel Sharon over Ehud Barak (although more recently chose Tzipi Livni over Bibi Netanyahu) and am doubtful about the viability of the two-state solution - but this was so low that I felt dirty and complicit just listening to it. When his "speech" ended after only 10-15 minutes I got up and left before the questions and the love-fest began.

    It's been a month and I am still embarrassed to have fallen for this ruse.

  • Jordan

    I should also add that this story is so bizarre that I feel even Kafka could not have made it up.

  • Between me and my husband we've owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I've settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.

  • Marlene

    I agree that this person is a total liar, cheat and phony. He steals money from people. I am a USA journalist and I want to expose him. Research of BD documents would help. Please write to me at msgrnbrg@aol.com if you want to help with this.

  • Surprisee Admin , i read with ur posting. LOL Please come to my blog

  • Nadia

    grave immoral act by an ASP highway bogora & CO RAB-1
    3/1/2011 8:30pm
    SP Mir Ashraf Ali of Bogora Highway impersonated himself as The SP of Bogora for the sake of showdown brought his vehicle for an imperial entrance into the neighborhood of Ulon west rampura riding a conspicuous vehicle, Mitsubishi Pajero Dhaka Metro Gho 116776 getting into 212's building at Ulon Road, West Rampura Dhaka and feasting onto the 3rd. flr. to boost up Monir & spouse Bilu- a crime committing couple being an influential member of a crime committing syndicate led by self-proclaimed Matabars specializing in land/house grabbing, lake filling, forgery, harboring creating criminals, running drugs, bribery blackmailing, prostitution, vandalizing, extortion, loan-sharking, encouraging building code violation, oppressing, attacking and ruining a renowned family… joined by Lt. Col. Rashidul Alom CO, RAB-1 he too bringing an extensive vehicles of RAB Dhaka Metro 02-3303, DM Ga 174645 etc in full gear making the area look like a block raid . Later they threatened my family to leave our very own residence or else we will be picked up and/or deface to the extent of being unrecognizable further he will make sure our whereabouts are untraceable.

    Sub: A reproach against an Army Lt. Col. and some of colleagues who have been selling out the power of their uniforms providing multifarious assistance to a diehard syndicate responsible for committing abominable crimes that made our lives virtually unlivable.

    Lt Col. Rashidul Alom, Dir. RAB-1, accompanied by SP Bogora Highway Mir Ashraf Ali has been insulating his relatives (brother-in-law: Monir of 212 Ulon rd. west rampura ) and a crime committing syndicate involved multifarious crimes led by 3bros (self-proclaimed Matabars Sheeru, Shaulldin, & Momean. They have satanically persecuted us for 7dissipated long years by keeping us from earning a living, stopping our source of income, garbling our land records, keeping us under watch round the clock, bringing mobs on hire to scare abuse us ruining our social status calling us insane (PAGOL) to take away our credibility, not allowing and allowed other to mix with us, throwing full-sized bricks onto our tin-shed roof like hailstorm, poisoning 6 of our pet dogs (Canines), 3cats (Felines), distorting the autopsy reports, bugging our phones and many more….to various departments we went to for assistance to no succor obviously Lt. Col. Rashid hampered its operation deactivating. Even phoning up to have the transgressors released from police custody.

    Prior to the happenings Lt. Col. Rashedul Alom came most frequently to Monir's building with RAB-1 sticker posted on an extensive vehicle loaded with uniformed men in full gear moving around our house with walkie-talkies in hand and getting inside 212' feasting on the 3rd flr. Just for the sake of showdown.. Threatening us over phone to keep our mouths shut or else, sent over RAB-1 personnel to scare us out etc. I distinctly remember marauding/myriad of times doubtful activities in momentum when Lt. Col. Rashid came veiling RAB-1 in font as a cover up to bring in/out luggage/briefcases inside 212 or putting within the cars of a black Nissan marked RAB-1 Dhaka Metro Gho 02-3303, Dhaka Metro Go 17-8548, Dhaka Metro Kho 122075 and Dhaka Metro GA 174645 . What's inside the carriers certainly no smelly undergarments? Times of Rashid's visitation invigoration swept fashioning the street urchins taking their shirts off and dangling, dancing dauntingly with ear shattering music played on deck in the street while the syndicate members came out marching to the band.

    14/12/2010. 11:15am Observably Rashid is harboring presently a criminally attitudinized male specimen that happens to be a relative Babon son of Monir & Bilu a crime committing couple. For days he was unseen till suspiciously until today brought him out of 212 and shoved inside Rashid's car D M GA 174645 . Question is who authorized him for frequent misappropriation of government vehicle for his personal gain? A neutral investigation will reveal an exclusive array of Rashid's & his buddy's role play as insulators of crime and an ally of injustice.

    Note: Due to the reprisals from the syndicate everyone turned into statues not risking to crack, but feigning testifiers are abundant keeping reserved surveillance round the clock.

  • Nadia

    Maj Gen. Abul Kalam Azad.
    DG. Drug Admin
    Note: This write-up is initiated with reference to my telephonic discussion with
    you on various occasions Bearing in mind a Global Crisis…..

    Dear Sir:
    By way of a ready reference, I brought to your direct attention, two dispensary shops in Ulon Rampura neighborhood whose activities from the Drug Administration's multifarious point of view, were highly questionable as such having emphasized on an in-depth investigation, perceivably, based on your order a few strangers were observed to have been keeping the shops under surveillance for a few days that resulted in the closure of the dispensaries and sending the owners underground locking up their shops!
    To be more specific, Rabiul the owner of Alif Medical Hall, 19 Ulon was no where to be seen and just opposite to that Nazrul, owner of Kajal Medical Hall of #212 opened his shop intermittently… turned into an apparent "scrupulously mosque going person…..!"

    I distinctly remember having mentioned to you that a man in uniform and badges was insulating the crime mongers in Ulon area, for reasons I am not interested in… well, cutting through the pasturing, the hyperbole and giving it out straight, in this particular instance of the dispensaries – your business was to address to and demonstrating that "you knew your job… !" As far as I am concerned, to run a dispensary a drug license happens to be the prerequisite followed by many stringent rules and regulations…. and that any violation and/or abuse is virtually zero tolerant.

    My sources confirmed that a black vehicle Dhaka Metro Go 231583 carrying in a man-in-uniform Lt. Col. Rashid personally presented himself to the neighborhood followed by having Robiul at once split open the shutters of his shop while a sigh of relief was murmured in kajol's dispensary (an "addakhana" will better explain it) "now, there is no problem as the car (carrying in the savior) has finally arrived on the spot?"

    I had taken the liberty of informing you once again of recent occurrences based upon your refraining from taking any action although you admitted having received written reports from your staff about the gravity of the situation and that you haven't had the time to go through them! However, you added up that as you were in the Secretariat in a meeting, and that, as soon as you returned back to office, you will be reviewing them and would call me back for a clear update. Which, for unfathomable reasons didn't proceed expectantly.

    When one of my associates contacted you, I regret to say, your answer sounded like one that of an egoistic one that sounded "I don't take orders from you."

    Bottom line
    "I don't much care about what you think of yourself , what's important to me is what you really are - A PUBLIC SERVANT Just like everyone else that performs efficiently… further, Your uniform and badges may be elucidated / considered ornamental elsewhere but not in such an important organization like "Drug Administration". It is not my intention here to deliver lecture about "how you discharge your duties" except to say that your job needs an uncompromising person who knows his working periphery; There is no scope of discrimination when it comes to exterminating any and all culpability" , you by no means, are posted over there to promote any uncalled for favoritism let alone institutionalize any sort of nepotism at the cost of the post and position you are holding on, after all your paycheck calls for earning it by performing well!

    Meanwhile, the aforementioned dispensaries are very much back in business and will keep on doing so unless someone comes forward to challenging them. Will it be too much to ask it from you? As in your own words, know the scope of your work and also know your job thoroughly? I'm in, for "seeing is believing!"

    Ps. Robiul has shifted his dispensary over to 26 ulon bazaar.

    I look forward to hearing from you.

  • Hey, i think you visited my web site so here i am!.I am seeking methods to add things to my blog!Is it ok if i use a few of the things i saw here?!

  • Thank you for all of the effort on this blog

  • What I have constantly told people is that while searching for a good online electronics store, there are a few components that you have to think about. First and foremost, you would like to make sure to find a reputable plus reliable store that has enjoyed great reviews and classification from other buyers and industry people. This will ensure you are getting through with a well-known store providing you with good services and support to it's patrons. Many thanks for sharing your notions on this blog site.

Related:

khabor : Message: BNP's Jewish Connection !!!!!!!!

3 posts - 1 author - Last post: Jun 2
BNP's US-Ambassador Shamser Mubin Chowdhury (an inner circle operative of Madam Khaleda Zia) appointed Dr, Richard Benkins of AIPAC as a ...
  • May 29, 2011 – BNP's US-Ambassador Shamser Mubin Chowdhury (an inner ...
  •  
    Dr. Benkins of AIPAC
     
     
     [Shamsher M. Chowdhury on the right]
    Also Read:
     
     


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    [chottala.com] (unknown)



    Dear All,

    Digitalization of Bangladesh is going on in full swing. PM Sheikh Hasina along with visiting UN Secretary general  Ban Moon inaugurated the E-Service program in 64 districs !! This is a significant step towards digitalizing Bangladesh by year 2021. 

    " Awami League believe in works , not words . "

    Regards,
    Dr. Muhammad Ali Manik
    US Awami League.

    Ban, Hasina open E-service for 64 dists

    Font size: Decrease font Enlarge font
    United News of Bangladesh . Dhaka
    The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, and the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon Monday jointly inaugurated 64 District E-Service centres boosting country's initiative towards realising 'Digital Bangladesh' by 2021.
    The opening ceremony was held at the International Conference Centre of the Prime Minister's Office.
    Hasina talked to state minister for science and information and communications technology Yafees Osman, cabinet secretary Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and the deputy commissioner of Jessore through video conferencing after opening the district e-service.
    The launching of the district e-service centres coincided with the first anniversary of the establishment of 4501 Union Information Service Centres across the country.
    With the launching of the district e-service centres, from now on all major public services will be delivered from there, ending the era of over 200-year-old traditional ways of providing government services, which often cause sufferings to the millions.
    The prime minister while speaking at the function said that the government had set an objective of building a 'Digital Bangladesh' by the year 2021 in its election manifesto. 'We have advanced one step towards that goal through opening District e-Service Centre and UISC.'
    'We have vast human resources. We are working to enhance this resource by using ICT. We want people not to wander from door to door of the administration. Rather, services themselves will reach the people. We are working relentlessly to build a society based on equity.'
    She mentioned that everyday local people receive multi-dimensional services from the office of the deputy commissioner. These services had been delivered using conventional means. As a result, people did not get quick service. Service takers had to roam around DC's office for days. It would cost people both time and money.
    In this connection she mentioned that the 'District Web' portal has been opened in 64 districts. Various information of the district is available in these sites.
    Ban Ki Moon while speaking as the special guest said that Digital Bangladesh was becoming a reality.
    Vital services are being provided quickly and affordably.
    'Modern electronic systems have replaced century-old, heavily bureaucratic manual administrative practices.
    Women have new venues for empowerment and cutting out middlemen reduces corruption,' he said.
    He mentioned that Bangladesh had a clear vision for the development of the country.
    At the function, awards were given to 14 persons of the field administration for their contribution to the UISCs, while six entrepreneurs were awarded.
    LGRD and cooperatives minister Syed Ashraful Islam presided over the function, while national project director of the UNDP-funded Access to Information  programme Nazrul Islam Khan delivered the welcome address.
    Tags
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    archive

    EDI


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    [chottala.com] JAMAT AND US LOBBYING FIRM !!!!!!!!!!



    Dear All,

    An article to read , an article to circulate to others !!

    Respectfully,
    Dr. Muhammad Ali Manik
    US Awami League.

    US lobbying firm under spotlight for Jamaat ties

    by David Bergman
     
    A major US lobbying company may have broken US criminal law by failing to register itself as a foreign agent of a political party when it acted as a lobbyist for Mir Quasem Ali, a leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh.
    In a five-month period between November 2010 and March 2011, as previously revealed by New Age, the company used four lobbyists, including the firm's founder and chief executive Gerald SJ Cassidy, to lobby on behalf of the Jamaat's central executive committee leader on the issue of the 'Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal and political opposition matters.'
    The contract started in November 2010, three months after four of the party's most senior leaders, including Matiur Rahman Nizami, were arrested in Bangladesh by the International Crimes Tribunal on suspicion of committing international crimes during the 1971 war of independence.
    Subsequently, one other leader, Delwar Hossain Sayedee, was arrested on similar suspicions and his trial is due to start later this month. The initial four accused men are due to be formally charged next month.
    The Foreign Agent Registration Act 1938 requiresthat any lobbying firm acting on behalf of a foreign political party must register itself with the US Department of Justice within 10 days of agreeing to become 'an agent' of the political party and before performing any duties on its behalf.
    'Wilful' violation of the law can result in a maximum fine of $10,000 or a sentence of up to two years' imprisonment.
    Tom Alexander, Cassidy and Associate's director of corporate communications, however, told New Age that it did not consider it necessary to register under the act. 'Cassidy & Associates has always maintained a rigorous internal process that includes a thorough review by legal counsel to ensure we follow every law and regulation when it comes to all of our work on our clients' behalf. You would be greatly mistaken to suggest otherwise,' he stated.
    The details of the $180,000 (Tk 13.9 million) contractual arrangements between Mir Quasem Ali and Cassidy and Associates, which in 2010 was the sixth largest US lobbying firm, were disclosed in forms filed by the company to comply with the Lobbying Disclosure Act 1995.
    However, it is the company's failure to register itself under the Foreign Agent Registration Act 1938 for its dealings with Mir Quasem Ali which is now under question.
    Registration would have required Cassidy and Associates to make public much more detailed information about its lobbying than it is required to do under the Lobbying Disclosure Act 1995, including the name of every person it lobbied in the executive and legislative branches of the government, the dates of all the contacts and a summary of the specific matters discussed whilst working on behalf of Quasem Ali.
    The company would also have been required to disclose any other efforts it was making to influence the US public at large in favour of its client and to make it clear on any document it distributed that it was acting as a foreign agent.
    'The question is whether Mir Quasem Ali sought the lobbying assistance on behalf of the Jamaat-e-Islami, or whether he sought it in an individual capacity,' lawyer Scott Thomas, head of the political law practice at the US law firm Dickenson Shapiro, told New Age.
    'If Quasem Ali was in effect acting for the political party, then Cassidy and Associates should have registered itself under the Foreign Agent Registration Act,' he added.
    The Department of Justice's own guide to the act states that a lobbying company will be considered to be an agent of a foreign political party if it acts 'at the order, request, or under the direction or control' of the political party or 'of a person any of whose activities are directly or indirectly supervised, directed, controlled, financed, or subsidized in whole or in major part' by the party.
    In July this year, the Department of Justice charged two individuals, Syed Ghulam Nabi Faiz and Zaheer Ahmad, with violating the 1938 law by failing to register their political and public relations activities on behalf of the Pakistani government.
    The FARA registration unit of the counterespionage section in the National Security Division of the Department of Justice is responsible for the act's enforcement.
    'The enforcement bodies would have to look at all the circumstances to see whether the company has breached the law or not. What were the terms of the contract? Did Cassidy and Associates, when it lobbied, continually raise issues about Jamaat-e-Islami? For whom was the lobbying useful? These are the kinds of questions that would need to be asked,' the lawyer and former chairman of the Federal Election Commission told New Age.
    He said that it would not be plausible for Cassidy to argue that it was unaware that Mir Quasem Ali was a senior member of the Jamaat.
    'It would be impossible to imagine that a firm like Cassidy did not know who he was,' he said.
    'Cassidy and Associates would have to show that it is simply a coincidence that Quasem Ali happens to be a political leader of the party, and that he was raising issues about war crimes and political party matters simply as an individual unconnected to his role in the party,' Thomas added.
    Another lawyer who spoke to New Age suggested that arrangements with individuals from a foreign country inevitably raise suspicions.
    'A relevant question to be asked in situations like this is why a private person from another country would spend large sums of money to change the US government's policy. This kind of scenario does raise suspicions,' said Dan Pickard, a partner of a large Washington-based law firm, Wiley Rein LLP, who advises clients on compliance with FARA.
    'It would be easier for an individual person who is a member of a foreign political party to argue that any contract he may have with a lobbying firm is of a personal nature and has nothing to do with the political party if the firm was lobbying on behalf of the clients own business interests. Then the politician can perhaps argue that he or she is getting lobbying not to support the political party but his personal commercial interests,' he added.
    According to the database run by the US groups Pro Publica and the Sunlight Foundation, Cassidy and Associates has in the past registered itself as a foreign agent when it worked for the embassy of Pakistan, the Kurdistan regional government and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.
    Similar questions may also be raised about the failure of Cassidy and Associates to register its lobbying on behalf of Mir Masum Ali, the brother of Quasem Ali, under the 1938 Act.
    Less than a month after Quasem Ali had terminated his contract with the company at the end of March 2011, Masum Ali made a similar arrangement where the lobby firm was also required to work on exactly the same issues — 'Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal and political opposition matters.'
    So far Mir Masum Ali, who is Mir Quasem Ali's younger brother, has incurred $130,000 (Tk 9.9 million) in fees, with the company allocating to him a very similar team of lobbyists who had previously worked for his brother.
    'What is important ultimately is not whose name is on a contract,' said the Washington lawyer, Dan Pickard. 'The question for the Department of Justice is whether the foreign party is directly or indirectly calling the shots. Is the person who signed the contract effectively getting his marching orders from the political party in another country?'
    Scott Thomas does, however, raise a matter of caution. 'It is more difficult when you are dealing with individuals or organisations, living or resident in the United States, who campaign for matters to do with their original home country,' he said. 'There is legitimate work that such people do which does not raise issues about FARA. It depends a lot on where the money is coming from and who is directing the lobbying.'
    New Age contacted Mir Quasem Ali to ask him whether he was seeking lobbying advice on behalf of the Jamaat-e-Islami but received no response.
    When asked by New Age about whether the company should have registered under the Foreign Agent Registration Act in relation to its dealings with both the two brothers, Tom Alexander, director of corporate communications of Cassidy & Associates, gave the following statement.
    'Cassidy & Associates follows a strict corporate policy not to discuss our work for clients with media, however, in this case your readers deserve the facts, not reported innuendo or arm chair quarterbacking from sources not directly involved in this matter.
    'Our careful decision to file under the Lobbying Disclosure Act is indeed the appropriate step as our client of record is a resident of the United States, not a political party, and our scope of work relates to US policy interests and the protection of an individual's human rights in an emerging democracy.'
    When New Age suggested to him that this statement does not appear to respond to question about the company's arrangement with Mir Quasem Ali, who is not a resident of the United States and is a leader of a foreign political party, Alexander said that, 'Our [Lobbying Disclosure Act] filings clearly state client of record and you have our statement.'
     
    Source – New Age

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