Ummah Tameer-e-Nau

Ummah Tameer-e-Nau (popularize as UTN), is a left-wing militant organization banned by the United States Department of Treasury on December 20, 2001.[1][2] It was also placed on Patriot Act Terrorist Exclusion List.[3] It is suspected of supplying information about constructing Nuclear weapons to Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.[4]

Origin

The UTN was founded in June 2000 by Pakistani scientist Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood who notably resigned from the PAEC in 1999 in protest of the government's willingness to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).[5] He had previously served as Director for Nuclear Power and was the chief designer and director of the Khushab Reactor-I.[6] In country's popular news channels, Mahmood was a vehement supporter of the Taliban and once described the Taliban's regime in Afghanistan as the "ideal Islamic state".[1] In a report published by New York Times, his fellow scientists and engineers at PAEC began to questions his mental state, and wonder seriously if Mahmood was mentally sound."[7]

On March 1999, he was awarded and honored with Pakistan's third highest honour Sitara-i-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan.[5]

Membership

Activities

The stated purpose of UTN was to rebuild Afghanistan's infrastructure and raise money to develop the Taliban-held areas of Afghanistan. UTN reportedly had the personal support of Mullah Omar and close ties to Taliban regime. The U.S. declared Ummah Tameer-e-Nau a terrorist group after a search of the group's offices in the Afghan capital, Kabul, unearthed documents referencing plans to kidnap a U.S. diplomat and outlining basic physics related to nuclear weapons.[8] Documents also showed that there was a plan to mine Uranium inside Afghanistan.[9]

Sanctions

Consequent to the US actions Pakistan also froze the assets of this organization.[10] Bank of England also ordered a freeze on its assets.[11] It was also sanctioned by the United Nations.[12] Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood and Dr. Chaudhry Abdul Majeed were arrested in Pakistan in November, 2001.[13] However Pakistan refused to extradite him to the United States.[14] He was subsequently freed in February 2002.[15] Hamid Gul former chief of Inter-Services Intelligence has been placed on a global watchlist of terrorists by the U.S. government.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 U.S. Department of Treasury, Ummah Tameer-e-Nau
  2. ↑ Day 100 of the War on Terrorism: More Steps to Shut Down Terrorist Support Networks, United States Department of Homeland Security, 2001-12-20
  3. ↑ U.S Department of State, Terrorist Exclusion List
  4. ↑ A Nation Challenged; Pakistan Freeze on Assets, The New York Times, 2001-12-22
  5. 1 2 Pakistani Nuclear Scientists:How Much Nuclear Assistance to Al Qaeda?, Institute for Science and International Security, 2002-08-20
  6. ↑ A bomb for the Ummah, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 2003-03-03
  7. ↑ Obama’s Worst Pakistan Nightmare 2002-08-20
  8. 1 2 3 Former Pakistani Official Denies Links to Lashkar, The Washington Post, 2008-12-09
  9. ↑ Al Qaeda documents outline serious weapons program, CNN, 2002-01-25
  10. ↑ Pakistan freezes militant funds, BBC, 2001-12-24
  11. ↑ Bank of England News Release, Bank of England, 2001-12-21
  12. ↑ Interpol-United Nations Security Council,Special Notice-Entity, Subject To UN Sanctions, UMMAH TAMEER E-NAU (UTN), Interpol
  13. ↑ A Nation Challenged: Nuclear Fears; Pakistani Atomic Expert, Arrested Last Week, Had Strong Pro-Taliban Views, The New York Times, 2001-11-02
  14. ↑ Nuclear Nightmare?, Newsline (magazine), 2002-01
  15. ↑ Bin Laden Said to Have Sought Nuke Help, Fox News Channel, 2002-12-29

External links

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