Links reveal between Haqqanis, Saudi Arabia

A recent report by WikiLeaks shows that Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Islamabad remained in touch with the Haqqani network and also helped arrange a visit for the militant group’s leader for medical treatment.

The documents, which couldn’t be independently verified, say the Saudi ambassador to Pakistan met in 2012 with Nasiruddin Haqqani, the chief fundraiser for the jihadist group who has been on a United Nations terrorism watch list since 2010.

During the meeting, the venue of which was not given, Nasiruddin conveyed his father’s request for treatment at a Saudi hospital to Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, the report said.

The 62-year-old Jalaluddin was based in Waziristan at that time and media reports he was suffering from Parkinson’s disease or Lupus related.

The report further noted that the meeting occurred two weeks after the then Afghan President Hamid Karzai met his Pakistani counterpart Asif Zardari and then-Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to ask for their help in arranging a meeting with Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

Citing the cables, it said that Gen Kayani had suggested that Karzai meet the Haqqani leadership, however, Karzai responded that he did not have any qualms meeting with the Haqqani leaders, but feared that they would not be willing to see him.

The Saudi embassy in Islamabad wasn’t available to comment, and Afghan officials didn’t immediately respond to the allegations.

Senior U.S. officials said they were reviewing the reports but they had no immediate comment. Earlier this month, Osama Nugali, a Saudi foreign ministry spokesman, said that many of the documents published by WikiLeaks“have been clearly fabricated.”

But he also said that the documents “didn’t give any information other than that formerly announced by the ministry” on international or regional issues.

The Saudi government has, meanwhile, not acknowledged these cables as authentic and asked its citizens to ignore them.

There are, however, no cables among those released so far detailing when Jalaluddin travelled to Saudi Arabia or if he ever undertook the journey.

Pakistan has often been criticised for its links with the Haqqani network. The latest US State Department report titled ‘Country Reports on Terrorism 2014’ also notes that Haqqani network leadership “continued to find safe haven in Pakistan”, but there has been little talk of their other patrons, including Saudi Arabia.