ISLAMABAD: All meetings and conferences would be harmful for the Afghan peace process if they are not coordinated with the Kabul government, Afghanistan’s top envoy in Islamabad said on Sunday after Pakistan hosted a conference for Afghan leaders to bolster a faltering peace process aimed at ending a lengthy civil war in the neighboring country.
More than 50 Afghan leaders, including politicians and tribal elders, arrived at the Pakistani hill station of Bhuran on Saturday for the meet, but there were no representatives of the Kabul government or the Afghan Taliban militants, who have been fighting for years to expel foreign forces and defeat the US-backed government in Kabul.
Envoy Atif Mashal said he was present at the first session of the Bhurban conference in his personal capacity, just to meet guests from Afghanistan.
“When meetings and programs for peace are not coordinated with the Afghan government and the other parties in the country, especially with the Afghan government, it harms the peace process rather than benefiting it,” the Afghan ambassador told Arab News in an interview at his office in Islamabad. “Agenda of all meetings and conferences, which are held in the region and other countries, should be open and should be coordinated with the Afghan government.”
Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been strained in recent years amid long-standing allegations by Kabul and Washington that Pakistan has been sheltering the Taliban militants since US-led forces removed them from power in 2001, something Islamabad denies. Pakistan also says its influence over the Taliban has waned over the years.
The United States has been pushing Pakistan to use its influence with the Taliban to open direct negotiations with the Kabul government, which the Taliban regard as an illegitimate foreign-imposed regime. Since December last year, US and Taliban officials have held several rounds of talks but the Taliban have repeatedly refused to talk directly to the Afghan government.
“Afghan political leaders understand there is a chance for peace. The international community should emphasize that Afghan government leads peace efforts,” Mashal said.
In April, thousands of Afghans congregated in Kabul for a rare ‘Loya Jirga’ consultative meeting aimed at finding ways to negotiate a peace deal with the Taliban. But opposition political leaders and government critics, including former president Hamid Karzai, boycott the assembly accusing President Ashraf Ghani of using it as a platform to boost his status as leader in an election year.
Without naming anyone, Mashal said the people of Afghanistan would decide about those who had shunned a Loya Jirga aimed at finding peace for the country.
When asked if the Afghan government supported talks between the Taliban and the US in Qatar from which the Ghani government had been excluded, he said the US and the Afghan government were moving forward with the peace process with consensus.
“All details are shared with each other,” Mashal said. “Besides this, we work on a common agenda. We also want other countries to coordinate all of their efforts with the Afghan government and move forward with understanding to achieve the required results.”
Notable attendees at the Bhurban conference included Hizb-e-Islami chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, presidential candidate Haneef Atmar, chief of the High Peace Council Mohammad Karim Khalili, Jamiat-e-Islami leader Ustad Atta Mohammad Noor, Wali Masood, the brother of Ahmad Shah Masood, Hizb-e-Wahdat leader Mohammad Mohaqiq, ex-MP Fauzia Kofi, presidential candidate Latif Pedram, former minister Anwar ul Haq Ahadi, and Pir Hamid Gailani.
Harmful for peace process to exclude Kabul from conferences — Afghan envoy
Harmful for peace process to exclude Kabul from conferences — Afghan envoy
- Urges international community to emphasize Kabul lead the peace process
- More than 50 Afghan leaders arrived at the Pakistani hill station of Bhurban on Saturday for a peace meet
Two Pakistani men indicted in $10 million Medicare fraud scheme in Chicago
- Prosecutors say defendants billed Medicare and private insurers for nonexistent services
- Authorities say millions of dollars in proceeds were laundered and transferred to Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani nationals have been indicted in Chicago for allegedly participating in a $10 million health care fraud scheme that targeted Medicare and private insurers, the US Justice Department said on Thursday.
A federal grand jury charged Burhan Mirza, 31, who resided in Pakistan, and Kashif Iqbal, 48, who lived in Texas, with submitting fraudulent claims for medical services and equipment that were never provided, according to an indictment filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Medicare is the US federal health insurance program primarily serving Americans aged 65 and older, as well as certain younger people with disabilities.
“Rooting out fraud is a priority for this Justice Department, and these defendants allegedly billed millions of dollars from Medicare and laundered the proceeds to Pakistan,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
“These alleged criminals stole from a program designed to provide health care benefits to American seniors and the disabled, not line the pockets of foreign fraudsters,” he added. “We will not tolerate these schemes that divert taxpayer dollars to criminals.”
Prosecutors said that in 2023 and 2024, the defendants and their alleged co-conspirators used nominee-owned laboratories and durable medical equipment providers to bill Medicare and private health benefit programs for nonexistent services.
According to the indictment, Mirza obtained identifying information of individuals, providers and insurers without their knowledge and used it to support fraudulent claims submitted on behalf of shell companies. Iqbal was allegedly linked to several durable medical equipment providers that filed false claims and is accused of laundering proceeds and coordinating transfers of funds to Pakistan.
Mirza faces 12 counts of health care fraud and five counts of money laundering. Iqbal is charged with 12 counts of health care fraud, six counts of money laundering and one count of making a false statement to US law enforcement. Arraignments have not yet been scheduled.
Three additional defendants, including an Indian, previously charged in the investigation, have pleaded guilty to federal health care fraud charges and are awaiting sentencing.
An indictment contains allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
