Beyond Saudi Arabia; JASTA can also haunt Pakistan

As concerns related to Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) remain in the Arab world, more and more voices are being expressed by analysts in other countries such as Pakistan.

Naveed Ahmad, a Pakistani investigative journalist and academic, says conservatives in the United States have also mentioned Pakistan in the vein as Saudi Arabia and that they believe Islamabad can be charged of backing terrorism under JASTA because Osama bin Laden was found living in the country.

“Pakistan may be least prepared for such fallout as Islamabad neither admitted hosting Osama nor launched any aggressive action against US troops conducting the operation to eliminate the world’s most wanted man,” Ahmad wrote in Pakistan’s The Express



Tribune.

Ahmad says that Obama’s objections to the legislation were sound, though largely ignored by media and single-tracked congressmen and senators. However, 28 senators promised to fix its shortcomings in the next term. “The act is awfully flawed, legally and procedurally, and the amendments made by the act apply to any civil action filed after its enactment and the victims of 9/11,” he said.

Al Arabiya English earlier reported that Pakistan’s Foreign Office has reiterated its “concern” following the overriding of US President Barack Obama veto on the JASTA law passed by the Congress. “We have noted with concern the overturning of the US Presidential veto on JASTA, a law passed by US Congress aimed at targeting sovereign states,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.