Ummah Tameer-e-Nau
Encyclopedia
Ummah Tameer-e-Nau or UTN is a militant organization banned by United States Department of the Treasury
on December 20, 2001. It was also placed on Patriot Act Terrorist Exclusion List
. It is suspected of supplying information about constructing Nuclear weapons to Osama Bin Laden
and Al-Qaeda
.
who resigned from Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
in 1999 in protest of the government's willingness to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
. He had previously served as Director for Nuclear Power and was the chief designer and director of Pakistan's Khushab Reactor
. Mahmood was a supporter of the Taliban and once described the Taliban as the "ideal Islamic state". He was awarded Pakistan's third highest honour Sitara-i-Imtiaz
in March 1999 by the President of Pakistan
.
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. Documents also showed that there was a plan to mine Uranium inside Afghanistan.
also ordered a freeze on its assets. It was also sanctioned by the United Nations
. Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood
and Dr. Chaudhry Abdul Majeed
were arrested in Pakistan in November, 2001. However Pakistan refused to extradite him to the United States. He was subsequently freed in February 2002. Hamid Gul former chief of Inter-Services Intelligence
has been placed on a global watchlist of terrorists by the U.S. government.
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
on December 20, 2001. It was also placed on Patriot Act Terrorist Exclusion List
Patriot Act Terrorist Exclusion List
The Patriot Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to maintain and publish a list called the Patriot Act Terrorist Exclusion List.-The list as of December 5, 2001:* al-Itihaad al-Islamiya * Al Wafa al Igatha al Islamia* Osbat al-Ansar...
. It is suspected of supplying information about constructing Nuclear weapons to Osama Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
and Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
.
Origin
UTN was founded in June 2000 by Pakistani Nuclear scientist Sultan Bashiruddin MahmoodSultan Bashiruddin Mahmood
Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, otherwise written as, Sultan Bashir-ud-Din Mehmood), and Manchester, United Kingdom. A controversial figure, Bashiruddin Mahmood is widely popular in Pakistan's scientific and religious circles for his scientific interpretation and its relation to Quran...
who resigned from Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, , is an administrative governmental and autonomous science and technology governmental department of Pakistan, responsible for development of nuclear energy and development of nuclear power sector in Pakistan...
in 1999 in protest of the government's willingness to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty bans all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996 but it has not entered into force.-Status:...
. He had previously served as Director for Nuclear Power and was the chief designer and director of Pakistan's Khushab Reactor
Khushab Reactor
Khushab Nuclear Complex is a plutonium production nuclear reactor and heavy water complex situated 30 km south of the town of Jauharabad in Khushab District, Punjab, Pakistan....
. Mahmood was a supporter of the Taliban and once described the Taliban as the "ideal Islamic state". He was awarded Pakistan's third highest honour Sitara-i-Imtiaz
Sitara-i-Imtiaz
The Sitara-i-Imtiaz , is the third highest honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes the individuals who made an "especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of Pakistan, world peace, cultural or other significant public endeavors"...
in March 1999 by the President of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
.
Membership
- Lieutenant-General (retired) Hamid Gul former chief of Pakistan's Inter-Services IntelligenceInter-Services IntelligenceThe Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
was also a member and has acknowledged this. Other prominent Pakistani scientists, retired military officers, and industrialists were also members of UTN:
- Dr. Chaudhry Abdul MajeedChaudhry Abdul MajeedChaudhry Abdul Majeed , D.Sc., is a Pakistani nuclear chemist and an atomic weapon and technology expert. He is known as one of the pioneers of Pakistan's nuclear detterence programme, and has worked closely with former PAEC Chairman Mr. Munir Ahmad Khan's plutonium reprocessing project...
, a former high ranking official at Pakistan Atomic Energy CommissionPakistan Atomic Energy CommissionThe Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, , is an administrative governmental and autonomous science and technology governmental department of Pakistan, responsible for development of nuclear energy and development of nuclear power sector in Pakistan...
, atomic physicist and an expert in nuclear fuels. - Mirza Yousaf Baig, nuclear chemist, a senior scientist and the owner of a construction company.
- AdmiralAdmiralAdmiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
(retired) Humayan Niaz, an electrical engineer and a retired Pakistan Navy Admiral in the electrical engineeringElectrical engineeringElectrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
division of Pakistan NavyPakistan NavyThe Pakistan Navy is the naval warfare/service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Pakistan's Navy is responsible for Pakistan's coastline along the Arabian Sea and the defense of important civilian harbors and military bases...
. - S.M. Tufail, an industrial engineerIndustrial engineeringIndustrial engineering is a branch of engineering dealing with the optimization of complex processes or systems. It is concerned with the development, improvement, implementation and evaluation of integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, materials, analysis...
- CommodoreCommodore (rank)Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...
(retired) Arshad Chaudhry (Naval EngineerNaval architectureNaval architecture is an engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction, maintenance and operation of marine vessels and structures. Naval architecture involves basic and applied research, design, development, design evaluation and calculations during all stages of the life of a...
) - Mohammed Hanif (an Industrialist and a civil engineerCivil engineerA civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
).
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 OmarMohammed Omar
Mullah Mohammed Omar , often simply called Mullah Omar, is the leader of the Taliban movement that operates in Afghanistan. He was Afghanistan's de facto head of state from 1996 to late 2001, under the official title "Head of the Supreme Council"...
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. Documents also showed that there was a plan to mine Uranium inside Afghanistan.
Sanctions
Consequent to the US actions Pakistan also froze the assets of this organization. Bank of EnglandBank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
also ordered a freeze on its assets. It was also sanctioned by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood
Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood
Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, otherwise written as, Sultan Bashir-ud-Din Mehmood), and Manchester, United Kingdom. A controversial figure, Bashiruddin Mahmood is widely popular in Pakistan's scientific and religious circles for his scientific interpretation and its relation to Quran...
and Dr. Chaudhry Abdul Majeed
Chaudhry Abdul Majeed
Chaudhry Abdul Majeed , D.Sc., is a Pakistani nuclear chemist and an atomic weapon and technology expert. He is known as one of the pioneers of Pakistan's nuclear detterence programme, and has worked closely with former PAEC Chairman Mr. Munir Ahmad Khan's plutonium reprocessing project...
were arrested in Pakistan in November, 2001. However Pakistan refused to extradite him to the United States. He was subsequently freed in February 2002. Hamid Gul former chief of Inter-Services Intelligence
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
has been placed on a global watchlist of terrorists by the U.S. government.
External links
- Ummah Tamir-e-Nau (Reconstruction of the Muslim Ummah), South Asian Terrorism Portal