Name of Organization

Haji Khairullah, Haji Sattar Money Exchange (HKHS)

Formation

No information is available about the initial formation of this money exchange company.

Leadership

Owners of the Exchange: Haji Khairullah and Haji Sattar.

 

Haji Khairullah Barakzai or Haji Khair Muhammad born in 1965 is originally from Afghanistan Helmand province’ but acquired Pakistani passport and CNIC. He was settled in Quetta city of Balochistan province of Pakistan.[1] Barakzai used to sell candies from a hand cart on the streets now a wealthy man’ is said to be involved in opium/heroin business during Taliban days. He was allegedly involved in transferring money to Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan.[2]

 

Haji Sattar Muhammad the business partner of Haji Khairullah is basically from Afghanistan but settled in the Quetta city of Balochistan province of Pakistan.

Both these men are accused of sending money to Taliban regime through Hawala.[3] 

 

 

School of thought/ Classification

N/A

Status

The HKHS Money Exchange has been enlisted under the UNSCR in June 2012.[4] According to an official of the Interior Ministry, HKHS Money Exchange has been added to the list of proscribed outfits in 2015 after December 16, 2014 attacks on Peshawar school.[5]

Ideology

N/A

Framework

Haji Khairullah, Haji Sattar Money Exchange (HKHS) is money transfer and exchange house. It uses informal means for the sending and receiving of money. They have brokers through which they send money from one place to another. They do not fall under the legal framework of banks. The total system of Hawala is based upon trust.[6]

Financial resources

The Money Exchange was allegedly involved in illegal trade of drug (heroin & opium), and the illegal transfer of money from the drug trade.[7]  

Recruitment tools & demographics

N/A

Connections & linkages

The Money Exchange had very strong connections with Taliban regime and the local poppy farmers.[8]

Areas of Operation

Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Dubai.[9]

Tools

N/A

Name Variations

HKHS was also famous with the names of its owners: khiarullah hawaladar, Abdulsattar, Haji Karimullah, Haji khair Muhammad, Haji Sattar money exchange.[10]

 

Who they are

Haji Khairullah, Haji Sattar Money Exchange (HKHS) is an informal money transfer service called hawala. It is allegedly involved in drug trade and is accused of having links with Taliban regime, which the HKHS deny. According to US HKHS is involved in narcotic business of Taliban and was serving as a bank for them, the sending and receiving of money and the salaries of Taliban militants were dispatched through it. It has branches in Afghanistan, Iran, Dubai and Pakistan[11]. Branches of HKHS along with their addresses are mentioned below.[12]

 In Pakistan:[13]

Location:  Chohar Mir Road, Qandahari Bazaar, Quetta, Balochistan Province, Pakistan

§  Alt. Location:  Room #1, Abdul Sattar Plaza, Hafiz Saleem Street, Munsafi Road, Quetta,

§  Balochistan, Pakistan

§  Alt. Location:  Shop #3, Dr. Bano Road, Quetta, Pakistan

§  Alt. Location:  Office #3, Near Fatima Jinnah Road, Dr. Bano Road, Quetta, Pakistan

§  Alt. Location:  Kachara Road, Naserullah Khan Chawk, Quetta, Pakistan

§  Alt. Location:  Wazir Mohammad Road, Quetta, Balochistan Province, Pakistan

Location:  Peshawar, Khyber Paktunkhwa Province, Pakistan

Location:  Moishah Chowk Road, Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan

Location:  Karachi, Sindh Province, Pakistan

Location:  2 Larran Road, Chaman, Balochistan Province, Pakistan

§  Alt. Location:  Chaman Central Bazaar, Chaman, Balochistan Province, Pakistan

In Afghanistan:[14]

Location:  Shah Zada Market, Shop Number 237, Kabul, Afghanistan

§  Alt. Location:  Sarai Shahzada, 3rd Floor, Shop Number 257, Kabul, Afghanistan.

§  Alt. Location:  Sharai Shahzada Market, Kabul, Afghanistan

Location: Kandahar City Sarafi Market, 2nd Floor, Shop 21 and 22, Kandahar City, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan

§  Alt. Location:  New Sarafi Market, 2nd Floor, Kandahar City, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan

§  Alt. Location:  Safi Market, Kandahar City, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan

Location:  Gereshk City, Nahr-e Saraj District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Location: Lashkar Gah Bazaar, Lashkar Gah, Lashkar Gah District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan

§  Alt. Location:  Haji Ghulam Nabi Market, 2nd Floor, Lashkar Gah District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Location:  Khorasan Market, 3rd Floor, Suite Number 196-197, Herat, Afghanistan

§  Alt. Location:  Shahre Naw, District 5, Khorasan Market, Herat, Afghanistan

Location:  Sarafi Market, Zaranj District, Nimroz Province, Afghanistan

§  Alt. Location:  Ansari Market, 2nd Floor, Nimroz, Afghanistan

 

Location:  Sarafi Market, Wesh, Afghanistan

§  Alt. Location:  Wesh, Spin Boldak District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan

Location:  Sarafi Market, Farah, Afghanistan

In Dubai:[15]

Location:  Dubai, United Arab Emirates

In Iran

Location:  Zahedan, Iran

Location:  Zabul, Iran

History

In a press release published on the 29th of June, 2012, the U.S. Department of Treasury officially named two money exchange organizations in accordance with the U.S. government’s terrorism sanctions authority, Executive Order (E.O.) 13224 for ‘storing or moving money for the Taliban. One of these exchanges was Haji Khairullah, Haji Sattar Money Exchange (HKHS). As of 2008 HKHS received money from different businessmen and traders community and dispatched them to Taliban. According to the reports as of 2009, HKHS was still co-owned by Khairullah and Sattar. Khairullah was the head of Kabul Branch. As of 2010 Khairullah was operating as hawaladar or money transferor and he extended financial assistance to the senior leadership of Taliban. He along with his partner Sattar finance different activities of Taliban. During 2011 HKHS was a liable method for money transfer by Taliban for their activities. In 2011 it was used to send money to Taliban underground commander in Helmand province of Afghanistan. Taliban commanders and personals would easily collect funds for operation and daily use from HKHS branches in Afghanistan.[16] HKHS was enlisted under the UNSCR in 2002[17] and has been banned by Pakistan in 2015 after the Peshawar school attack in December 2014.[18]

Organization’s Message

Not available

Target Audience

Not available

Tools

Not available.

Splinter Groups

Not available.

 

Annexure

Taliban

They were one of the militant groups composed of religious leaders and their students from madrassas of Afghan civil War after 1989, who established Islamic republic of Afghanistan in 1994 – 96 it, put an end to the lengthy civil war between different factions of Afghanistan. Taliban are Led by Mullah Omar. Afghan Taliban Promotes Islam as a moral, stable and orderly alternative to civil war, ethnic divisions, and warring tribal chiefs. They followed strict, literal, and conservative interpretations of Islam and Sunni Islamic public standards, including the implementation of hudud punishments. They are influenced primarily by Wahhabi teachers and Pashtun tribal traditions. The regime was only recognized by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. The international community especially human rights organizations were very critical of the laws and the governance system in Afghanistan. The same Afghan Taliban provided the safe havens to Al-Qaeda and its chief Osama bin Laden to run training camps for international terrorism.[19]

Hawala

Hawala is an alternative or parallel system of payment. It exists and operates outside of, or parallel to traditional banking or financial channels.[20]


 

[1] US DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, Press Centre, Treasury Targets Money Exchange Houses for Supporting the Taliban 6/29/2012 ,Accessed on July 8th 2015, retrieved from  http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1627.aspx

[2] REUTERS, Special Report - Stalking the Taliban in Afghan currency markets

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN | BY MATTHEW GREEN, Accessed on July 8th 2015, retrieved from http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/12/23/uk-afghanistan-hawala-idUKBRE8BM00320121223

[3] US DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, Press Centre, Treasury Targets Money Exchange Houses for Supporting the Taliban 6/29/2012 ,Accessed on July 8th 2015, retrieved from  http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1627.aspx

[4] Retrieved from: http://nacta.gov.pk/Download_s/__bannedOrgs.pdf date of access: July14, 2015

[5] DAWN. Irfan Haider; “Pakistan’s banned organisations list match UN blacklist”. Retrieved from: http://www.dawn.com/news/1162733 Date of access: July 14, 2015.

[6] Ibid.

[7] US DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, Press Centre, Treasury Targets Money Exchange Houses for Supporting the Taliban 6/29/2012 ,Accessed on July 8th 2015, retrieved from  http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1627.aspx

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Ibid.

[17] Retrieved from: http://nacta.gov.pk/Download_s/__bannedOrgs.pdf date of access: July14, 2015.

[18] DAWN. Irfan Haider; “Pakistan’s banned organisations list match UN blacklist”. Retrieved from: http://www.dawn.com/news/1162733 Date of access: July 14, 2015.

[19] Oxford Islamic Studies Online, Taliban, accessed on, July 7, 2015

Retrieved from  http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e2325?_hi=34&_pos=4