BIS Forces Neaz to Rethink Its Website

BIS updated its Denied Persons List today to include Neaz Trading Corporation (Neaz) of Pakistan. Astute readers of the BIS site will note that Yasmin Ahmed was also added to the list, and that she shared an address with Neaz. No coincidence. A May 23, 2003 Department of Justice press release confirms that Mrs. Ahmed and her husband, Tariq Ahmed, have an ownership interest in Neaz. BIS today issued a notice of a seven year denial of the privilege to swim in US streams of commerce for both Mrs. Ahmed and Neaz.

Neaz's website states that it was established in 1992 "under the dynamic leadership of Mrs. Yasmin Tariq." Piecing two and two together, it would not be surprising for one to presume that Mrs. Yasmin Ahmed, wife of Tariq Ahmed, and Mrs. Yasmin Tariq are one and the same. Slightly more surprisingly, Neaz's website boasts:

Under the current geo-Political situation we do not see any difficulty in obtaining export licensing and approval from the State Department of the U.S.A. to provide equipment, software and services to the Government of Pakistan.

After today's announcement, Neaz may wish to modify the above statement. While posting that update, Neaz's webmaster may also wish to clarify the names under which its dynamic leadership operates - to include not only Yasmin Ahmed, but also Fatimmah Mohammed, which, according to this report beginning at Page 17, is another name Yasmin Ahmed assumed in pursuing her unlawful objectives. Finally, companies with US presences who find their logos streaming across the bottom of Neaz's homepage may wish to contact Neaz's webmaster to renegotiate the use of their logos on the site. With a little forethought and coordination, Neaz's webmaster could save the company a bundle by executing all of these changes simultaneously.