Saturday, July 3, 2010

Who Is Behind Data Darbar Bombing in Pakistan?

The recent Data Darbar bombing in Lahore and other similar tragic attacks have most likely been carried out by religious militants of various stripes operating openly in Pakistan. But the actual frontline attackers appear to be mere proxies acting on behalf of other, more powerful forces with much bigger axes to grind. The real identities and the agendas of these powerful forces financing and patronizing such heinous attacks are not well understood. The list of such patrons appears to be long and diverse, extending from self-serving Pakistani politicians to elements within Pakistani and/or foreign intelligence agencies. Each of them have their own agenda to exploit the internal divisions and the availability of remote-controlled human drones willing to commit such acts for their own reasons and motivations.

I personally believe that India is at or near the top of the list of suspects in this unfolding tragedy. Here is why I have a strong suspicion that India is fishing in Pakistan's troubled waters:

In the wake of Mumbai attacks, there has been open public discussion in India about carrying out covert actions by Indian agents to destabilize and balkanize Pakistan. Several well-known security think tanks and influential analysts in India appear to have helped forge a consensus to carry out covert warfare in Pakistan by taking advantage of its current instability and multiple crises.

There are strong indications that the Indian security and intelligence establishment has finally launched the covert war in Pakistan that they have been planning for about a year. The Indian officials have been seething since last year because of their inability to "punish" Pakistan following the Mumbai terrorist attacks that they blamed on Pakistan. They shelved the idea of lightning air strikes strategy dubbed "Cold Start" against Pakistan for fear of sparking a major war. But they have continued to talk about covert actions by Indian agents to destabilize and balkanize Pakistan. Former RAW chief B. Raman has argued that India appoint a covert ops specialist as the new head of RAW. He said last December that “at this critical time in the nation’s history, RAW has no covert action specialists at the top of its pyramid. Get a suitable officer from the IB or the Army. If necessary, make him the head of the organization.”

Vikram Sood, another former top spy in India, has elaborated on Ind ia's covert warfare options to target Pakistan in the following words: "Covert action can be of various kinds. One is the paramilitary option, which is what the Pakistanis have been using against us. It is meant to hurt, destabilize or retaliate. The second is the psychological war option, which is a very potent and unseen force. It is an all weather option and constitutes essentially changing perceptions of friends and foes alike. The media is a favorite instrument, provided it is not left to the bureaucrats because then we will end up with some clumsy and implausible propaganda effort. More than the electronic and print media, it is now the internet and YouTube that can be the next-generation weapons of psychological war. Terrorists use these liberally and so should those required to counter terrorism."

S.M. Mushrif, former Police Chief of Maharashtra and the author of "Who Killed Karkare?", believes that the Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB) is up to its neck in conspiring with the extreme Hindutva groups against Indian Muslims and creating trouble between India and Pakistan, and now it is ominous to see one of the former IB leaders K.C. Verma heading RAW as of last year.

The power establishment that really runs the affairs of India (Mushrif says it is not Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh or Rahul Gandhi) does not want to expose the rabidly anti-Muslim Hindutva terrorists.

Verma was appointed last year as the new head of RAW, regarded as one of the top intelligence agencies along with Mossad, ISI, SVR, MI6, and the CIA. This choice appears to have been made at the suggestion of intelligence hawks like B. Raman to appoint an outsider, in spite of significant resistance from within the agency. Mr. Verma has been tasked with rapidly building strong covert ops capabilities within RAW. It is not a coincidence that the terrorist attacks in Pakistan have dramatically increased since Verma took the reins of RAW.

I am basing my opinion on the track record (RAW's extensive role in East Pakistan and Balochistan) and the strong desire (as expressed through multiple Op Eds and analyses carried by Indian media) of the Indian security establishment. It can also be seen in India's so-called "think tanks" and "analysts" which are the product of a revolving door in Delhi, a cheap copy from Washington similar to the Hindi-ized Bollywood knockoffs of Hollywood blockbusters.

Indian security establishment has demonstrated that it has the strong motives, oft-expressed intent, and the means to hurt Pakistan. They have established a powerful presence in Afghanistan along the border with Pakistan and deployed significant resources to carry out a very violent covert war inside Pakistan, and they appear to have now found the opportunity among the willing allies in the Pakistani Taliban faction in Mehsud tribe, and their terrorist allies in Punjab.

Given the strong probability of Indian involvement in the current crisis, the Pakistani security and intelligence establishment can not rely on counterinsurgency operations alone to stop the civilian carnage on Pakistani streets. The counterinsurgency operations must be supplemented with serious efforts to cut off support and funding for the TTP and their allies in Punjab, and disrupt the Indian intelligence network operating out of Afghanistan. It will require superior intelligence and significant counter-intelligence operations, as well as an effective diplomatic offensive to put pressure on India to stop its covert war being waged on Pakistani soil.

Here are video clips of Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval talking about his 7 years undercover for RAW in Pakistan:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2c33oq_i-lived-in-pakistan-for-7-years-as-spy-ajit-doval-ex-intelligence-officer-now-national-security-advi_news

 
I lived in Pakistan for 7 Years as Spy - Ajit... by zemtv

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diQu_wPeIeI




Related Links:

Haq's Musings

Taliban or RAW-liban?

India's Covert War in Pakistan

Who Killed Karkare?

CFR's View of the Taliban

World's Top Intelligence Agencies

Twin Bombings in Kabul, Peshawar

India's Israel Envy

India-Israel-US Axis
India's Covert War in Pakistan

India and Balochistan

Obama's New Regional Strategy

Webchat On Obama's New Regional Strategy

Obama's Afghan Exit Strategy

Pakistan: On the Edge of the Precipice
Obama's Interview with CBS 60 Minutes
Can India "Do a Lebanon in Pakistan?

20th Anniversary of Soviet Defeat in Afghanistan

Taming the ISI: Implications for Pakistan’s Stability and the War on Terrorism

Growing Insurgency in Swat

Afghan War and Collapse of the Soviet Union

US, NATO Fighting to Stalemate in Afghanistan?

FATA Faceoff Fears

FATA Raid Charades

64 comments:

Anonymous said...

As much as I wish India's intelligence agencies were even half as capable as you portray them here they aren't.

The real reason for Pakistan's instability is Pakistan's establishment's ridiculous belief that millions of youth brainwashed with fundamentalist wahabbi islam ready to die for Islam are a strategic asset which can be used against the infidel on the eastern border.

These very same youth frustrated with a 20 year insurgency in kashmir which has not yeilded one square inch of territory have now turned on the Pakistani state whose largely secular framework is deemed kuffar and thus responsible for the lack of progress.

We are probably looking at a long Colombia type insurgency in Pakistan.

Sad but probably true.

Riaz Haq said...

Anon: "These very same youth frustrated with a 20 year insurgency in kashmir which has not yeilded one square inch of territory have now turned on the Pakistani state whose largely secular framework is deemed kuffar and thus responsible for the lack of progress."

I don't think the real identities and the agendas of the patrons and the financiers behind such heinous attacks are well understood. The list of possible backers appears to be long and diverse, extending from self-serving Pakistani politicians you mention to elements within Pakistani and/or foreign intelligence agencies. Each of them have their own agenda to exploit the internal divisions and the availability of remote-controlled human drones willing to commit such acts for their own reasons and motivations. I personally believe that India is at or near the top of the list of suspects in this unfolding tragedy.

I am basing my opinion on the track record (RAW's extensive role in East Pak and Balochistan) and the desire (as expressed through multiple Op Eds and analyses carried by Indian media) of the Indian security establishment. It can also be seen in India's so-called "think tanks" and "analysts" which are the product of a revolving door in Delhi copied directly from Washington like the Bollywood knockoffs of Hollywood.

Anonymous said...

Basically what your saying is you can dish it out but can't take it back!

Your ISI have been fuelling a massive insurgency(I believe the euphemism is Freedom struggle) in Kashmir and have extensive links with Bangladesh based organizations like HUJI etc.

So if at long last RAW/IB are giving it back you cry foul and say its unethical?

Brilliant piece of reasoning Mr Haq.

India was very unstable like Pakistan is today when the USSR collapsed and the economy was almost bankrupt in the early 90s.

I don't recall you behaving in a particularly mature manner infact you stepped up the kashmir insurgency massively and actively encouraged groups like JKLF etc.

Why shouldn't we similarly help out the poor balochis who are being effectively treated as a resource colony of Punjabis ?

If you are so sure that Balochis are loyal to the pakistani state then why don't you hold a UN referendum in balochistan like the one you've been crying hoarse over in kashmir?

Anonymous said...

India was doing extensive terrorist activity in 80s but this is unlikely to be the case. It is more focused on economic terrorism,like opposing recent civil nuclear deal with china which is more dangerous in long run.

I think Military and political leaders are missing big opportunity to publicly expose the network that feeds the swamp and flush it out.

Riaz Haq said...

anon: "why don't you hold a UN referendum in balochistan like the one you've been crying hoarse over in kashmir? "

There is absolutely no comparison between Balochistan and Kashmir.

Kashmir is not recognized by the UN, and even countries friendly with India, as part of India. Unlike Balochistan which is a recognized part of Pakistan, Kashmir is regarded as "disputed territory" by the entire world.

Besides, Balochis did vote to join Pakistan in a referendum at the time of independence in 1947.

satwa gunam said...

I suspect india might be doing it not because of their home grown skills. If it was there they could have done something before. But because of their association with usa / isreal. Both of these are famous for covet operations.

Why not is the second question. If pakistan has been doing this to india, why must india be a saint and not exploit the situation as even today they are doing it every where through maoist and terrorist. Pakistan is doing its bit along with china in arming these two anti-india forces to the teeth.

http://indianmuslims.in/kashmiriyat-revisited/

Violence starts only whent he amarnath yatra starts and quitens latter mysteriously.

Resultant is that the shadow boxing will continue for the benefit of the arms industry of develop countries.

satwa gunam said...

http://blog.dawn.com/2010/07/01/letter-to-britain/

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/letters-to-the-editor/who-will-bail-out-pakistan-370

These two could be worth the subject to discuss as part of the current affairs of pakistan

Anonymous said...

"Besides, Balochis did vote to join Pakistan in a referendum at the time of independence in 1947."

I never heard of such a referendum. Kalat acceded to Pakistan through its ruler similar to what Hari Singh did in Kashmir.

Anonymous said...

The Hindu fundamentalist BJP is calling for a nationwide " Bharat Bandh " tomorrow (5 July) over the hike in fuel prices. This sort of action, by any party, is long overdue given the rampant inflation over the past few years in India. Today tomatoes are 40 rupees a kilo, carrots 70, capsicum 60 and the list can go on and on. The Petroleum Ministry has placed nationwide ads showing how really blessed the citizens are thanks to a 53,000 crore subsidy this financial year. Comparisons have been drawn with neighbors.
LPG cyl. Kerosene lit.
PAK 577 35.97
B'DESH 537 29.00
SRI L. 822 21.00
NEP 782 39.00
IND 345 12.32

No petrol details are given as these would be interesting given present rumors about 17 rupees per liter of petrol in Pakistan versus nearly 50 rupees.

Riaz Haq said...

Anon: "I never heard of such a referendum. Kalat acceded to Pakistan through its ruler similar to what Hari Singh did in Kashmir."

Under the partition agreement, reached shortly after Mountbatten published his June 3 Plan, most of Balochistan had already joined Pakistan, by treaties or tribal referendum. Kalat was the only hold-out and it was soon annexed by Pakistan, just like India forcibly annexed Hyderabad, Junagadh and several other princely states.

satwa gunam said...

"Mumbra girl was a fidayeen: Headley" [ times of india news of 5th july]

One of the biggest controversy saying that the girl was not associated with any anti-national activity has been put to rest by statement of headley in usa.

With this level of trust, why will not india stoke fire on people who are ready to burn. I think the situation in india and pakistan is mutual hatred and distrust. So if peace is required both has to come down to realistic level for mutual benefit or for mutual destruction.

anoop said...

Riaz,

I see this reads like a blast fromt he past. Reading lots of Urdu Newspapers now lately?

CIA along with ISI creates the Mujahideens and Zia starts the culture of Jihad or romanticism of Jihad. Pak props up the Taliban in the 1990s. They shelter Osama and US attacks them. Pak plays a double game.

By now the seeds of extremism which was sown more than a decade back start to flourish in Pakistan. Islamic warriors start controlling large chunks of territory on the Pakistani side until local and international pressure forces Pakistan to attack Jihadi factories like Lal Masjid. Pak brokers truce with the Mujahideens in its tribal,lawless areas. Mind you, you claim these Mujahideens are hand in glove with India now. Finally, the Pakistani state sees the truce agreement torn to shreds by the now formed TTP, which is an alliance of various groups,including Taliban from Punjab. Then, the state attacks 'its own citizens' using fighter jets meant to fight India.

TTP hits back with vengeance and Pakistanis see Indian hand in this which has in the past NOTHING to with TTP. Wonderful. How convenient to blame the Indians. Bury your head in the sand syndrome,it sounds like.

Why just India? Why not Afghanistan? It could easily divert the cash coming in from the US to fund these Muslim fanatics from Pakistan to wage war against it. As we can see even the poorest of poor(Maoists) can gather means to fight the state. If you look at it, Afghanistan has more reason to hate Pakistan than India! If we follow your logic of pinning the blame based on motives Afghanistan is the prime candidate. I would love to see a post of similar lines from you about Afghanistan hand.

I dont feel sorry for Pakistan because these Mujahideens were meant to kill my fellow citizens. For India's luck Religion is just not a barrier for these thugs and they ended up attacking their fellow citizens,thus,diverting their attention from India.I dont feel sorry for Pakistan, I pity it.

Riaz Haq said...

Anoop: "Why just India? Why not Afghanistan? It could easily divert the cash coming in from the US to fund these Muslim fanatics from Pakistan to wage war against it. As we can see even the poorest of poor(Maoists) can gather means to fight the state."

India has the motivation, the opportunity and the capacity to inflict significant harm to Pakistan, more so than any other neighbor. India ha a track record to show it.

Maoists are poorly armed and they do not engage in suicide bombings. Suicide bombings are well prepared and financed because it takes money to prepare and to pay the bombers' families.

People who orchestrate these bombings often do it out of sectarian or ethnic or other hateful reasons. They are not isolated actors, they need org, support and funding.

These religious Pakistani militants and attackers of various stripes, regardless of their origins, do not necessarily understand or agree with Indian agenda in Pakistan, but they have no qualms about getting supported and funded to hit the people and places they like...like the Ahmadiyya mosque or Data Durbar or the intelligence agencies in Pakistan.

India supports these acts to further divide and destabilize Pakistan and keep in weak to fend off any challenges from it.

But I think the Indian strategy is short-sighted, because these groups can also cause a lot of harm to India as well.

satwa gunam said...

Hi,

You are giving too much credit to india of planning and executing the destabilization pakistan. Pakistan does not require india to do it as it has developed the religious fundamentalist and had armed them to teeth.

Now america after 9/11 has become a good boy and wants pakistan to join them to beat these fundamentalist.

USA arm twisted pakistan army to attack swat and obvious those guys are retorting back in urban warfare. As usual pakistan conveniently blame india for the attack.

Riaz Haq said...

gumnam: "As usual pakistan conveniently blame india for the attack."

I am basing my opinion on the track record (RAW's extensive role in East Pak and Balochistan) and strong desire (as expressed through multiple Op Eds and analyses carried by Indian media) of the Indian security establishment. It can also be seen in India's so-called "think tanks" and "analysts" which are the product of a revolving door in Delhi copied directly from Washington like the cheap Bollywood knockoffs of Hollywood.

satwa gunam said...

Riaz

All these Taliban and Islamic fundamentalist do not go near Israel. India is learning the anti terror strategy, intelligence from the same. Further it is tired with the nuisance value that Pakistan and these terrorist were giving. After all in politics enemies enemy is your friend and these fundamentalist are upset with Pakistan as they are being target on instruction from usa.

Vikram said...

This is a quite ridiculous post. I know India has many, many problems but putting others down wont help you come up.

Riaz Haq said...

Vikram: "This is a quite ridiculous post."

It's the Indian policy, not the post, that is ridiculous.

Instead of focusing on the world's largest population of poor, hungry and illiterate people who call India home, the government of India is spending massive amounts of money to build up its military and intelligence to threaten its neighbors.

Don't forget, it was a poor and hungry India led by Indira that destabilized East Pakistan and divided Pakistan to try and become a regional hegemon. If it wasn't for Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, it would invade it to scare other neighbors.

Since India can not do directly invade, it's using proxy war to hurt Pakistan by funding religious militants launching attacks on soft targets like Data Durbar.

Anonymous said...

"Since India can not do directly invade, it's using proxy war to hurt Pakistan by funding religious militants launching attacks on soft targets like Data Durbar."

Oh my god, you actually started believing your fantasies as facts. No wonder Nadeem F Paracha makes fun of Pakistanis like you.

I have to admit that indians are order of magnitude smarter than Pakistanis in covert war. No one is able to pinpoint india for such attacks in Pakistan, and our attacks in India get caught.

Riaz Haq said...

DC:"No one is able to pinpoint india for such attacks in Pakistan, and our attacks in India get caught."

Unlike non-state actors from Pakistan who carried out Mumbai terrorist assault, I suspect that the Indian attacks in Pakistan are orchestrated by Indian intelligence agencies who use Pakistani militants to achieve their objective of dividing an destabilizing Pakistan.

Pradeep said...

Mr. Haq,
It is disheartening to see that for all your education and experience in hi-tech you can only provide hypothesis without proof on such a sensitive issue. You have provided absolutely no proof, simply relying on hearsay. I was hoping to read an objective analysis.Sad...

You said...
"India has the motivation, the opportunity and the capacity to inflict significant harm to Pakistan, more so than any other neighbor. India ha a track record to show it."

Capability or intent does not prove anything. Can you provide the kind of proof that India has provided in the Mumbai attacks.

Anonymous said...
"No petrol details are given as these would be interesting given present rumors about 17 rupees per liter of petrol in Pakistan versus nearly 50 rupees."

You forget the extended credit that KSA provides Pakistan in the form of fuel supply.

You said (in comments)...
"Unlike non-state actors"

Good God! I am sick of hearing this 'non-state actors' term. It is like a child saying that it is not responsible for some vase that it broke, just because it is a child. If the attack originated out of your territory, then you are responsible. Period. If not, then you have no right to crib when foreigners come inside in order to neutralize these threats. You cannot doublespeak.

Anonymous said...

"I suspect that the Indian attacks in Pakistan are"

the operative word in your entire post is "I suspect". It is no proof with conjectures after conjectures, coupled with hatred, envy -> passed off as fact.

I too have suspicion. I too want to blame sunnis. Do I have your permission.

Riaz Haq said...

Pradeep: "Capability or intent does not prove anything. Can you provide the kind of proof that India has provided in the Mumbai attacks."

I think you don't understand what proof means in situations where highly sophisticated professionals are involved in masterminding terrorist attacks. Those responsible for such attacks do a very good job of covering their tracks.

The reason Mumbai was easy to investigate was because it was masterminded by crude amateurs who left tons of clues and fingerprints in their trail, including extensive telephone conversations.

BTW, no "proof" of the kind you are talking about has been offered of direct al Qaeda involvement in 911. It's mostly circumstantial based on al Qaeda capacity and intent, but it seems fairly convincing.

Anonymous said...

"It's mostly circumstantial based on al Qaeda capacity and intent, but it seems fairly convincing."

But in your case it is not convincing for many pakistanis themselves, what to talk about indians or americans. Why don't you talk with your chum Dr. Hoodbhoy about this.

Anonymous said...

Riaz, did you read the thread in Pakistaniat about Data Darbar Bombing. The consensus is that real islam aka Saudi Wahabism has to be eradicated from Pakistan like Malaria or Cholrea.

Anonymous said...

http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2010/jun/03/terror-pakistans-punjab-heartland/

satwa gunam said...

I know many in pakistan blames india for the split. Please dispassionate google on the bangledesh split. Truth will be seen if you want to see the truth.

Further india had a version of dictator that is indira gandhi at the relam of the affairs. Unfortunately there is no such leadership in power. Invariable the democracy has split the power and the ruling is just trying to ensure that the seat does not go out.

satwa gunam said...

Hi,

Enemies enemy is friend. India might be funding these fundamentalist. When pakistan can do so loud and clear why must not india do it.

Further even if you assuming 100% it is doing it, pakistan has not come out with any damaging facts. Further i feel india commands more respect in the international market as a country rather than pakistan.

anoop said...

Riaz,

Let say one has Malaria and he goes to the Doctor and the Doctor diagnoses it as some other disease,say ABC. The Doctor gives him medicines to take to cure my ABC. But, it doesn't go away. The one's suffering increaases, he approach him again, the Doctor says,"Oh, you must have XYZ," and gives him other medicines.
The disease doesnt go away.

This is the something similar to Pakistan's plight and the defence forces of Pakistan represent the doctor. They have done more harm to Pakistan any non-Pakistani actor. They lost Bangladesh, supported a super-power against another super-power by encouraging extremism IN THEIR OWN BACKYARD!,fought foolish,ill-advised wars against a neighbour far more stable and powerful than itself and lost face in front of the world. Now, you and other Pakistanis who think on those lines have donned the role of the 'doctor' and again diagnosing the disease wrong.

Before making any diagnosis one should have concrete proof and should have an idea if the therapy will backfire or not.

You "suspect" India of mingling in Pakistan's affairs. At the same time people in Pakistan ,who enjoy little power,like Rehman Malik, who used to blame "foreign hands" have given up assured that gaining debate points isn't going to do anything for anyone,especially if its against India, whose PR is amongst the best in the world and renowned in the world for its peaceful intent. Now, Pakistan's top journalists dismiss views such as yours. Mind you these journalists have access to much more info than you do and they do have access to intelligence agencies,although covert access. Your word is just based on your access to Google and ,frankly, means nothing.

P.S. I notice that your suspicious have turned to beliefs when you say,"India supports these acts to further divide and destabilize Pakistan and keep in weak to fend off any challenges from it.

But I think the Indian strategy is short-sighted, because these groups can also cause a lot of harm to India as well."

Riaz Haq said...

Anoop:

You are parroting the baseless Indian propaganda narrative about Pakistan Army. Your own army generals Kapoor and Lamba are on record as wanting to invade Pakistan to take Pindi within a few hours by defeating Pakistani military.

It is the Pakistani military that stands in the way of your hawkish security establishment achieving its ambitions.

India's ambitions are also clear from the continuing concentration of Indian troops close to the Pakistani border, and its 6000+ tanks that are useless against China because of the mountainous terrain.

And one of RAW's primary focuses has been and continues to be Pakistan, according to Jayshree Bajoria's 2008 paper in Council of Foreign Relations journal:

..... India established a dedicated external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Founded mainly to focus on China and Pakistan, over the last forty years the organization has expanded its mandate and is credited with greatly increasing India's influence abroad. Experts say RAW's powers and its role in India's foreign policy have varied under different prime ministers. Successes that RAW claims it contributed to include:

* the creation of Bangladesh in 1971;
* India's growing influence in Afghanistan;
* Sikkim's accession to India in the northeast in 1975;
* the security of India's nuclear program;
* the success of African liberation movements during the Cold War.


Most Pakistanis believe what I have stated for the reasons I have stated, regardless of the few misguided or ill-informed Pakistani columnists that you find believable because it suits you.

Anonymous said...

"Most Pakistanis believe what I have stated for the reasons I have stated"

Most pakistanis also believe that 9/11 was an inside job by jews and CIA and Mumbai attack was plotted by Jews/RAW and CIA to defame pakistanis.

Riaz Haq said...

DC: "Most pakistanis also believe that 9/11 was an inside job by jews and CIA and ..."

Your claim is misleading. 63% of Pakistanis said in "World Opinion" poll that they don't know who was responsible for 911.

A poll conducted by CNN-IBN in August 2007 found that only 2 out of 5 (40%) of those polled in India believe that al-Qaeda is responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

There are similar doubts expressed in other countries as well. Worldwide, only 46% agreed that the 911 attack was carried out by al Qaeda.

That's the problem with such attacks. It's hard to establish who did it beyond reasonable doubt because all the evidence is destroyed in the massive explosions and fireballs that follow.

Conversely, the majority of Americans believe Saddam Hussain had for 911 attacks for which there is no evidence.

Anonymous said...

"That's the problem with such attacks. It's hard to establish who did it beyond reasonable doubt because all the evidence is destroyed in the massive explosions and fireballs that follow.

"
Fair enough. Then you and other pakistanis should also stop believing that India is behind all these attacks in Pakistan. Reasonable doubt is not a synonymn for whishful thinking.

Even as a Pakistani I feel disgusted that we encourage such blame-india attitude, thus never looking at the root cause of such violence.

Riaz Haq said...

DC: "Even as a Pakistani I feel disgusted that we encourage such blame-india attitude, thus never looking at the root cause of such violence. "

In your simplistic mind, there is no possibility that India could be up to its neck in meddling in Pakistan to exploit divisions caused by the post-911 US intervention in the region.

You dismiss any thought along the lines that there could be an opportunistic decision by Delhi to patronize and finance the TTP and its allies directly or indirectly to create greater trouble for its archenemy.

You are completely blind to the possibility that Indians are carrying out their covert war in Pakistan that was openly and strongly advocated post-Mumbai by India's security establishment and "think tanks" via various Op Eds and newspaper columns.

You ignore the fact that one of RAW's primary focuses has been and continues to be Pakistan, according to Jayshree Bajoria's 2008 paper in Council of Foreign Relations journal:

..... India established a dedicated external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Founded mainly to focus on China and Pakistan, over the last forty years the organization has expanded its mandate and is credited with greatly increasing India's influence abroad. Experts say RAW's powers and its role in India's foreign policy have varied under different prime ministers. Successes that RAW claims it contributed to include:

* the creation of Bangladesh in 1971;
* India's growing influence in Afghanistan;
* Sikkim's accession to India in the northeast in 1975;
* the security of India's nuclear program;
* the success of African liberation movements during the Cold War.


Regardless of the reality around you, you can believe that there is nothing in the shadows, and there is absolutely no need for peripheral vision. Whatever is not directly in front of does not exist.

You can keep your blinders on and reject all explanations to the exclusion of the only one you can see with your myopic, astigmatic eyes.

I pity your naivete.

Anonymous said...

You are welcome. You can pity on me for being naive, while I pity on entire pakistanis on their fate.

You believe in white lies and half truths, garnished with conjectures and topped off with wishful thinking, passed off as analysis.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/08/22/top6.htm

"The minister said that events which followed the 9/11 incident proved that it was the brainchild of Jews. He said that according to holy Quran, Jews and Christians could never be friends of Muslims.
"

And people like you wonder why the west has strong suspicion of muslims.

Riaz Haq said...

DC: "And people like you wonder why the west has strong suspicion of muslims."

No, I don't wonder about it. I know this suspicion is mutual and rooted in history...the history of the Crusades and colonization, which shows how the western nations invaded, killed, tortured and colonized Muslim nations.

Have you read Dante or Voltaire? Please do so if have not, and you'll learn the deep hatred expressed against prophet Mohammad, Islam and Muslims.

Alternatively, read "Muhammad in Europe" by Minou Reeves.

Anonymous said...

"No, I don't wonder about it. I know this suspicion is mutual and rooted in history..."

I love the fact that you are writing this under the cosy comfort of West. As Dr. Hoodbhoy said, the treatment of muslims in west is much better than our treatment of non muslims.

Yes I too know history. West has a brutal past. They were no better than 'barbaric' muslims (note, barbaric is here used as a sarcastic reference, because that is what west calls muslims these days). Having said it, I am willing to close that chapter now that west is so much better, otherwise millions of muslims will not live in west instead of their Dar-ul-islam heaven like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq.

I don't mind muslims in west criticising their govt's policies. Heck even whites do it against their own country. But in my experience living in UK, muslims absolutely loathe British culture which per me is height of double standards.

As you can gauge from my writings that I am a loudmouth :-). I once told a group of Pakistanis that it is better to live as a second class citizen in first world than as a first class citizen in 3rd class hell holes like Pakistan.
They hated it but can't argue otherwise since they themselves would never leave UK. Gosh, what nerve to conclude that Islamic way is superior to western way of life.
cont ...

Anonymous said...

Part 2.

On a similar note I chuckle when the mailing list I participate in, Pakistanis are now realizing the shame of being known as a muslim. After the attack on Ahemadis last month, I saw few Ismalilis claiming their sect as different from islam. Now what!! Would Sufism qualify as different from islam. Interestingly sufism, which has lot more tolerance, is branded in Pakistan by the Israr Ahmed's of the world as "Hinduism in Islam". LOL. Does that mean that officially Islam does not recognize tolerance.

For me no religion is better than humanism. All religions are man made concoctions. However other religions has evolved (or at least its people). We are still stuck at 7th century.

Riaz Haq said...

DC:"For me no religion is better than humanism. All religions are man made concoctions. However other religions has evolved (or at least its people). We are still stuck at 7th century. "

Humanism has its own orthodoxy, its own litmus test that one must pass to enter their "religion". It's no different than established religions.

As for Islam and 7th century, I don't agree with your understanding of Islam. I agree that many Muslims are stuck in 7th century, but Islam itself provides for "Ijtihad" to contextualize its practices to guide Muslims through the ages. That's what validates Islam's claim as a religion for all times and all places.

There are examples of Ijtihad, such as rulings on prayer times and fasting times in Greenland in the Arctic region where there is a substantial population of Muslims wanting to practice their faith.

The orthodox mullahs have essentially opposed and outlawed all Ijthad by calling it "innovation" or "Bidah".

This is part of the debate going on within Islam, and I hope it resolves itself in a way that allows the practice of Ijtihad to be restored to its rightful place.

Anonymous said...

Humanism does not differentiate between black and white, between Hindu and muslim. Religon do. So much blood has flown due to religion and religious difference. Not acknowleding it is intellecutal dishonesty.
Humanism is far more egalatarian.

BTW many Pakistanis believe the following hadees. I think for them today's date is 8 July 710


"Allah's Apostle said, ‘You Muslims will fight the Jews till some of them
hide behind stones. The stones will betray them saying, "O Abdullah (slave
of Allah)! There is a Jew hiding behind me; so kill him."'"
Bukhari:V4B52N177

Riaz Haq said...

DC: "Humanism does not differentiate between black and white, between Hindu and muslim. Religon do"

It differentiates between humanists and non-humanists. Humanism a religion in its own right with its own precepts and truths. It despises anyone who does not follow it to the fullest extent.

As to the Hadith you quote, it's the worst example of proving anything you want by de-contextualizing it.

The way you quote it and draw conclusions from it raises more questions than it answers.

Could it have been said when there was a state of war?

Does it cancel other Ahadith about not attacking and killing non-combatants? Or about respecting others' religions?

If you don't know what was happening at the time it was said, you can easily distort it to mean anything you want.

There is a Caltech professor and illusion expert Al Seckel who shows many examples of context defining meaning, and he explains how horribly distorted the meaning becomes when it is divorced from context.

For example, he shows a little drawing by a second grade girl that shows a woman who appears to be pole dancing, and it says "I want to be like mommy when I grow up".

It shocks the teacher and prompts an inquiry that finally reveals that the mother actually works at the local Home Depot. She told her daughter about running out of shovels at the sore after a snow storm in town. And the daughter actually drew the picture showing her mother helping customers by handing out as many shovels as she could find in and around the store.

Riaz Haq said...

DC:

http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2010/jun/03/terror-pakistans-punjab-heartland/

How and when did these TTP and Punjabi Taliban emerge? Does it have anything do with their violent reaction to crackdown by Pakistani military in FATA? And who and what prompted this crackdown? Was it not the US? The only way to neutralize them is to talk with the real Afghan Taliban, not these pretenders in Pakistan. And the talks will likely not be fruitful until the US exit from the region.

Let me reiterate that the origins of the problems of violence and insurgency Pakistan faces today are foreign, dating back to the US CIA intervention in the region after the Soviet invasion.

The return of the United States after 911 has once again reopened the wounds and made Pakistan's and Afghanistan's security problems much worse than ever.

The solution to the violence problem can only begin with the US exit followed immediately by the exit of he US peons like the Indians in Afghanistan. That is a pre-requisite that Pakistan must seek to bring about before it can succeed in stopping the jihadis from fighting foreign occupiers and their collaborators in the region, and killing of innocent people in the region.

And I am convinced that the US (at least Obama) sees it the same way as I do, and Americans are preparing to pull their troops out in a year or two at the latest. Pakistanis should help expedite it to bring the loss of local and American lives to a speedy end.

satwa gunam said...

Talking to taliban is a brilliant idea. USA must accept that they are not in a position to bring civil democracy in iraq or in afghan and leave the place gracefully for them to do what they want to do.

p4k1stan said...

@ data cruncher
"But in my experience living in UK, muslims absolutely loathe British culture which per me is height of double standards."
which part of british culture are you most proud of? the highest rate of unmarried teenage pregnancies in the whole of europe? the drinking culture and all the problems associated with it? violence, family breakdown... you clearly have an inferiorty complex having arrived to these shores, trying to assimilate completely by denouncing your religion...

Anonymous said...

'which part of british culture are you most proud of? '

I guess the same culture of encouraging dissent ,free thinking and fair play that built the modern world introducing things like the industrial evolution,modern finance and parliamentary democracy.

What aspect of pakistani culture if you could call it that in your not so humble opinion are you proud off?
Persecuting minorities?terrorism?oppression of women?tribal justice in the 21st century?muta marraiges?
serfdom?....

I am based out of India today,large parts of it are rubbish but at least Indians are trying to do something about it.
But no instead of appreciating it and trying to emulate it you are too busy begging for aid with one hand and pointing fingers with the other.Pathetic!

Riaz Haq said...

Here's report in Jerusalem Post about wikileaks talking about the US as an exporter of international terrorism:

According to a CIA analysis released by Web site Wikileaks on Wednesday, the US is an "exporter of terrorism" and has been for many years.

Further, says the analysis, if the rest of the world were to begin regarding the US as such, diplomatic relations could be severely damaged and willingness to cooperate with US activities could be hindered.

The classified report, titled "What if Foreigners See the United States as an Exporter of Terrorism?" was produced in February 2010 by the CIA's Red Cell, a think tank set up in the wake of the September 11 2001 attacks on New York's World Trade Center.

According to The Washington Post, a CIA spokesperson played down the report, saying that it was compiled simply to provoke thought and present a range of views.

It considers international terrorist organizations targeting and recruiting Americans. It says:

"Less attention has been paid to homegrown terrorism, not exclusively Muslim terrorists, exported overseas to target non-US persons. This report examines the implications of what it would mean for the US to be seen increasingly as an incubator and 'exporter of terrorism.'"

The online whistle-blower organization Wikileaks calls itself a "multi-jurisdictional public service designed to protect whistleblowers, journalists and activists who have sensitive materials to communicate to the public."

Last month the group published 76,000 classified U.S. military records and field reports on the war in Afghanistan.


http://www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=186034

Anonymous said...

My reason for writing these posts is simple, really: I want Pakistan to be a progressive state, with positive relations with all its neighbors, as well as the rest of the world. That necessarily means clarifying perceptions that I might see as untrue.
A tall order, admittedly, given the negative perception of the country and doubts that Pakistan may not even survive.
But the first step is to understand the truth of what is happening in the region, and to do that the question to ask is: Who benefits?
I may be wrong. If so, I am willing to listen to alternative viewpoints. Let's assume for the sake of argument that what I said was all 'conspiracy theory' etc. We would then need an alternative 'sensible' explanation and solution:
So, is India, indeed, magnanimous and altruistic in its spending of billions toward Afghanistan infrastructure, electric grids, education programs for Afghans, etc?Perhaps.
There's also this: that it's along with the two modern Indian air bases in Northern Afghanistan, the 14+ 'consulates' all along the Afghan-Pakistan border, the 'special' Afghan students in India, the creation of RAAM along the lines of RAW with Northern Alliance men, the frequent (photographed) visits of Baloch separatist leaders in Indian consulates, the bombers of mosques and shrines who have been followed, tracked and found to have ties to Indian 'consulates').
Who benefits? Is it true that the militant activity is blowback for Pakistan from its militant creations?
Yes, true. But who is funding/arming them now? Because after Pakistan went against them under pressure from the US, they turned against Pakistan, which was the only possible outcome. Whose strategy did this fulfil?
Who benefits?
Another element in the mix: Who created Jundallah? Who funds and arms it? After they killed several Iranian generals, Pakistan captured and turned over some of their leaders to Iran. Care to guess their funding?
Who benefits?

As regards Deobandi, Wahabbi, Naqshbandi, Cheshire cats, Muggles or any other ilk: These are just red herrings. They are levers to use and pull, in order to get the poor ignorant sods to blow themselves up by reinforcing their twisted beliefs.
The real question is: who is pulling the levers?
Who benefits?

But these are merely smaller subsets in the new overall "Great Game" which is what seems to be happening.

1. The present "Great Game" is control and access routes to oil/energy and the region for the next 40 or so years until alternative sources are developed
2. To provide a market for the military products of the military-industrial complex by perpetual war.
There is no intention of leaving the region.
The main competitors/players battling for access/control of the region are the US, China and the partners of these two. Within this battle are the subsets of regional conflicts.
China’s building of the port in Gwadar, Balochistan gives it direct access to the Persian Gulf and allows it a cheaper route for its energy needs. The only way to block this is to control Pakistan. One method to ‘control’ Pakistan was suggested by Maj. Ralph Peters in his now infamous redrawn map of the region which advocated a break-up of Pakistan.
India, ready and willing, is the means by which the break-up of Pakistan is being envisaged, through its ‘consulates’ in Afghanistan that fund the militant groups (the Baloch groups, the Pakistani Taliban, etc) which are bombing Pakistani cities, Shia/Sunni mosques, Sufi shrines etc. Mercenaries are already in place inside Pakistan.
Negative media portrayal of Pakistan is another important component to prepare the public should a war take place. They will be more accepting of a war on a country that has a negative image.
It is no coincidence that such portrayals are already at a high level, and that some violent incidents take place when needed.

Riaz Haq said...

Here's an excerpt of an Op Ed by Ambassadors Ayaz Wazir (from FATA) published in The News:

The war in Afghanistan has not only ruined that country but has badly affected its neighbours and the world at large. The overall security situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated considerably. The year 2010 has been the deadliest since the occupation of the country by foreign forces. While the insurgency continues unabated, elections to the lower house were held last month, which is a step in the right direction. It can strengthen President Karzai provided those supporting peace efforts are elected to parliament. If those who prefer the status quo or oppose the peace process are elected, it will make Karzai's efforts much more difficult.
As far as the international partners in the war on terror are concerned, one can see the unease, particularly amongst the European countries, due to the public resentment against an "open-ended" military presence in Afghanistan.
The growing realisation that the war is not winnable militarily forces them to activate the tracks for reconciliation within Afghanistan. They seem to have realised that Pakistan's role in finding a peaceful solution to the problem is not only important but crucial.
Pakistan has suffered most of all – but what has it gained in return? Its losses in terms of men and material are far more than those of the US and NATO. Its economy is nosediving and is now dependant entirely on foreign help. Foreign investment has stopped and capital outflow is on the rise. Inflation is sky-high, corruption is rampant, institutions stand destroyed and accountability is a closed chapter. Relations with the neighbours are not as cordial and the trust deficit with the West is widening.
In his book 'Obama's Wars', Bob Woodward has quoted Mike McConnell, the former US national intelligence director as having said that Pakistan is a dishonest partner, unwilling or unable to stop elements of its intelligence service from giving clandestine aid, weapons and money to the Afghan Taliban. On the one hand the US lauds Pakistan for playing a vital role in the war on terror and on the other it accuses Pakistan of helping the Taliban.
The US says it wants to win the hearts and minds of the Afghans but at the same time it does not hesitate in using force to force opponents to agree to its terms and conditions. Washington needs to reconsider its policy options. It should avoid setting conditions on the future dispensation that is to emerge in that country and stop changing goal posts or having double standards - if it wants to attain peace in Afghanistan. The readers would recall that during the Taliban period the US insisted on the formation of a broad-based government but the same principle was thrown to the winds in the Bonn Accord when an extremely narrow-based government was installed in Kabul. Similarly while it castigates Pakistan for not carrying out a harsh military offensive against Haqqani elements, it has quietly opened up lines of communication with that faction, according to Guardian.

Riaz Haq said...

Religious sectarian divisions in Pakistan are as old or older than Pakistan. So why is it that we have never seen the intensity of carnage that we are seeing now?

It is because the current conflict in Pakistan is not really religious or sectarian, although it is being mislabeled as such by the government, the media and the commentators.

As has been historically seen in prior FATA tribal rebellions against other foreigners, it is part of the wider Pashtoon nationalist rebellion against the presence of foreign troops in the region, and the Pashtun nationalists are targeting the US and its ally Pakistan in their brutal attacks on civilians to force US and Pakistani troops to leave FATA alone.

Waziri tribes (like TTP) in particular are brutally lashing out against Pakistani civilians for Pakistani military attacks in FATA, and for Pakistani government facilitating US drone attacks in Waziristan.

The mosques and shrines are being targeted but not exclusively. There have also been many attacks against government buildings, security forces headquarters, police training centers, Pakistan Army GHQ, Pak intelligence apparatus, US and NATO supply lines, etc. etc.

The mainly Pashtun attackers are targeting mosques and shrines essentially soft targets that they can go after to show how helpless Pakistani security forces are.

It's a familiar tactic previously used by the Sunni insurgents fighting the US occupation in Iraq and its Shia-dominated government allies installed by the US in Iraq. This tactic made the US occupiers and their mainly Shia allies look powerless in Iraq.

I think the US is finally recognizing the reality of the determined Pashtoon resistance by initiating talks with the Taliban, including Mullah Omar and the Haqqani network. I see this as part of the end game in Afghanistan, and hopefully the gradual tapering off of the terrorist attacks in the region after the end of US occupation of Afghanistan.

Riaz Haq said...

Here are some excerpts from a Wall Street Journal report on suicide bombings teenage recruits in Pakistan:

KARACHI, Pakistan—The recruitment described by a 14-year-old alleged terrorist in this teeming port city shows the growing spread of a web of extremist groups in the region.

On Monday, Mohammad Salaam and two alleged members of the Pakistan Taliban, which is locked in a two-year-old war with the Pakistani state, were arrested by police as they allegedly prepared a suicide attack.

In an interview at a Karachi police station, with policemen present, Mr. Salaam described a short path to becoming a suicide bomber. "They would brainwash me by talking about jihad all the time," he said of his Pakistan Taliban minders. "I could feel it in my soul."

Mr. Salaam remains in detention, but hasn't been charged. Police said he will be released because he is a minor.

The Pakistan Taliban, which operate chiefly from remote tribal areas, have been able to forge deep ties in this city of 18 million, and in other cities and towns, through connections with local Islamist extremist groups that procure funds and recruit would-be suicide bombers.

Those bonds are one reason the Pakistani military is reluctant to act on mounting pressure from the U.S. to broaden its war in the tribal regions in the northwest of the country. U.S. officials say an offensive in the North Waziristan tribal region is needed to root out Afghan Taliban and allied groups that attack U.S. troops over the border in Afghanistan.

But Pakistan's military says such an operation would be met by an escalation of attacks by Pakistan Taliban and its allies, unleashing retaliatory strikes in Karachi and other major urban centers they have infiltrated across the country.

"There would be a wave of suicide bombings across Pakistan," said Gen. Athar Abbas, the military's chief spokesman.

After the current offensive against the Pakistan Taliban began two years ago, the group retaliated with attacks in several cities against government, police and military targets, as well as shrines seen by extremists as heretical.

The Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack this month on Karachi's revered Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine, which killed eight people. An attack Monday on a shrine in southern Punjab killed five.

The group has also attracted recruits from outside Pakistan. The failed Times Square bomber, Faisal Shehzad, said he trained in North Waziristan with the Pakistan Taliban.

Links between the Pakistn Taliban, a network of militants mainly from the Pashtun Mehsud tribe of South Waziristan, and extremist groups in Karachi have deepened in recent months, local police say.

One of the men arrested on Monday, Sher Rehman, was an operative with the extremist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi who worked for the Pakistan Taliban, police officials said.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi began in the 1990s in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province as a Sunni sectarian group targeting minority Shiites. Pakistan banned the group, along with a number of others, under U.S. pressure in 2001. Its fighters, largely ethnic Punjabis, many of whom had fought in Afghanistan and against Indian troops in Kashmir, sought shelter in the tribal regions, deepening bonds with the Taliban on both sides of the border.

It was Mr. Rehman's job to recruit fighters among Karachi's youth and to extort money from local businesses to provide funding, police said.

Riaz Haq said...

Here's an excerpt fom a NY Times story on Obama's India visit and internal US policy debates on India-Pakistan conflict:

Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top commander in Afghanistan, is among those who have warned internally about the dangers of Cold Start, according to American and Indian officials. Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Richard C. Holbrooke, the special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, share these fears.

The strategy calls for India to create fast-moving battle groups that could deliver a contained but sharp retaliatory ground strike inside Pakistan within three days of suffering a terrorist attack by militants based in Pakistan, yet not do enough damage to set off a nuclear confrontation.

Pakistani officials have repeatedly stressed to the United States that worries about Cold Start are at the root of their refusal to redeploy forces away from the border with India so that they can fight Islamic militants in the frontier region near Afghanistan. That point was made most recently during a visit to Washington last month by Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

The administration raised the issue of Cold Start last November when India’s prime minister, Manmohan Singh, visited Washington, Indian and American officials said. Indian officials told the United States that the strategy was not a government or military policy, and that India had no plans to attack Pakistan. Therefore, they added, it should have no place on Mr. Obama’s agenda in India.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/06/world/asia/06india.html?scp=6&sq=obama%20t rip%20to%20india&st=cse

Riaz Haq said...

I am sure many Indians looking for Obama to bash Pakistan (as that British novice PM Cameron did) would be sorely disappointed by the following statements Obama made to Indian students at St. Xavier's College in Mumbai:

"We want nothing more than a stable, prosperous and peaceful Pakistan".

"It may be surprising to some of you to hear me say this, but I am absolutely convinced that the country that has the biggest stake in Pakistan's success is India."

Here's more from the Washington Post today:

Obama commemorated the Nov. 26, 2008, massacre (in Mumbai) on his arrival Saturday when he laid a white rose at a memorial to the victims and spoke at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and Tower, a main target of the attack. But he infuriated many Indians by not mentioning Pakistan in his tribute, reinforcing the impression here that Obama cares less about India's grievances than he does about defending a key partner in the Afghanistan war.

The issue will probably come up again Monday, Obama's final day in India, when he appears with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh before the U.S. and Indian media and later addresses the Indian Parliament. Obama could well face questions over his position on Kashmir, a religiously mixed region in the subcontinent's northwest that both India and Pakistan claim.

How he portrays the U.S. interest in Pakistan, whose weak government is defending itself against its own Taliban insurgency, will probably determine whether his visit here succeeds in convincing Indians that he is serious when he says, as he did Sunday, that "the U.S.-India relationship will be indispensable in shaping the 21st century."

Riaz Haq said...

Here's a report by a Washintington journalist Wayne Madsen alleging that Blackwater is behind TTP attacks in Pakistan:

WMR has learned from a deep background source that Xe Services, the company formerly known as Blackwater, has been conducting false flag terrorist attacks in Pakistan that are later blamed on the entity called “Pakistani Taliban.”

Only recently did the US State Department designate the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, a terrorist group. The group is said by the State Department to be an off-shoot of the Afghan Taliban, which had links to “Al Qaeda” before the 9/11 attacks on the United States. TTP’s leader is Hakimullah Mehsud, said to be 30-years old and operating from Pakistan’s remote tribal region with an accomplice named Wali Ur Rehman. In essence, this new team of Mehsud and Rehman appears to be the designated replacement for Osama Bin Laden and Ayman Zawahiri as the new leaders of the so-called “Global Jihad” against the West.

However, it is Xe cells operating in Karachi, Peshawar, Islamabad and other cities and towns that have, according to our source who witnessed the U.S.-led false flag terrorist operations in Pakistan. Bombings of civilians is the favored false flag event for the Xe team and are being carried out under the orders of the CIA.

However, the source is now under threat from the FBI and CIA for revealing the nature of the false flag operations in Pakistan. If the source does not agree to cooperate with the CIA and FBI, with an offer of a salary, the threat of false criminal charges being brought for aiding and abetting terrorism looms over the source.

The Blackwater/Xe involvement in terrorist attacks in Pakistan have been confirmed by the former head of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), General Hamid Gul, according to another source familiar with the current Xe covert operations. In addition, Pakistani ex-Army Chief of Staff, General Mirza Aslam Beg, reportedly claimed that while serving as president, General Pervez Musharraf approved Blackwater carrying out terrorist operations in Pakistan. Blackwater has been accused of smuggling weapons and munitions into Pakistan.

Earlier this year WMR reported that ”intelligence sources in Asia and Europe are reporting that the CIA contractor firm XE Services, formerly Blackwater, has been carrying out ‘false flag’ terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, Somalia, the Sinkiang region of China, Pakistan, Iran, and Iraq, in some cases with the assistance of Israeli Mossad and Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) personnel . . . A number of terrorist bombings in Pakistan have been blamed by Pakistani Islamic leaders on Blackwater, Mossad, and RAW. Blackwater has been accused of hiring young Pakistanis in Peshawar to carry out false flag bombings that are later blamed on the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. One such bombing took place during the Ashura procession in Karachi last month. The terrorist attacks allegedly are carried out by a secret Blackwater-XE/CIA/Joint Special Operations Command forward operating base in Karachi. The XE Services component was formerly known as Blackwater Select, yet another subsidiary in a byzantine network of shell and linked companies run by Blackwater/Xe on behalf of the CIA and the Pentagon. On December 3, 2009, the Pakistani newspaper Nawa-i-Waqtreported: ‘Vast land near the Tarbela dam has also been given to the Americans where they have established bases for their army and air forces. There, the Indian RAW [Research and Analysis Wing] and Israeli Mossad are working in collaboration with the CIA to carry out extremist activities in Pakistan.’”

Riaz Haq said...

Here is a Christian Science Monitor report on wikileaks early reaction in Pakistan:

Long derided in liberal Pakistani circles as a fanciful conspiracy theory, the notion that the US has designs on Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal will likely gain traction here following a report that the US has mounted a secret effort to remove highly enriched uranium from a Pakistani reactor since 2007....
The perception that America is attempting to rob Pakistan of its nuclear capability has long been touted by Islamists and hardliners in Pakistan, and is frequently brought up alongside the theory that the security firm Xe (formerly known as Blackwater) is responsible for a spate of suicide bomb attacks on civilian targets over the past few years. The US, for its part, has been keenly aware of the sensitivity of the issue, so much so that in May 2009, Ambassador Anne Patterson reported that Pakistan was refusing to schedule a visit by American technical experts for fear of stoking the Pakistani media’s suspicions.

According to security analyst Gen. (ret.) Talat Masood, the WikiLeaks revelations will prove a boon to hardliners in Pakistan.

“It really reinforces [what until now] has been a conspiracy theory – that America has always been after nuclear assets and gives a big handle to the right and those who have been saying America is not a our friend and saying they are following a dual policy: with India they are friends but with Pakistan they are trying to simultaneously undermine us.”

General Masood predicts the WikiLeaks cable report will have a serious short-term and long-term impact on US-Pakistan relations, and undermine those Pakistanis who have spoken up in favor of closer cooperation with the US in recent times.

“It places such people on the defensive – it looks like the US is trying to get close to Pakistanis who are more Westernized but who are compromising Pakistan’s national interest,” he says.

According to Pervez Hoodbhoy, an eminent Pakistani nuclear physicist based at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, the report probably refers to the highly enriched uranium Pakistan received from the US in the late 1960s as part of the "Atoms for Peace" program, before its weapons program began.

“As far as I can guess, the leak refers to highly enriched uranium that Pakistan received from the US in the late 1960's or early 1970s for running the small 5-mw research reactor at PINSTECH,” he says, in reference to a research center based close to Islamabad that is aimed at producing atomic energy. “There is no other reactor in Pakistan that runs on HEU. I suppose that the US wants it back because of fears that Al Qaeda might get its hands on it somehow.”

Pakistan gained its own nuclear enriching capability in 1976, therefore the removal of some highly enriched uranium by the United States would not eliminate its ability to create nuclear weapons.

Attempt to create misperceptions?
Separate WikiLeaks cables concerning Pakistani politicians could also prove embarrassing to its allies.

In one cable, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia derides President Asif Ali Zardari as the biggest hurdle to progress, stating, “When the head is rotten, it affects the whole body.”

President Zardari however received a tepid lukewarm "endorsement" from Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, "Zardarni [sic] is dirty but not dangerous," while… Sharif is “dangerous but not dirty – this is Pakistan. Sharif cannot be trusted to honor his promises,” a reference to Pakistan’s foremost opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif.

Farhatullah Babar, the president’s spokesman, said via text message that “President Zardari regards Saudi King Abdullah as his elder brother. The so called leaks are no more than an attempt to create misperceptions between two important and brotherly Muslim countries.”

Riaz Haq said...

Are Pakistani Taliban supported by India? UAE Security officials believe so, according to Wikileaks as reported by Deccan Herald.

UAE's security officials believed that India along with Iran had supported the Pakistani Taliban and Pushtun separatists, even as US suggested that UAE was a source of funding for the militants, a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks discloses.

The strange allegation by UAE officials is noted in a State Department cable, which reports the details of a meeting between officials of the US treasury department and those of UAE's State Security Department (SSD) and Dubai's general department of state security (GDSS) to discuss suspected Taliban-related financial activity in the UAE.

The meeting, spread over several hours on December 15-16, 2009. In the meeting, GDSS officials noted Iran's support to Taliban in Pakistan, adding that it believes that India also has supported Pakistani Taliban and Pashtun separatists.

The meeting from the US side was represented by Treasury Department Acting Assistant Secretary of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis Howard Mendelsohn.

Mendelsohn also raised Afghanistan and Pakistan-based extremist and terrorist groups, to include Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) and Jamaat al-Dawa al-Quran wa al-Sunna (JDQ), according to the cable.

Riaz Haq said...

Faisal Shehzad, the passionate but thankfully incompetent Times Square bomber, is an example of a genuine terror plot not created by FBI informants. Here is how he rationalized his involment to a judge in New York, as reported in The Guardian:

After several questions, (Judge) Cedarbaum asked, "Why do you want to plead guilty?"

"I want to plead guilty and I'm going to plead guilty 100 times forward because until the hour the US pulls its forces from Iraq and Afghanistan and stops the drone strikes in Somalia and Yemen and in Pakistan and stops the occupation of Muslim lands and stops Somalia and Yemen and in Pakistan, and stops the occupation of Muslim lands, and stops killing the Muslims and stops reporting the Muslims to its government, we will be attacking US, and I plead guilty to that.
---------
"Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan," he said uncertainly. "I… with them, I did the training to wage an attack inside United States of America."

"I see. How to make a bomb or how to detonate a bomb? What were you taught?"

"The whole thing: how to make a bomb, how to detonate a bomb, how to put a fuse, how many different types of bombs you can make." ...

"Is there a particular Taliban?" Cedarbaum asked at one point.

"Well, there are two Talibans; one is Taliban Afghanistan, the other is Taliban Pakistan. And I went to join the Taliban Pakistan."

"I see. Has that always been there?"

"It recently… they… the organisation was made… was made, like, six years ago when the first time Pakistan took a U-turn on the Taliban Afghanistan, and obviously the tribal area in Pakistan is the… was the harbouring for the mujahideen fighting in Afghanistan. So the Pakistan took a U-turn and they became allied with US and they went against the Taliban and start fighting and killing them. So during that time, the Afghan Taliban made a group to encounter the Pakistan government forces, and that's when Taliban Pakistan came into being. Six years ago, maybe."
----
... And he chose Times Square on a Saturday night so he could maximise the mayhem? "Yes. Damage to the building and to injure or kill people. But again, I would point out one thing in connection to the attack, that one has to understand where I'm coming from, because this is… I consider myself a mujahid, a Muslim soldier. The US and the Nato forces, along with 40, 50 countries, has attacked the Muslim lands. We… " Cedarbaum interrupted: "But not the people who were walking in Times Square that night," she said slowly. "Did you look around to see who 'they' were?"

"Well, the people select the government. We consider them all the same. The drones, when they hit…"

"Including the children?" the judge interrupted Shahzad once again.

There was a long pause.

"Well, the drone hits in Afghanistan and Iraq," he finally said, "they don't see children, they don't see anybody. They kill women, children, they kill everybody. It's a war, and in war, they kill people. They're killing all Muslims."

"Now we're not talking about them; we're talking about you."

"Well, I am part of that. I am part of the answer to the US terrorising the Muslim nations. I'm avenging the attacks because the Americans only care about their people, but they don't care about the people elsewhere in the world when they die. Similarly, in Gaza Strip, somebody has to go and live with the family whose house is bulldozed by the Israeli bulldozer. There's a lot of aggression…"

"In Afghanistan?"

"In Gaza Strip."

"I see."

"We Muslims are one community. We're not divided."

"Well, I don't want to get drawn into a discussion of the Qur'an."

Riaz Haq said...

Excerpts from Australian analyst Brian Cloughly's piece posted by Prof Juan Cole on his blog Informed Comment:

In Pakistan most of the killing of civilians by US drone-fired missiles goes unrecorded. There is no doubt many of the 100 drone strikes this year have killed some very nasty people, but it would be ridiculous to claim there have been no civilian casualties. The attacks take place in remote areas of the country, and the dead are rarely seen by independent witnesses. But the slaughter of his fellow citizens by US missiles is not a cause for concern to Pakistan’s President Zardari who is reported in Bob Woodward’s ‘Obama’s Wars’ as telling the Director of the CIA in 2008 that “Collateral damage worries you Americans. It does not worry me.”
...
But there is not only butchery in the drone campaign ; there is colossal damage being done to Pakistan, with massive propaganda advantage to insurrectionists, extremists, thugs and anarchists of all descriptions. The country is in ferment and on the edge of social disaster. There could hardly be a worse time for the US, in concert with an unpopular, corruption-struck and feeble government, to carry on blitzing.


The US has achieved control and lost credibility. But the government of Pakistan has lost both. That’s collateral damage, too.

Riaz Haq said...

Here's a new definition of "conspiracy" theory offered by former US Secretary of Treasury Paul Craig Roberts:

While we were not watching, conspiracy theory has undergone Orwellian redefinition.

A "conspiracy theory" no longer means an event explained by a conspiracy. Instead, it now means any explanation, or even a fact, that is out of step with the government's explanation and that of its media pimps.

For example, online news broadcasts of RT have been equated with conspiracy theories by the New York Times simply because RT reports news and opinions that the New York Times does not report and the US government does not endorse.

In other words, as truth becomes uncomfortable for government and its Ministry of Propaganda, truth is redefined as conspiracy theory, by which is meant an absurd and laughable explanation that we should ignore.

When piles of carefully researched books, released government documents, and testimony of eye witnesses made it clear that Oswald was not President John F. Kennedy's assassin, the voluminous research, government documents, and verified testimony was dismissed as "conspiracy theory."

In other words, the truth of the event was unacceptable to the authorities and to the Ministry of Propaganda that represents the interests of authorities.

The purest example of how Americans are shielded from truth is the media's (including many Internet sites') response to the large number of professionals who find the official explanation of September 11, 2001, inconsistent with everything they, as experts, know about physics, chemistry, structural engineering, architecture, fires, structural damage, the piloting of airplanes, the security procedures of the United States, NORAD's capabilities, air traffic control, airport security, and other matters.

These experts, numbering in the thousands, have been shouted down by know-nothings in the media who brand the experts as "conspiracy theorists."

This despite the fact that the official explanation endorsed by the official media is the most extravagant conspiracy theory in human history.

Let's take a minute to re-acquaint ourselves with the official explanation, which is not regarded as a conspiracy theory despite the fact that it comprises an amazing conspiracy.

The official truth is that a handful of young Muslim Arabs who could not fly airplanes, mainly Saudi Arabians who came neither from Iraq nor from Afghanistan, outwitted not only the CIA and the FBI, but also all 16 US intelligence agencies and all intelligence agencies of US allies including Israel's Mossad, which is believed to have penetrated every terrorist organization and which carries out assassinations of those whom Mossad marks as terrorists.


http://www.theglobalconspiracy.org/2011/06/911-and-orwellian-redefinition-of.html

Riaz Haq said...

Top TTP leader defects, according to Christian Science Monitor:

Karachi, Pakistan, The defection of a top Taliban militant commander in the troubled Kurrum tribal belt bordering Afghanistan is the first major sign of a split within the Pakistani Taliban. The split could benefit both Pakistan and the US, say analysts.

The notorious militant commander, Fazal Saeed Haqqani, announced his decision to quit the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) along with hundreds of militants and form his own group, Tehrik-e-Taliban Islami.

“I repeatedly told the leadership of the TTP that they should stop suicide attacks against mosques, markets, and other civilian targets,” the commander, who is in his late 30s, told reporters in Kurrum Agency on Monday.



“The TTP is doing in Pakistan what Americans are doing in Afghanistan, killing innocent civilians,” said the commander, adding that he would continue his fight against the Americans.



The TTP, or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, claims responsibility for most of the recent deadly suicide attacks across the country. The fracture within this terrorist outfit may be welcome news to Pakistan’s military, which has failed to break its backbone despite increasing US pressure and military offensives along the Afghan border.



“It is a good message for Pakistan and America both,” says Peshawar-based analyst Brig. (Ret.) Mehmood Shah. “This is the first dissenting voice from within and that, too, is coming from a powerful commander. It will definitely fracture the TTP, isolate it, and there might be more cracks to be seen in the near future.”



“It’s like clipping the wings of the TTP, especially in the important tribal area of Kurrum,” he suggests.


Location, location, location

Kurrum carries tremendous significance for Pakistan and the US as it is the shortest route to Kabul from anywhere in Pakistan (here's a map of Kurrum). It borders Khost in the south, Paktia in the southwest, and Nagarhar in the north – all provinces considered to be strongholds of the Afghan Taliban.



The Pakistani Taliban and the Haqqani terror network, under the pressure of American drones in North Waziristan, have been eyeing Kurrum to get access to Afghanistan in order to join the Afghan Taliban in their fight against the US-led forces.



http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2011/0629/Top-Taliban-leader-quits-the-Pakistan-Taliban

Riaz Haq said...

Here are some excepts from an article Jayshree Bajoria of Council on Foreign Relations:

..... Experts say RAW's powers and its role in India's foreign policy have varied under different prime ministers. Successes that RAW claims it contributed to include:

* the creation of Bangladesh in 1971;
* India's growing influence in Afghanistan;
* Sikkim's accession to India in the northeast in 1975;
* the security of India's nuclear program;
* the success of African liberation movements during the Cold War.
----
RAW had two priorities after its formation, writes B. Raman, a former RAW official, in the 2007 book ,The Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane. The organization worked to strengthen its capability for intelligence gathering on Pakistan and China and for covert action in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Some experts say that RAW's efforts in East Pakistan, which was created from the partition of the Indian state of Bengal and completely separated from the rest of Pakistan, was aimed at fomenting independence sentiment. Over time, RAW's objectives have broadened to include:

* Monitoring the political and military developments in adjoining countries, which have direct bearing on India's national security and in the formulation of its foreign policy.
* Seeking the control and limitation of the supply of military hardware to Pakistan, mostly from European countries, the United States, and China.
----
RAW had two priorities after its formation, writes B. Raman, a former RAW official, in the 2007 book ,The Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane. The organization worked to strengthen its capability for intelligence gathering on Pakistan and China and for covert action in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Some experts say that RAW's efforts in East Pakistan, which was created from the partition of the Indian state of Bengal and completely separated from the rest of Pakistan, was aimed at fomenting independence sentiment. Over time, RAW's objectives have broadened to include:

* Monitoring the political and military developments in adjoining countries, which have direct bearing on India's national security and in the formulation of its foreign policy.
* Seeking the control and limitation of the supply of military hardware to Pakistan, mostly from European countries, the United States, and China.
----
From the early days, RAW had a secret liaison relationship with the Mossad, Israel's external intelligence agency. The main purpose was to benefit from Israel's knowledge of West Asia and North Africa, and to learn from its counterterrorism techniques, say experts.
------------
In retaliation, in the mid-1980s, RAW set up two covert groups of its own, Counter Intelligence Team-X (CIT-X) and Counter Intelligence Team-J (CIT-J), the first targeting Pakistan in general and the second directed at Khalistani groups. The two groups were responsible for carrying out terrorist operations inside Pakistan (Newsline), writes Pakistani military expert Ayesha Siddiqa. Indian journalist and associate editor of Frontline magazine, Praveen Swami, writes that a "low-grade but steady campaign of bombings in major Pakistani cities, notably Karachi and Lahore" was carried out. This forced the head of ISI to meet his counterpart in RAW and agree on the rules of engagement as far as Punjab was concerned, writes Siddiqa. The negotiation was brokered by then-Jordanian Crown Prince Hassan bin-Talal, whose wife, Princess Sarvath, is of Pakistani origin. "It was agreed that Pakistan would not carry out activities in the Punjab as long as RAW refrained from creating mayhem and violence inside Pakistan," Siddiqa writes.

..... experts point out that India has supported insurgents in Pakistan's Balochistan, as well as anti-Pakistan forces in Afghanistan.....-------....

Riaz Haq said...

Here's an India Today story on Indian spies returning from jails in Pakistan:

Several persons who returned to India from Pakistan after completing their sentence for spying have decided to approach the government for compensation for the years they spent behind bars.

They claim they were on a "spying mission" for Indian intelligence agencies and that the government discarded them once they got arrested in Pakistan.

Even after their return to India after languishing in jail, the authorities remained indifferent towards them, they said.

The only exception was Kashmir Singh, who got land and monetary compensation from the Punjab government. He returned in 2008 after spending over three decades in a Pakistani jail.

Karamat Rahi, who lives in Gurdaspur district's Khaira Kalan village, said: "I am living a pauper's life now and have fallen off the agencies' map. Former spies have been coordinating with each other across the border states. We plan to highlight our plight to the government and demand compensation for giving our prime years to the nation."
-------
Karamat had shifted to India from Pakistan in 1980. "The security agencies took advantage of my background. They pushed me back into Pakistan in 1983. I worked for the agency and got arrested in 1988 near Minar-e-Pakistan with sensitive documents. The agencies summarily condemned me following my arrest," he said. Karamat's release was possible in 2005 after the intervention of then Punjab CM Amarinder Singh.

"When I returned after spending 18 years in jail, I approached the agency for rehabilitation. They told me not to make a noise about my plight. But I need help for settling my son, who has grown up," Karamat said.

Surjeet Singh, who returned to India after spending over three decades in prison, echoed similar sentiments.

"I will relax for a few days and then work out a strategy for seeking compensation from the government," he said, adding that he would welcome any move by fellow "spies" towards a joint effort for compensation.

Daniel aka Bahadur, who hails from Dadwain village in Gurdaspur and pulls a rickshaw to earn his livelihood, also accused the "authorities who sent him to Pakistan" of refusing to recognise him.

Daniel was apprehended by the Pakistani rangers in 1993 and imprisoned for over four years. "I tried to contact the officers who had sent me to the country but no one bothered about me," he said.
--------
The "spies" indicated that the security agencies require them to act as couriers. After picking them up, the agencies train them to identify military vehicles and strategic installations. They also teach them the local language and customs.

"In Kashmir's case, he assumed a Muslim name and learnt to offer namaz. He was also circumcised," Karamat said.

How the spies source information is another tricky issue. Corruption is deep-rooted in Pakistan as well. "Money always does the trick for us. What do you think, they will let me in at a cantonment if I enter it for selling oranges?" a person claiming to be a former spy asked.

He also claimed that several Pakistani soldiers were on the "payroll" of Indian agencies.



Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/government-ignored-spies-once-they-got-arrested-in-pakistan/1/203322.html

Riaz Haq said...

Here's a BBC story on an India spy returning from Pak jail:

Surjeet Singh, an Indian spy, was released last week after more than 30 years in a Pakistani prison. The BBC's Geeta Pandey travels to his village in the northern Indian state of Punjab to hear his story.

When Surjeet Singh left home to go to Pakistan on a cold winter's day in December 1981, he told his wife he would return very soon. It was 30 years and six months before they saw each other again and his jet black beard had turned white.

While he was incarcerated for spying in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail, his family had given him up for dead. He was utterly isolated; he didn't receive a single visitor or even a letter. Some of his time in prison was spent awaiting his end on death row. Only his faith sustained him.

"All because of the almighty. He helped me through those long years," he says.

While India's economy boomed in those three decades, tragedy struck his own family. His eldest son died, as did four of his brothers, his father and two sisters.
'Hurt and angry'

So when Mr Singh came across the Wagah border last week at the age of 73, he returned to a country and a family that had undergone radical change.
---------
Mr Singh says the government has treated him 'unfairly" and that he is willing to fight for what is rightfully his. But if the authorities continue to deny that he worked for them?

"I have documentary proof, I will go to the Supreme Court to get what is my right," he threatens.

Mr Singh declined to show me the documentary proof and it is unclear exactly what his role was. He seems to have acted partly as a courier and says he did some recruiting of Pakistani agents.

He says that as a young man, he worked for a few years with the paramilitary Border Security Force before leaving it in 1968 to become a farmer. In the mid-1970s, he says the Indian army recruited him to work as a spy.

"I did 85 trips to Pakistan," he says. "I would visit Pakistan and bring back documents for the army. I always returned the next day. I had never had any trouble."

But on his last trip, things went horribly wrong.

"I had gone across the border to recruit a Pakistani agent. When I returned with him, an Indian official on the border insulted him. He slapped the agent and wouldn't allow him in. The agent was upset so I had to escort him back to Pakistan. In Lahore, he revealed my identity to the Pakistani authorities."
---------
There are other Indians in Pakistan's jails. Mr Singh says there are 20-odd Indian prisoners in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat prison - all accused of spying. Two others - Sarabjit Singh, India's most famous prisoner, and Kirpal Singh - are on death row.

But, he says, India has done little to secure their freedom.

"The government doesn't care. It refuses to do anything for these Indian prisoners. The authorities forget that these men are also someone's husband, someone's son, someone's brother."

India's policy on the issue is not to comment.

When he did not return home as promised, his wife Harbans Kaur initially thought he was held up for work. But when days turned into weeks and weeks into months and months into years, she says she didn't know what to think.

"I didn't know whether he was dead or alive," she told me.

Daughter Parminder Kaur was 12 or 13 when her father went missing. Parminder and her siblings had to drop out of school soon after as the family couldn't afford to educated them.
----------


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-18687924

Riaz Haq said...

India's national security advisor Ajit Doval tells a story about his days as a spy for his country in Pakistan ..

" When in Pakistan , I happened to go to a Dargah since i was supposed to be a Muslim man. There, in front of the Dargah i saw a man with a long white beard who called me and asked me whether i was a Hindu? I said it was not true . He asked me to follow him and took me through some lanes to a nearby house . He closed the room and told me i was a Hindu since he had seen a hole in my ear ( In some Hindu traditions , both boys and girls have their ears pierced at birth) . I told him I used to be a Hindu but i had converted but he insisted I was still a Hindu . Further, he said that he could observe all this because he himself was a Hindu and showed me Durga and Shiva idols in his almirah. His family has been killed off and he had since been living in disguise. He said he felt happy when ever he could meet another Hindu . This incident was very unique for me."

http://youtu.be/diQu_wPeIeI

Riaz Haq said...

Dispose of the notion that #India does not do covert operations (#terrorism) against #Pakistan. #RAW http://thewire.in/2016/03/26/beyond-pakistans-claims-to-have-caught-a-raw-agent-lies-a-wilderness-of-mirrors-26116/ … via @thewire_in

Pakistan’s Dunya News channel said that Jadhav had been arrested from the Chaman area of Balochistan, that his address in Mumbai was No 502B Silver Oak, Powai, Hiranandani Gardens and that he had a passport no. L9630722, with a valid Iranian visa made out in the name of Hussein Mubarak Patel. The channel said that Jadhav had joined RAW in 2013 and was initially based in Chabahar, the port in Iran which India is helping to develop.

The Indian Express has confirmed that Jadhav does indeed live where the Pakistani report says he does, is the son of a former police official in Mumbai, and is a businessman who had interests around the world, though it has not figured out what business he does.


---

The first big question is why a commander-level officer would be involved in a cross-border operation. His rank is the equivalent of a lieutenant colonel in the army, and officers of this rank run operations from a distance, they don’t participate in them.

----

What the Jadhav arrest has done is to bring to the public domain the covert war that India is fighting against Pakistan. We know a lot about the Pakistani war against India, but not so much about the Indian effort. It also opens up the possibility that this war, bitter though it may be, can also be fought with some rules – principally, that arrested agents are treated with dignity, not just by those who arrest them, but in their own home country after they return.

Spies who have served the country with great fortitude and suffered torture and long terms of imprisonment are left to rot when and if they manage to return home, usually after long spells of imprisonment. This is in stark contrast to the practices of countries like Russia, Israel, the US or Britain, which sticks by its men, and, in the right circumstances quietly arranges exchanges.