Lashkar- e- Toiba: Action is required now

By Sameer Rekhi

The fast improving ties between India and the US, one manifestation of which has been the fructification of the Indo-US nuclear deal and the friendly albeit realistic overtures of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari towards India has not gone down well with a section of the Pakistani establishment. This section has also been opposing the current Indo-Pak peace process ever since it started in year 2004. Among the terrorists outfits operating out of Pakistan, Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) has been the most vehement opponent of the improving relations between two countries.

The Chief of Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD), the parent organization of the banned LeT, Prof. Hafiz Sayeed, who openly advocates disintegration of India into three Pakistans, has been opposing tooth and nail all Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), particularly on Kashmir, arguing that India is an enemy country and Hindu a mean enemy. His statements in the year 2008 particularly indicate his attempt to showcase himself as the Islamic saviour of Kashmir by denigrating both Pakistan and Indian governments. His statements can be accessed at JuD website and one cah easily make out how much concerned the outfit is about Pakistan's so called 'concessions on Kashmir' and how determined it is to secure Kashmir for Pakistan and cause widespread disturbances in whole of India.

Hafiz Sayeed has been frequently warning the President and the government of Pakistan not to dilute the country's declared stand on Kashmir and not to encourage cross LoC travel, trade, people to people contact etc. In many of his statements, he has been cautioning Pakistanis to remain prepared for a long haul war with India over water resources and the territory of Kashmir.

During the recent land unrest in J&K, JuD's role was quite pronounced. The organization which has been sending the maximum number of hardcore terrorists from across the border into J&K, issued provocative statements on daily basis besides organizing teleconferences with Kashmiri secessionists like Geelani, Mirwaiz and others. A massive reception was organized by JuD chief Hafiz Sayeed at Chakoti near Muzaffarabad (PoK) on Aug. 11, 2008 for the agitators who had declared to cross LoC in a march towards Muzaffarabad.

With over 2200 unit offices across Pakistan and over two dozen launching campus along with LoC , LeT is perhaps the largest Jehadi outfit in Pakistan, having a large and self sufficient headquarters campus in Muridke near Lahore. The maximum proportion of foreign terrorists operating in J & K is from LeT. The outfit was started during the Afghan war in 1986 by Hafiz Sayeed with the help of Palestinian Jehadi Scholar Abdullah Azzam. Azzam was one of the inspirations behind Palestinian militant group Hamas and was once considered the religious and political mentor of Osama bin Laden. Even today, LeT uses Azzam's speeches and publications to train and motivate its cadres. LeT is also one of the important members of International Islamic Front for Jehad against the USA and Israel (IIF), formed in 1998 by Osama bin Laden.

LeTs links with Al-Qaeda are well-established and for quite sometime now they are suspected to be carrying out actions and their financing in India through Dawood Ibrahim. The latest and gravest terrorist attacks in Mumbai also seem to have the finger prints of this alliance.

A latest 30 minutes video statement by US based Al-Qaeda leader Adam Yahya Gadahn aka Azzam - Al- Americee while criticizing Pakistani government says " New rulers of Pakistan have decided to sell Kashmir to India and the Pakistani Mujahideen have a big responsibility to save Kashmir". LeT and other terrorist outfits such as JeM, Hizbul Mujahideen are probably the Pakistani Mujahideen he is apparently referring to. The National Security Advisor Sh M K Narayanan has been stressing on many occasions that Al-Qaeda is operating in India through coordinates like LeT who may increasingly make use of Sea routes in the near future to strike at the economic hubs and other port cities of India .

In an audiotape aired by Al Jazeera on April 23, 2006 Osama bin Laden for the first time spoke directly of India and the Kashmir dispute to support his claim that a Zionist-Hindu war is being waged against Muslims:

"A U.N. resolution passed more than half a century ago gave Muslim Kashmir the liberty of choosing independence from India. (U.S. President) George Bush, the leader of the crusaders' campaign, announced a few days ago that he will order his converted agent (Pakistani President Gen. Pervez) Musharraf to shut down the Kashmir mujahideen camps, thus affirming that it is a Zionist-Hindu war against Muslims."

In a report appearing in the "Hindu" dated Nov.28, 2008 it is given out that the interrogation of LeT terrorists held on the charges of carrying out the new year eve assault on the CRPF training camp in Rampur (U.P) revealed that the Pakistani terrorist namely Imran Shehzad resident of Bhimber (PoK) and Farooq Bhatti of Gujaranwala Punjab had also been tasked to carry out recee at Oberoi Hotel, Mumbai, one of the targets of Wednesday's terrorist attacks.

A careful hearing of the purported telephonic conversation between one terrorist involved in Mumbai attacks and a national TV channel telecast on Nov.27, 2008, while the encounter was on also indicated that the terrorist while feigning to be an Indian from Hyderabad, was actually having a Pahari accent prevalent in North of India, Pakistan and PoK and may well have belonged to the areas of Rawalakote or Muzaffarabad where terror camps are also in abundance. He was heard clubbing the Kashmir and Palestinian issues and was trying to justify remorselessly attacks on Jews and other innocent civilians. The reference to Hyderabad, Kashmir and Islamic rule over India strongly indicate that he belonged to LeT outfit, of which these are common refrain. Even the brutality and compunction-less killing of masses gives away LeT style of action, which has undertaken so many massacres of innocents including children and women in the remote areas of J & K.

Now as the carnage is over, police investigations will most likely uncover many other details. However, it becomes abundantly clear that the growing Indian economy; Indo Pak peace process and the growing contacts between Indian and Pakistani people including sportsmen and artists; India's growing clout in the commercial cricketing world; strengthening of democracy in J & K through elections and India's connections with the so called anti Islamic nations like Israel have seemingly un-nerved the enemies of peace and prosperity of Indian nation, be it ISI, LeT, Dawood Ibrahim and may be Al-Qaeda. These forces do not want Indo-Pak peace process or Indo-U.S bon-homie to succeed. They also would do anything to damage Indo-Israeli cooperation in defence and security matters.

To conclude, it may be said that the growing clout of India in the international arena needs to be matched with increased security/ intelligence coordination and management. The threat to peace, both internal and external, from LeT and its affiliates is grave and needs to be tackled on war footing. The sophistication of the Mumbai operation, training, motivation, planning, use of sea-routes and choosing of most rewarding targets shows how seriously some elements- state or non state actors or both- are taking the job of destabilizing India and damaging its international interests. This should now factor in our security policy and planning and appropriate measures taken at the earliest. Let this not be repeated.