Sunni Terrorist Fragments of Unstable Pakistan-July 10, 2015

[Mort Walker]

how a couple of suicide bombers can bring down a solid house like this is a mystery. take a look at the video and decide on the size of explosives needed. since there was no chance to carefully drill holes in the pillars and place minimal charges like they do in bringing down old buildings , they must have been carrying huge 40kg flipkart/amazon delivery man type backpacks stuffed to the gunwales with rdx...why they were not checked given his vip security...i think some of his security detail were in on the plot and just melted away

http://www.dawn.com/news/1200807/punjab ... ror-attack

It may have been poor construction even though it was a big house. More sand in the concrete.

[A_Gupta]

This was August 10:

However, it is highly unlikely that Pakistan will call off the NSA-level talks. First of all talks under this format were proposed by Pakistan itself. Secondly, Pakistan wants to project itself as a peacenik and India as a peace-wrecker. Thirdly, Islamabad knows that if it calls off the dialogue the international community will hold Islamabad responsible for the logjam.

Pakistan does not have the luxury to propose new date for the meeting or change the existing dates as it would mean starting the entire process all over again. In that eventuality too the onus will lie on Pakistan.

Thereby, Pakistan now is in a trap. It is not exactly looking forward to the August meeting which was scheduled as per its own desire. Yet it cannot walk away from the exercise or seek to defer it. This is lot of time for elements in Pakistan to try their luck yet again. India needs to be on its guard more than ever before.

(from:
http://www.firstpost.com/india/nsa-meet ... 85228.html
)

[RCase]

I would have preferred Harami Gul should have gone to meet his 72 with an IED mubarak like his chaella Khanzada, rather than the brain diarrhea. Father of the Taliban getting his gurudakshina from his shishyas!

[Gagan]

I wonder what will happen to Gazwa-e-hind now?
Zaid Hamid is out of the equation for the next 8 yrs,
Hamid Gullu is gone forever.

I guess they'll have to wait for until the mehdi returns with his lal bottom in 8 yrs time...

So sad

[sum]

On a different note though
Someday we must find out the ISI officers who were involved with IC-814, during mushy's regime; 26/11 during Kiyani's regime

Im sure we will come to know all this in a long so distant future.

We did hear the news of Hemraj Naik's beheader being dispatched to meet his 72 when everyone had forgotten about it.

Am sure more such older villains will be in the news in days to come

[williams]

There is a little trend in the media circle and even in BR, that some how India needs to satisfy or follow some astute rules to show the international community that Indian side is being fair to the Pakis. I think it could be an issue 20 years back. But today, I say that we should not give a damn on what others think of our Paki policies. The so called international community will only be happy if Indian resolve is weakened with respect to the Pakis. I don't know if it is Jealousy or some great game strategy, they want India to loose. It is plain and simple. So why try to satisfy a community that is hell bent to work for the Pakis? I think from Indian perspective "carrot and stick" policy is not going to work. We need a "stick only" policy. We need to constantly beat them diplomatically, economically and militarily.

[A_Gupta]

^^^ Please to see this
http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 0#p1886993
Excerpt:

Doval made two interesting observations that reflect in many ways the changed thinking of the Indian establishment. One, weak states invite trouble and hence, to demonstrate one is a strong state, one must not hesitate to exercise power. Two, there is little place for morality in international affairs.

[VinodTK]

ISI hid Mullah Omar’s death

Washington: Pakistan’s intelligence had knowledge about the death of reclusive Taliban chief Mullah Omar and its move to hide the news is “failure” of not only the US-Pak intelligence co-operation, but also the American intelligence as well, a former top Pentagon official has said.

Mullah Omar is reported to have died in a hospital in Karachi on April 23, 2013. But the information about his mysterious death, most probably due to tuberculosis, was leaked only this month and then subsequently confirmed by the Taliban, the White House and the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pakistan has as usual strongly denied that it had any information about the death of Omar.

[williams]

^^^ Please to see this
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2581&start=1320#p1886993
Excerpt:
Quote:
Doval made two interesting observations that reflect in many ways the changed thinking of the Indian establishment. One, weak states invite trouble and hence, to demonstrate one is a strong state, one must not hesitate to exercise power. Two, there is little place for morality in international affairs.

Thanks! That shows the leadership at highest level understands the reality.

[Rohit_K]

People rejoicing/dancing in Paktika province over Gullu's news:
https://twitter.com/pajhwok/status/632884023698804736

[Prem]

[shiv]

ISI hid Mullah Omar’s death

Washington: Pakistan’s intelligence had knowledge about the death of reclusive Taliban chief Mullah Omar and its move to hide the news is “failure” of not only the US-Pak intelligence co-operation, but also the American intelligence as well, a former top Pentagon official has said.

Mullah Omar is reported to have died in a hospital in Karachi on April 23, 2013. But the information about his mysterious death, most probably due to tuberculosis, was leaked only this month and then subsequently confirmed by the Taliban, the White House and the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pakistan has as usual strongly denied that it had any information about the death of Omar.

If they trust Pakistan, exactly what is the meaning of the words in large bold red font above? Enquiring minds want to know

[SSridhar]

He waged a proxy war against India - Suhasini Haidar, The Hindu

There are few men who could claim credit for midwifing not one but two terrorist operations that changed the course of history. But if everything Lt. Gen. Hamid Gul is credited with is true, his role in building the Mujahideen in Afghanistan’s resistance to the Soviet Union and propping up a Taliban government in Kabul, and in raising the first militant groups to fight Pakistan’s proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir, changed the Indian subcontinent in drastic and diabolical ways.

“We differed about many views, but he remained passionate about what he believed in,” recounts former Pakistan National Security Adviser, Major General Mahmud Ali Durrani, who said Lt. Gen. Gul and he had served as captains in the Army together. “It wasn’t just him, but the role Pakistan played in building the Taliban and putting them in power in Kabul changed the world. All that is now history, but we are still paying for it,” General Durrani told The Hindu via telephone from Rawalpindi.

Condolences pour in

There are many in Pakistan who marked Lt. Gen. Gul’s death on Saturday night of a brain haemorrhage in the mountain resort of Murree, with grief. Condolences poured in at his funeral in Rawalpindi’s polo grounds, primarily from the military in Pakistan, but also from across the leadership. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his “heartfelt condolences” over Lt. Gen. Gul’s death.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan said he was “sad to learn of Gen. Hameed Gul’s death,” adding that, “Whether one agreed with his views or not, he was a patriot.” And PPP leader Rahman Malik said that Lt. Gen. Gul had “lived the life of an exceptional soldier, a true patriot.”

Each of those leaders and their political parties had reason to hate and even fear the ISI’s power that is considered Lt. Gen. Gul’s legacy in many ways, from when he was the Director-General of the ISI from 1986 to 1989.

Fought two wars with India

Through his career in the Army, his stint as ISI chief, an adviser to several regimes, and as a public defender of Pakistan in the media, Lt. Gen. Gul had a large imprint in Pakistan. But the impact of his actions were more profoundly felt in the neighbourhood that he targeted.

With India, Lt. Gen. Gul’s animosity cut old and deep. After being commissioned into the Pakistan Army in 1956 with the 19th Lancers regiment of the Armoured corps, Lt. Gen. Gul fought in both the 1965 and 1971 wars with India that Pakistan lost. In 1972, he served under General Zia-ul-Haq as a battalion commander and later as Staff colonel when Gen Zia was the GOC II Corps in Multan. The bond grew when General Zia appointed him ISI chief at a time Pakistan’s Army went through an Islamist transformation, with religious teachers of the Tableeghi jamaat taken in as commissioned officers. It was at this time Lt. Gen. Gul gave the go-ahead for the creation of militant groups in Kashmir, that would train young Kashmiris and Afghans to fight in India.

A.S. Dulat who served in Jammu and Kashmir with the IB and retired as R&AW chief, told The Hindu , “We never quite knew whether Lt. Gen. Gul had the full backing of the government or not. When you speak of the ‘rogue element’ in the ISI, I guess he was the headmaster of rogues.”

First the JKLF, and then other groups like the Hizbul Mujahideen and even the Lashkar-e-Taiba benefited from Gul’s ideology. In an interview last year he told a Pakistani reporter that even if “some militant groups are active in Kashmir, they are only doing the work of the [Pakistani] military.”

In Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Gul took a keener role in the insurgency after he retired from active service, and was seen as a trainer and facilitator for the Taliban.

Afghanistan’s former National Adviser Amrullah Saleh, a bitter critic of the ISI’s policies, told The Hindu , “Hamid Gul is no longer here, but the part of the ISI that survives on the concept of generating fear to subordinate Afghanistan, searches for parity with India through proxy means like in Kashmir, that is still here.”

[Anindya]

Doval made two interesting observations that reflect in many ways the changed thinking of the Indian establishment. One, weak states invite trouble and hence, to demonstrate one is a strong state, one must not hesitate to exercise power. Two, there is little place for morality in international affairs.

While the rhetoric a bout morality in International affairs is true - Gaurav Sawant on his TL from IndiaToday claims the following:

120 mm mortars used by Pak in Saujiyan & Mandi sectors from 2200 hrs yesterday. Pak dangerously escalates, Indian response not in kind yet

Guess that India is targeting only military targets and not civilian ones, hence not much rona-dhona from the Pakis - the no-morality issue when promised by Indian leaders, is usually only for local Indian consumption - rarely do we cross humanitarian lines.

[A_Gupta]

^^^ Really? No rhona-dhona from the Pakis?
http://dunyanews.tv/index.php/en/Pakist ... twice-in-o

[Anindya]

Yes, have seen those news reports - should've used limited rona-dhona.

Had our response been really overwhelming, as it was a few months ago - our own proponents of the Pakistani viewpoint, would have become engaged and UN would been called in, by now.

As I said, this is my guess - will wait till I see something to invalidate this hypothesis.

[Philip]

"Hamid-the Ghoul" got more space on the BBC than APJAK! That shows the bankrupt nature of the Paki-loving Best Bullsh*t Corporation.

However,his burning passion and commitment for his ignoble cause must be appreciated.If only India too had entrusted our equivalent patriots to wage war in the same manner,instead of the insidious,defeatist "Gujral doctrine" and "Singh Song" of servilitude towards Pak,we would not be facing the covert terror threat as we are doing now. The "Ghoul" would've been paid back in kind and the mustachios and beards of the ungodly Pakis singed and burnt.We hope that the new regime will pay pack to Pak in more than ample measure what Ghoul wages with us.

[A_Gupta]

The UN observers visited areas in Pakistan August 12th.
http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-un ... ng-2113563

[shiv]

[Anindya]

Have seen the previous visits - the issue is in the immediate run up to the NSA talks and the escalation response.

I have not seen any evidence that we're targeting civilian populations (other than accidentally) in our responses. Our response to the 120 mm mortars is also still awaited.

[Shreeman]

"Hamid-the Ghoul" got more space on the BBC than APJAK! That shows the bankrupt nature of the Paki-loving Best Bullsh*t Corporation.

However,his burning passion and commitment for his ignoble cause must be appreciated.If only India too had entrusted our equivalent patriots to wage war in the same manner,instead of the insidious,defeatist "Gujral doctrine" and "Singh Song" of servilitude towards Pak,we would not be facing the covert terror threat as we are doing now. The "Ghoul" would've been paid back in kind and the mustachios and beards of the ungodly Pakis singed and burnt.We hope that the new regime will pay pack to Pak in more than ample measure what Ghoul wages with us.

Phillip,

The media moral bankruptcy is universal. There is more true information in the flyers they leave in your post box than in any media. And its not just PeepeeSee. Al-hundi and Bin-Toilet or Urf-Hanudistaan were also mysteriously doing other things than celebrating a great man's life. Hack on the ground in south India, there was no 15,000 people crowd. An open discussion of where exactly things are headed would be a good thing. But you see public discussions also place in the mhedia.

[AjayKK]

Obit of the Khandani jihadi Khanzada

http://www.dawn.com/news/1200919/colonel-calm-departs

[Baikul]

^^ is it a fetish in Bakistan give nicks to PA officers? Colonel Calm, Colonel Imam, General Lun...

[Gagan]

I'll be really interested in finding out what this Haramzada Khanzada did wrt Pak sponsored terrorism against India.

[komal]

"Hamid-the Ghoul" got more space on the BBC than APJAK! That shows the bankrupt nature of the Paki-loving Best Bullsh*t Corporation.

However,his burning passion and commitment for his ignoble cause must be appreciated.If only India too had entrusted our equivalent patriots to wage war in the same manner,instead of the insidious,defeatist "Gujral doctrine" and "Singh Song" of servilitude towards Pak,we would not be facing the covert terror threat as we are doing now. The "Ghoul" would've been paid back in kind and the mustachios and beards of the ungodly Pakis singed and burnt.We hope that the new regime will pay pack to Pak in more than ample measure what Ghoul wages with us.

Not a defense of Gujral or Manmohan Singh, but other than helping to kill tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of people all over the subcontinent, what did Gul achieve? Kashmir is still a part of India. From 1990 onwards (when Gul started his genocide), India has bought tens of millions of people out of poverty while Pakistan depends on the goodwill of the USA and China. Wars of attrition are designed to economically destroy the enemy. Other than terror, Pakistan has no exports.

From any military POV, Gul failed miserably. That he rates a mention in the BBC says more about the continued moral, military and economic decline of the UK.

[A_Gupta]

The earliest news-item mentioning Pak. firing 120mm dates to August 11, e.g.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-new ... 79117.aspx
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/p ... 529415.ece

[habal]

capability of spies is proportional to size of their economies and op budgets. ISI thus has tried a lot but achieved little. Compare this to CIA's maidan revolution and color springs shows what drives successful intel ops.

[A_Gupta]

What has changed between October 2014 and now, w.r.t. response to Paki firing across the LoC?
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/loc- ... 94785.html

[komal]

capability of spies is proportional to size of their economies and op budgets. ISI thus has tried a lot but achieved little. Compare this to CIA's maidan revolution and color springs shows what drives successful intel ops.

ISI had a blank check from China/USA. India also have very weak, pliable governments. With that combination, any intelligence service would have achieved some minimal goals -- getting at least some portion of Kashmir from India.

With all the resources at their disposal, the ISI has only been able to unleash terror on civilians.

[Anindya]

dont know - the guy who leads the India Today group of folks (Gaurav Sawant seems to head up the strategic affairs group) claims that India is trying to avoid civilian casualties from his TL post 9hrs ago. will wait to see further updates.

[SSridhar]

From any military POV, Gul failed miserably. That he rates a mention in the BBC says more about the continued moral, military and economic decline of the UK.

There is a lengthy obituary article in NYT too. It strengthens the feeling that these people, Ahl-e-Kitab, are made for each other.

[chetak]

Hamid Gul: Villain Of The Peace

Lt. Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain 17 Aug, 2015

Hamid Gul: Villain Of The Peace

Hamid Gul, the man who conceived Zia’s strategy of a ‘thousand cuts’ is no more. This gives the context to remind ourselves how religious radicalism became the core of Pakistan’s India strategy and its proxy war in J&K

In the last few weeks relations between India and Pakistan continued with the usual ups and downs and J&K once again witnessed return of violent trends. In this context I often mentioned in strategic musings about General Zia’s strategy of a ‘thousand cuts’.

However, no political leader can ever claim exclusivity on such a strategy. Inevitably the most powerful appointment after Pakistan’s Chief Executive in 1987-88 was none other than Lt Gen Hamid Gul, the DG of Pakistan’s powerful Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). It can be presumed that his was the key advice which led Zia to operationalize the ‘thousand cuts’ strategy.

Hamid Gul is no more and leaves behind memories of his very intense personality which centered on his core beliefs of Islam and utter dislike for the US and India. I have met many senior Pakistani Army officers but could hardly perceive any of them religiously as radicalized as they are reputed to be.

I never met Hamid Gul but read enough about him to perceive him as a radical Jihadi. Perhaps in real life too he may have had alternative beliefs but his strategy was clearly centered on exploitation of religion to achieve his ends. That remains to the day Pakistan’s entire way of fighting an asymmetric war.

Internationally, major institutions which teach strategic affairs discuss both positive and negative leadership; the latter being related to the adversary who may have worked passionately for his nation’s interests. In our case since we remain obsessed with Zia ul Haq as the villain of the peace and the ISI as an evil institution we hardly ascribe anything to a personality such as Hamid Gul.

A brief personality sketch and description of the circumstances of his stewardship of the ISI may help us understand his role a little better.

I first heard of Hamid Gul during my service with the Indian Army’s Pakistan Cell in its MI Directorate in 1992. Gul was then GOC 2 Corps (Multan) resisting his posting as DG Heavy Industries Taxila.

Any senior officer who has tasted the power of being DG ISI, DGMI, GOC of a Strike Corps and GOC of an Armoured Division in the 12 years or so before he is posted to Taxila would resist such a posting. However, Hamid Gul was now lonely with Benazir Bhutto in command and Zia dead.

The civilian government could appreciate his role in initiating the early part of proxy war in J&K during his tenure as DG ISI (till May 1989) but also realized his maverick character and strong personality. The PPP would have none of it as it wasn’t too sure of handling the proxy war and would not want someone in power who could conduct his personal agenda.

Benazir appointed Gul GOC 2 Corps and he was tasked to conduct Exercise Zarb-e-Momin in early 1990. This was Pakistan’s response to India’s Exercise Brasstacks.

Hamid Gul was born in 1936 and commissioned in 1956 into the Pakistan Army’s Armoured Corps. His career really took off after Gen Zia ul Haq (also an Armoured Corps officer) became the Chief and later President. Affinity of the cavalry, early service together and then in 1972-76 Gul serving as a CO and then staff officer under Zia cemented the relationship.

He became Chief Martial Law Administrator of Multan and then commanded 1st Armd Div just like Zia did earlier. As Pakistan’s role picked up in the war in Afghanistan Zia started to depend on Gul for advice. He was made DG Military Intelligence which was a stepping stone to becoming the DG ISI in Mar 1987.

His experience as DG ISI should be of interest. Firstly, the Afghan war was entering an interesting phase where the operational effectiveness of the non-state Mujahideen was increasing. Gul’s advice to Zia was probably along lines of enhancing the Islamic affinity of all players in Afghanistan.

The US was gullible and lacked knowledge on Islam, allowing the ISI to rule the roost. This fitted perfectly with Zia’s understanding about the use of faith as a tool of war and diplomacy. Zia had realized rather early that retribution against India was not possible on the conventional battlefield; it could only come through indirect approach and proxy war exploiting India’s ethnic, regional and religious cleavages.

He thus cultivated radical Islam to obtain unerring Saudi economic and energy support and attempted to convert Pakistan into the flag bearer of Islam. To add weight to Pakistan’s credibility he pursued the clandestine acquisition of nuclear technology and preparation of the ‘Islamic Bomb’. As a close associate of Zia, Hamid Gul would definitely have been a sounding board for him.

Secondly, early in his tenure with ISI, Pakistan was responding to India’s Exercise Brasstacks of which Zia was highly suspicious. At the same time Pakistan had already commenced its proxy war in India’s Punjab and Gul pursued this with great passion stating later that engaging India in Punjab was with the larger game of proxy war in J&K; the ultimate retribution would be there, by annexation.

The botched elections of J&K in 1987 presented an opportunity and Gul was quick to grab it, playing a balance between Punjab and J&K until the situation for a surge into J&K could be reached. Midway through this phase Zia died a fiery death in Aug 1988 and it was surprising that Gul did not immediately lose his job because the DG ISI was responsible for any intelligence failure which may have been perceived.

In fact under Gen Mirza Aslam Beg he grew even more powerful, with his knowledge of Afghanistan. The situation in the period 1988-89 both internationally and in the subcontinent moved at a breathtaking pace and Gul appears to have relished putting together a carefully crafted plan into place to first trigger the militancy and then fuel it in Kashmir in 1989.

If I was a Pakistani observer in Islamabad I would have viewed the emerging scenario with glee. The Soviets were leaving Afghanistan; the ISI’s experience in proxy war gained in Afghanistan and in Punjab could be focused exclusively to J&K; there militancy was picking up; the political environment of India was a fractured one with fall of Rajiv Gandhi and no clear mandate for governance leading to instability; the Mandal agitation was keeping India’s leadership occupied; the Indian Army had four of its front-line divisions in Sri Lanka even as its entry into Punjab for internal security was becoming a reality.

Hamid Gul too felt exactly the same; there could not be a better opportunity. Exit of mercenary Jihadis from Afghanistan could not be premature as a civil war was looming around Jalalabad yet Kashmir was demanding the ISI’s attention.

It was a situation almost akin to 2015. It needed a mind like a devil’s workshop to play this out and Gul displayed his ability masterfully. It probably unnerved Benazir Bhutto and Aslam Beg leading to Gul’s removal as DG ISI. However, as a master networker Gul probably continued retaining hold on ISI to a large degree until he was posted as DG HIT (Taxila) by Gen Asif Nawaz Janjua. He resigned but his notoriety did not end there.

In retirement Hamid Gul brought his radical ideology to the fore and was a great supporter of the Taliban and quiet supporter of the Al Qaeda although he very vociferously backed Osama bin Laden thus falling foul with the US. He was later put on a watch list of four terrorists.

Interestingly he was also arrested by the Army post the Lal Masjid incident. His bark on the television remained as rapid as it was during service but he was never a popular leader. I had once considered that he was a potential President of Pakistan but it is quite apparent that he was unpopular in the upper crust civil society.

If anything about Hamid Gul’s maverick personality needs to be studied it is the strategy of ‘thousand cuts’ that Zia and he conceived. It was to bleed India by a low cost proxy war with high deniability, employing an unending chain of Jihadis who were to be recruited from the poverty stricken villages of Punjab.

This was to supplement the militancy by local Kashmiris. The Jihad factory involving radicalization, recruitment, training, selection, infiltration, establishment of financial and arms conduits, was primarily his brainchild.

He must have opposed Musharaf’s ceasefire proposal in 2003 and the subsequent diplomatic parleys based on the so called four point formula. He did severely criticize Musharaf for the Kargil misadventure.

The condolences for Hamid Gul in the Pakistan social media are without warmth and appear dismissive. That really sums up Hamid Gul’s contribution to Pakistan as a nation. Most blame him for the advent of radical terror in the proportions which exists in Pakistan.

Faith will probably remain wedded to Pakistan Army’s way of war. Yet secretly most Pakistani citizens aspiring for return of peace would be hoping that no more personalities such as Hamid Gul ever rise in Pakistan’s bleak political and military landscape.

With the threat of the Islamic State looming in Afghanistan it won’t be long before Pakistan is hit by this wave. The only way to avoid the approaching implosion of Pakistan is to set it on a path of moderate faith and low militarization. That of course will never be an easy task.

Lt. Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain is the former Corps Commander of the Srinagar based 15 Corps, and is currently associated with Vivekanand International Foundation and the Delhi Policy Group, two major strategic think tanks of Delhi

[Peregrine]

I wonder what will happen to Gazwa-e-hind now?
Zaid Hamid is out of the equation for the next 8 yrs,
Hamid Gullu is gone forever.

I guess they'll have to wait for until the mehdi returns with his lal bottom in 8 yrs time...

So sad

Gagan Ji :

I join you in your commiserations with a few wee drams of the drop from the ol' crater.

Cheers

[Peregrine]

dont know - the guy who leads the India Today group of folks (Gaurav Sawant seems to head up the strategic affairs group) claims that India is trying to avoid civilian casualties from his TL post 9hrs ago. will wait to see further updates.

Anindya Ji

From Wiki :

India Today is an Indian English-language weekly magazine and news television channel. It was established in 1975 by Vidya Vilas Purie (owner of Thompson Press), with his daughter Madhu Trehan as its editor and his son Aroon Purie as its publisher.

Cheers

[वरुण]

Slightly OT, but may be related.

Bangkok bomb: Deadly blast rocks Thailand capital
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-33963280

...
The shrine is to the Hindu god Brahma but is also visited by thousands of Buddhists each day.

With the amount of ISI jehadis lurking around Thailand, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a Paki hand here.

[Tuvaluan]

Maybe it is just me, but it seems like a big coincidence that Mullah Omar, Taliban, and ISI murderers like Hamid Gul are all dropping like flies at the same time, while the US and Pakistan are both singing tunes of "IS winning against Taliban in Afghanisthan". This resurgence of IS in Sooth Asia is a joint Paki-US production.

[CRamS]

TuvaluanJi, once again, one doesn't need to have super high IQ, but nothing would please TSP and US, to have IS attack both India and TSP and sooth asia, and then of course, the mantra changes to "both sides" of victims of terror onlee, or for the first time since independence, US, TSP, and India face a "common threat" (recall late Holbrook's song?). TSP will be more than happy to have a few disposable targets in Peshawar and NWFP hit by IS to be able to claim this. And on our side, we have enough clowns who will either fall for this willingly or unwittingly.

[IndraD]

Beg your pardon OT!

[Tuvaluan]

nothing would please TSP and US, to have IS attack both India and TSP and sooth asia,

You are missing the larger point that this IS has nothing to do with the IS operating Syria and western Asia -- this is an US-Pak joint production aimed at creating turmoil in Afghanisthan and Sooth asia.

[SSridhar]

With the amount of ISI jehadis lurking around Thailand, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a Paki hand here.

Varuna, you are right. It is always prudent to link any terrorist attack anywhere in the world with Pakistan first and proceed on that assumption to unravel it. This would almost always bring in the results quickly. There have been many instances of Pakistani terrorists being linked to Thailand before.