Terrorist Islamic Republic of Pakistan (TSP): Apr. 11, 2010

shaardula · Post by **shaardula** » 07 May 2010 07:31

I happened to catch an interview of David Rohde, who was kidnapped in pakistan (i'm not going to say by whom) on fresh air, national public radio america (clicky)

this rhode guy, didn't sound like much of a bright crayon, but his bragging rights are that he's a nyt reporter and he got picked in the badlands that is pakistan. lots of instances where he displayed this - unbright crayon thingie, and we should take his overall diagnosis of the overall scene and setup in tsp with a bucketful of salt. but, as far his own kidnapping went, he explicitly mentioned that haqqani group and ttp worked seamlessly and in close co-ordination.

i repeat, in his kidnapping case, haqqani group and ttp cor-ordinated seamlessly. this data point should be of great interest here. tsp is pally with haqqani. haqqani with ttp. later assertion based on first person report.

so i think tsp game plan is to drown americans in an alphabet soup. haqqani, ttp, quetta shura, tspa, isi mean nothing. ekameva advitiyam they are. see the entire game plan is to play the rhetoric of sdre societies back to them. sdre's rely heavily on being able to broadcast the complexities of the world in sdre terms. how the fuk are sdre americans going to ever explain the nuances of tsp to their people? thats just impossible. i mean even we here barely scratch the surface. what are the chances that americans are going to get it? i will give you an example, mid day news round up on npr, did not even include kasab story. filled with arcance americana it was. and this is the best america has to offer. the best of the best here cannot tune themselves to reality. what is the chance the center of gravity is going to move in that direction?

the problem is this. my hapless colleagues are in bagram. while the other half is watching avatar 3D in multiplexes and mouthing sweet nothings about those in bagram. if the entire country connects in real practical terms those who who are duking it out in afghanistan that is when they would know the games tsp plays.

pgbhat · Post by **pgbhat** » 07 May 2010 07:34

shaardula wrote:i repeat, in his kidnapping case, haqqani group and ttp cor-ordinated seamlessly. this data point should be of great interest here. tsp is pally with haqqani. haqqani with ttp. later assertion based on first person report.

One more thing Col. Imam and that beeb reporter were also handed over to Haqqanis by Asian Tigers.

Dipanker · Post by **Dipanker** » 07 May 2010 07:45

CRamS wrote:
Dipanker wrote:
Can you post links to these interviews you are talking about? Otherwise your claims are unsubstantiated and thus meaningless. In fact they seem to border or propoganda.
Please do a Google search based on the info in that post and you should hit upon the book. Now, I may be paraphrasing what Zbieg said, but I capture the essence.

What do you mean "border on propaganda"? Every political statement is propaganda. USA's policy of India TSP equal equal is also propaganda. For a country that has committed the crimes that TSP has, a fraction of what say Iran or NK have, and yet enjoys the full confidence and patronage of US, much to the detriment of India, don't you think there is a wider geo-political US policy objective here? Even after failed Times Square terror plot by a Paki with connections to terrorist groups in TSP (TSP itself is a terrorist entity), the WP report posted here indicates that US will not push TSP on LET. Once again common sense would have it that so called 'global war on terror' is a 'global fraud on terror' if TSP gets to keep some terrorists and use them as a bargaining chip against India. Once again why is US permitting and coluuding in this?

Paraphrasing or not, you still need to post the links for the claims you make. Otherwise it seems like you are making up stuff and them crediting them to some TV shows you watched!

I do remember watching those interviews, I don't remember Brezinski saying any of the stuff you claimed.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 07 May 2010 07:45

It is reported that Shahzad communicated/inspired with Awlaki.
(Same guy, (Virginia mosque) who was named in Nidal's case ... Also looks like he was in Colorado at the same time Shahzad's wife was a student in Colorado...
Times Sq. Bomb Suspect Is Linked to Militant Cleric

shaardula · Post by **shaardula** » 07 May 2010 08:03

amber-ji,

this is all misleading. a cleric here and a cleric there, beyond providing rhetoric , does not cut it. real thingie is the vulgarity known as tsp. anti soviet jihad etc, american laxity is all fig leaf. bull crap it is. fact is right from jinnah's days - day one - the vulgar state of pakistan computed that milking america is a legitimate goal. day one.imagine how sinister that is. i'm not making this up, there was report by an american news reporter of the jinnah era, who anticipated all this. its right here in the archives of brf. please read it.

paging shiv too. please go through archives about this report on how from day one tsp had gamed how to milk america.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 07 May 2010 08:32

A_Gupta wrote:^^^^
Defeating the Pakistani Army is not the issue. It has been done before. The issue is how to displace them out of their dominant role in Pakistan? We will be stuck with endless cycles until they are knocked out.

And it is my contention that the Jihadis are not going to be the ones to do it. Nor the Americans. And we Indians have not done it.

Of the four entities Pakistan army, jihadis, US and India, it is the US that benefits the most from the survival of the Pakistan army in power. The PakArmy itself benefits - but is actually in the line of fire so it benefits less than the US. The forces of jihad who align with the Pakistan army are the next in line to benefit. India gets nothing.

On the other hand if the forces of jihad win, the Pakistani army loses, the US loses its grip on Pakistan. The forces of jihad will not be getting arms from the US and so they will be less potent against india. So while India does not win, it benefits from a victory of Islamic jihad in Pakistan.

symontk · Post by **symontk** » 07 May 2010 08:54

If the failed New York terror plot is used by US to box in Pak Army, they (Pak Army) might agree for an action against Iran.

From my understanding, PakArmy was resisting pressure on this count. Mumbai could be to put spanners into this US strategy. Now that US is withdrawing from Afghanisthan and there is "peace" with India, time for Iran has probably come.

Just my thoughts

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 07 May 2010 09:31

shiv wrote:Who will win? The awesome unifying and unstoppable brutal power of Islam or forces of taqiya and pretence causing downhill skiing by the awesome unstoppable ones? My guess is that forces of taqiya and pretence will win hands down showing that the "awesome unstoppable power" is neither awesome nor unstoppable.

Shiv, let us recall the Egypt of the 50s. Al Banna set up the Ikhwan and the Ikhwanis took on the Monarchy. They took it on by infiltrating the Egyptian Army through the 'Free Officers' in which Nasser and Sadat were key members. The Free Officers were partial to Al Banna's radical thoughts and the ideology of the Ikhwans. It is quite another matter that after Col. Nasser came to power, differences developed with the Ikhwans and they were banned.

The point is that in the Egypt of the 50s, both the Army (middle level officers) and radical ideology converged. In Pakistan, the top level officers get enormous stakes in the 'milbus' enterprise, not the middle level officers. All that they have is to live on hope that one day they will have the largesse too. But, increasingly middle-level officers come radicalized because the society itself is radicalized. So, while the top brass may yet play with fire and yet be careful not to stoke it too much lest they are themselves consumed by it, because their goal is 'defeat and destruction of India' only, the aim of the middle-level officers is pan-Islamism and India is just a first step.

What we see as taqiya is based on our understanding of the creme-de-la-creme of the PA, but the internal rot at the middle level can be far more dangerous. And, at an appropriate time, as it happened in Egypt, the middle level officers can reveal their true pan-Islamist jihadi mindset.

There is an example in PA itself of a similar uprising by middle-level officers. Against Gen. Yahya Khan.

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 07 May 2010 10:08

Lalmohan wrote:finally saw the daniel pearl movie last weekend... makes no bones about the sorry state of affairs in TSP - everyone gets it, its all about unkil's H&D now

Which daniel pearl movie? "A Mighty Heart"? That is a good movie.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 07 May 2010 10:08

Wrt to Pakistani Shahzad:

nvestigators are examining the significance of large sums of money that Shahzad brought into the United States. Between 1999 and 2008, Shahzad declared $80,000 in cash when he returned from various trips overseas, said another law enforcement official familiar with the investigation. Under federal law, anyone bringing $10,000 or more into the country must note the amount on a customs declaration form.

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... id=topnews
This is rather unusual.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 07 May 2010 10:46

Back to India-Pak relations, after a barrage of Shahzad related news and discussions.

“An ideal situation has come about in transforming our relations. The mood, ambience, tone and tenor of the Pakistan Prime Minister were indeed encouraging and the Indian Prime Minister put across our core concern about terrorism.

I would exclude 'ambience' from the list of SMK, because that was crated by the Bhutanese hospitality team. The Poojya Foreign Minister, Mr. SM Krishna, must realize that the 'mood, tone, and tenor' of the Pakistani PM count for nothing. We need to see action from them, of which there has so far been nothing. In fact, all action so far has been to obfuscate and stonewall. It is so appalling to see justifications for talks based on such flimsy, in fact flimsiest, of grounds.

“I am sure in the light of these discussions by the Prime Minsters we are in the right direction in trying to create trust and harmony. I am sure that ultimately the whole region will stand to benefit from the thaw with Pakistan,''

Pakistan has to go a very, very long way to create trust and harmony. It has not even taken baby steps. It has not even said that it is willing to take these steps. We are already concluding that in the 'light of the Thimpu discussions', there will be trust & harmony and honey and milk will be flowing everywhere ?

Forget about the benefits for the region and humanity, Mr. Krishna. First see if we will be benefitted in any way. The overwhelming concern for humanity and planet earth can all come later.

Many a time, we have to cut off the meandering ane meaningless words of our leaders, just as Sardar Patel did to Nehru when Manekshaw was describing the situation in Srinagar and the urgent need to airlift our troops.

Terming the beheading of a Sikh in Pakistan as “heinous and inhuman,'' the Minister pointed to the unequivocal condemnation by its President Asif Ali Zardari and his assurance of providing adequate security in keeping with his declaration of Pakistan being a pluralistic nation.

Pakistan being a pluralistic nation and Mr. Krishna repeats it in the august environs of the Indian Parliament to accord a semblance of halo to those fraudulent words ? What a travesty of truth after the 18th Amendment that categorically rejects a non-Muslim for the post of a Prime Minister and where the Objectives Resolution that permanently consigns the non-Muslims to second-class citizenry !

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 07 May 2010 11:09

Amber G. wrote:Wrt to Pakistani Shahzad:
nvestigators are examining the significance of large sums of money that Shahzad brought into the United States. Between 1999 and 2008, Shahzad declared $80,000 in cash when he returned from various trips overseas, said another law enforcement official familiar with the investigation. Under federal law, anyone bringing $10,000 or more into the country must note the amount on a customs declaration form.
Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... id=topnews
This is rather unusual.

That must be the miscellaneous income of the senior jehadi pig sent thru junior jehadi pig for safe custody as the pigs dont want to keep it in Pakbarian toilet paper currency that drops every hour.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 May 2010 11:44

$80k is peanuts for a air vice marshal in the PAF. just look at his nicely screened house.

its just probably misc funds he got from daddy's piggy bank to shore up his struggling lifestyle.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 07 May 2010 12:13

shaardula wrote:
the problem is this. my hapless colleagues are in bagram. while the other half is watching avatar 3D in multiplexes and mouthing sweet nothings about those in bagram. if the entire country connects in real practical terms those who who are duking it out in afghanistan that is when they would know the games tsp plays.

Americans are being setup and they dont even know it

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 07 May 2010 12:33

GD saar,

I think the concern here is that the money was a payoff from ISI/LET/Jihadi groups to indulge in terrorism in the US.

That fund must be traced to where all it went. Although this was too much overboard and in the notice of the authorities, there is still that faint possibility that some sleeper cells in the US were paid off using these funds.

But having said this, I am sure that the US keeps a very close watch on funds coming in via illegal channels, Hawala etc to possible sleeper cells there.

On the face of it, this does sound like abba-jaan's pocket money to shore up baccha-jaan's sagging career in the US.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 07 May 2010 13:43

SM Krishna is a fossil who needs to be in a retirement home. Pluralist Pakistan? This is tripe. How stupid is a neta allowed to get before anyone points out that is is talking crap?

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 07 May 2010 13:59

Who will win? The awesome unifying and unstoppable brutal power of Islam or forces of taqiya and pretence causing downhill skiing by the awesome unstoppable ones? My guess is that forces of taqiya and pretence will win hands down showing that the "awesome unstoppable power" is neither awesome nor unstoppable.

Very well said indeed. This is the crux of the struggle ongoing in Pukistan. It is not necessarily a struggle between 2 factions, it may be within an individual itself. 911 hijackers faced the same dilemna. Liberals were and still remain confused as to why someone with Girlfriends, beer drinking party type of guys participate in 911? This dilemna is well expressed in a deff and dumb thread on whether to take Raja Dahir as Hero or Bin Qasim. One side uses a modicum of logic, the other side conclusively drowns that using quotes from "absolute truths" that cannot be questioned within their laws, without warranting death threats or legal prosecution for insulting Islam. Since there is nothing common in the Venns that both side put up, the only one common one they draw succour through is against the kufr. There lies the common ground between those that desire to spread islam faster and those that want Taqiya to dominate till the faster ones can take over and finish the "dirty work". Fact is this has happened regularly in Islamic History in the Indian subcontinent. This is ongoing within Pakistani politics.

India must not budge one inch and be absolutely aware of these machinations. Without that awareness combined with a naivette thinking sane thinking pervades a majority in Pakistan, we are going to be in for very rude surprises at regular intervals.

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 07 May 2010 14:23

Meanwhile, Najam Sethi talks about the history of politics of POK (The Azad Kashmir part), and the current crisis wrt the PM there declaring it to be an independent nation.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cKYK4wSKgU
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KveDH0hLycY
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q-di8WBoqg
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWZgvg-tnIU

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 07 May 2010 15:05

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6451EP20100506

Which Pakistani group inspired Times Square suspect?
Michael Georgy - Analysis
ISLAMABAD
Thu May 6, 2010

Wed, May 5 2010ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Evidence of ties between the failed New York bomber and Pakistan's Taliban may only lead investigators to a murky militant network that is difficult to crack and offers no clues on possible future attacks.
Pakistan's Taliban claimed responsibility for the attempted bombing on Saturday and a U.S. official said investigators see "plausible links" between Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad, the main accused, and the group but had not yet made a final determination.

Reconstructing his path to Times Square may be impossible given the complexity of Pakistan's mosaic of militant groups, many of which are united only by hatred for America and its allies.
A new generation of militants with different priorities is appearing in Pakistan, analysts say, raising questions over whether old alliances between the military and its intelligence services and Islamists have frayed.

In one possible sign of that, a former Pakistani intelligence officer turned campaigner for Islamist causes was found dead in last week, shot in the head and chest, security officials said.

Khalid Khawaja was seized in March with another former colleague from the country's main ISI spy agency and a journalist. Militants later said they had kidnapped the three, whom they accused of spying.

Pakistan media had reported they were kidnapped by a previously unknown militant group called the Asian Tigers.

"Groups are emerging every day and you have not heard of them. I can only presume that intelligence agencies, American and Pakistanis, are equally...confused," said Taliban expert Ahmed Rashid.

"Look at the re-appearance of Hakimullah. I mean he was presumed dead. That means that intelligence all around is very poor, not just Pakistani, but also American."

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 07 May 2010 16:11

AP News on NY affair...

A gem from that one

In Karachi, Pakistan, both U.S. and Pakistani officials questioned four alleged members of the Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group, two Pakistani security officials told the AP, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The militant group is believed to have been established by Pakistani intelligence agencies, and has been linked to the al-Qaida terror network and the 2002 killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

Also note how quickly the Pakbarian animals granted access to its own citizens to Unkils' rep. It should anger the pure animals even more...as it seems only the pure have some H&D (and lots of RDX) left...

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 07 May 2010 16:30

Amber G. wrote:Investigators are examining the significance of large sums of money that Shahzad brought into the United States. Between 1999 and 2008, Shahzad declared $80,000 in cash when he returned from various trips overseas, said another law enforcement official familiar with the investigation. Under federal law, anyone bringing $10,000 or more into the country must note the amount on a customs declaration form.This is rather unusual.

Me thinks its daddy's money for post-retirement retirement being taken out of the country in small doses below the radar. Hence the many visits by the dutiful son. As we all know, most senior paki army officers have moneys stashed overseas (no source, just that we all know) and this family is no different. Perhaps good ol' daddy was trying to move some $$ abroad for emergency use and help his son out during his financially lean days. It is probably not paki-jehadi money. Jehadi money usually moves through the hawala circuit.

arun · Post by **arun** » 07 May 2010 17:06

The failed attempt of demonstrating the IEDology of Pakistan in New York’s Times Square is causing some introspection among those whose descent originates in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Here is an individual originating from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan who would rather be identified as Indian

:

Sometimes, I long for the blurry cultural identities of the 80s, when elementary school friends lumped all Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Egyptian immigrants in one brown-hued bucket: "India." Who wouldn't rather be affiliated with "Slumdog Millionaire," Metro PCS's Ranjit and Chad, Chicken Tikkah Masala, Bhangra remixes and Bollywood instead of religious extremism and Al Qaeda?

Read the complete lament in Salon

:

What I understand about Faisal Shahzad

Sri · Post by **Sri** » 07 May 2010 17:09

Shahzad Case Shines Spotlight on Pakistan's Jihad Tourism

Shahzad's possible links to Pakistani militant groups are under investigation, but some officials suspect that he may have had ties to Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), a banned terror group that began its life as a proxy of Pakistan's intelligence services deployed to fight India in Kashmir. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the group responsible for the 2008 Mumbai massacre, is also being investigated as a possibility, a senior Pakistani government source told TIME.

Any aspiring jihadist arriving in Pakistan is spoiled for choice when it comes to finding a militant group with which to sign up. Banned organizations such as LeT operate openly under different names, and it's not very difficult for the determined volunteer militant to find his way to such groups. "It's like a drug addict arriving in a new town," adds Siddiqa. "They always figure out where to get their fix."

arun · Post by **arun** » 07 May 2010 17:15

Sri wrote:Shahzad Case Shines Spotlight on Pakistan's Jihad Tourism

No surprise that in a country such as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan where the Army revels in Jihad by adopting the motto “Iman. Taqwa. Jihad-fi-Sabilillah” or translated “Faith, Piety and Jihad in the path of Allah”, it would turn out to become a Mecca for Jihad Tourism.

Brad Goodman · Post by **Brad Goodman** » 07 May 2010 17:19

Yup I think it was pocket money given to FS by daddy and why cash simple he had lots of black money that he must have used to buy dollars from shady dealers. This amount is summation of all trips since 1998 not from one trip. So over 10 years he got 80K this makes be beleive it was lose change so that he can buy those ray ban googles that they keep flashing on his pic shows on CNN and to patao huma miyan and buy homes in unkil land which his salary would never allow him. As a junior analyst he would not even afford 1BHK apartment how can he afford a single family home in CT.

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 07 May 2010 17:47

arun wrote: Read the complete lament in Salon :

A typical 'the problem is everywhere expect with me' rant packaged in lots of empty rhetoric.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 07 May 2010 18:00

Sri wrote:Shahzad Case Shines Spotlight on Pakistan's Jihad Tourism
Shahzad's possible links to Pakistani militant groups are under investigation, but some officials suspect that he may have had ties to Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), a banned terror group that began its life as a proxy of Pakistan's intelligence services deployed to fight India in Kashmir. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the group responsible for the 2008 Mumbai massacre, is also being investigated as a possibility, a senior Pakistani government source told TIME.

That assertion by some officials that JeM is an offspring of the PA is accurate. JeM was created by Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Ahmed, the ISI Chief who wire transferred USD 100,000 to Mohammed Atta; and who egged on Mulla Mohammed Omar to fight the Americans when sent instead to force the Taliban to hand over Osama and his group.

The relationship between JeM and the PA/ISI is strange. This is true of other terror organizations as well in Pakistan today. All these were created by the PA. They were broken into multiple outfits at various times by the PA for three reasons: one, to make sure that no one organization became too big for its shoes which would then go out of the PA control; two, to confuse the enemies; and three, to massage the egos of the terrorist leaders. At times the PA also ordered the units to be coalesced which was the reason that Maulana Masood Azhar came to Srinagar, eventually got arrested and the rest of the story followed.

After the Indian Parliament attack by JeM along with LeT, and after a heavily cornered Musharraf had to announce the 'ban' of JeM on Jan 12, 2002 followed by the year-long arrest (under the most benign conditions though) of Maulana Masood Azhar, things changed. Though the (in)famous Lahore High Court released Maulana Masood Azhar for 'lack of evidence', the rapport between the PA (or at least a section of it) and JeM was broken. Thus, Jan 12, 2002 was a watershed day. The terrorist tanzeems no longer looked at the entire PA in monolithic friendly terms; there were sections there that needed to be eliminated. JeM therefore participated in the assassination attempts of Musharraf in circa 2003 and the attempt on the Karachi Corps Commander in June, 2004. Several lower and middle level PA & PAF personnel were tried and executed in these attacks. This revealed the worrying connection between JeM and that level of Army & Air Force personnel. That takes me back to the case of the Egyptian 'Free Officers', which I posted above.

The PA elites perceived one use for these tanzeems; but, the tanzeems had to take other roles too due to other developments. The PA tried to 'manage' the situation to the best it could. But, it went out of control. The situation today is very murky. There are old 'contacts' between these tanzeems and the PA; the tanzeems themselves have tasks to perform that are jihadi pan-Islamic in nature; there are supports at different levels within the PA/ISI for these tanzeems; the elite brass of decision-makers within PA are thus having a 'conflict of interest' with the tanzeems; the Islamist 'creators' of these groups such as Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman or Maulana Sami-ul-Haq and others from Banuri and elsewhere are losing their hold on the monster they created. It is a kind of a free-for-all right now, IMHO.

Of course, the tanzeems know that nothing short of a jihad can retrieve the situation for them vis-a-vis the PA.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 07 May 2010 18:09

If Pakistan did not have nukes, then the case for a jihadi take-over of Pakistan being in India's best interests plus serving as the means of displacing the Pakistani Army's central role in the state would be very easy to make.

Nukes complicates the picture. Only if we take the view that JDAM is inevitable - whether or not jihadis take over the state - can we make the easy argument.

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 07 May 2010 18:17

The Musharaf assassination attempt is a classic tanzeem vs PA situation. Now obviously the jehadi objection to Mush was not because he was undemocratic, dictator etc. Nor is it that he is an army man. It was because he was seen as someone that left the 'path' and became a non-believer which as is well known, is an offense punishable by death in barbaric societies..

One wonders how Kiya-nahin ranks in this scheme of ranking...that may determine his half life..

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 07 May 2010 18:54

Some NUGGETS

Taliban are our asset

Talking to daily Pakistan ex-ISI chief Hamid Gul stated that the Taliban were Pakistan’s strategic asset and would remain so. He said after 9/11 Pakistan had sold its honour (izzat) and security and that the country was moving towards civil war. {I believe so}

Americans killed Karachi ulema!

Famous former chief of the ISI Hamid Gul was quoted in Nawa-e-Waqt as saying that the ulema Maulana Nadim and Maulana Jalalpuri were actually killed by the Americans. He said the clerics should stop blaming each other for the killings and should instead close their ranks against America, the real enemy, which was planning to create disorder in Pakistan before leaving the region.

No Sufi at Sufi conference

Columnist Haroon Rashid wrote in Jang stated that a Sufi Conference held at Islamabad had no Sufi in it. The only Sufi in the country was his guru Prof Rafeeq Akhtar of Gujjar Khan who has sworn never to visit the corridors of power. Once Ashfaq Ahmad asked Prof Akhtar whether he could become a Sufi to which he got the answer in the negative. Prof Akhtar said: ‘But try to be a good Muslim’.

Please spare the Hindus?

Writing in Jang Rauf Klassra stated that Chief Justice Lahore High Court Khwaja Sharif had said in court that the Taliban were getting paid by the Hindus to kill Muslims, after which the Hindus in the parliament had protested. The columnist pleaded to spare the 3 million strong Hindu minority in Pakistan who were already the poorest group and were second class citizens. {The Lahore High Court is well and truly Islamist & jihadic from the spate of judgements acquitting all terrorists and now this !}

Taliban answer Shehbaz Sharif

Reported in Jang Tehreek Taliban stated that if the Punjab government promised to stop all action against Taliban it will not be attacked. It said that enemies of the Taliban were: PPP, ANP, MQM and the Agencies.

Akram Lahori finally let off

Reported in daily Islam the great Shia-killer and leader of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Akram Lahori, was set free along with his companions by a sessions judge in Karachi because of lack of evidence. The trial was held inside the judicial complex of the Central Jail. He was earlier on trial in Multan where he was similarly let off. (He has more cases to face yet.)

Release Sufi Muhammad for talks!

Reported in daily Jinnah great religious scholar Dr Israr Ahmad stated that the government should immediately release Maulana Sufi Muhammad and start a dialogue of reconciliation with him. He said the bomb attacks in Lahore had been done by agents of NATO forces. He said if sincere (mukhlis) Taliban were not engaged in talks Pakistanis will suffer in the Hereafter. The same report in daily Pakistan said that Dr Israr had added the Taliban to NATO as terrorists. He also said that Zionist imperialism wanted to grab the Islamic world.

Shehbaz Sharif and Jamia Naeemia

Writing in daily Islam Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi stated that Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke in favour of the Taliban while addressing a gathering in Jamia Naeemia, the big madrassa of the Barelvi faith. Ashrafi noted that Mr Sharif was accompanied by the ‘sahibzada’ (son of the slain Mufti Sarfaraz Naeemi) who had unleashed destruction on the grave and library of the late Deobandi scholar of Faisalabad, Maulana Muhammad Ziaul Haq Qasimi. {What is Shehbaz Sharif saying in a Berelvi Jamia praising the Deobandi/Wahhabi/Salafi organization hell bent on eliminating the Berelvis ?}

Great scholar Mufti Jalalpuri

Writing in daily Islam Maulana Allahwasaya recalled that Mufti Saeed Ahmad Jalalpuri killed in Karachi on 11 March 2010 belonged to Tehsil Shujabad near Multan and was the son of a great religious scholar. He got his early religious training at a Zahir Pir madrassa South Punjab before graduating to Madrassa Kabirwala – where the founder of Sipah Sahaba also got his training - before coming to the Banuri Town madrassa in Karachi and was noted by the great teacher there Maulana Yusuf Ludhianvi. Mufti Jalalpuri was the great enemy of Qadianis and led the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat Movement against them {Mufti Jalapuri was the one who was bumped off by Zaid mian}

Fidel Guevara · Post by **Fidel Guevara** » 07 May 2010 19:12

On the Kasab front, meet the hangman, Mr. Mammu Singh of Meerut, son of hangman Mr. Kallu Singh.

Meerut hangman wants to prepare noose for Kasab

MEERUT: Decades after his father hanged the assassins of prime minister Indira Gandhi, Mammu Singh says he wants to hang Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai carnage.

"I want to prepare a noose for him and see him die. I am just praying to the almighty that I get an official call to hang Kasab," Singh, a hangman with the Central Jail in Meerut, said.

"I am very happy that Kasab got the death sentence. I personally want that he should be hanged as soon as possible. His (Kasab) death should serve as a deterrent to all those, particularly terrorists from Pakistan who should think at least hundred times before making any assault on our country," he added.

For the last nearly four decades, Singh, 65, has been directly or indirectly involved in hanging convicts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, among other states.

"Hanging is an art. Preparation of a noose requires a series of steps to make the hanging simple. Before hanging any person, I apply soap, ghee and other substances to the rope for making the hanging smooth. Moreover, as a hangman you have to maintain the correct posture of the convict while hanging," said Singh, whose father Kallu hanged Kehar Singh and Satwant Singh, assassins of Indira Gandhi, in 1989.

"I am personally of the view that taking into account my experience of a hangman, I would definitely be called for hanging Kasab. Frankly speaking, I would get a unique sense of satisfaction in hanging Kasab (lucky guy! ), who along with his aides indiscriminately killed several innocents," he added.

Till now, Singh has hanged 10 people in different states. A Mumbai special court which conducted the trial of 26/11 terror strikes announced the death penalty for Kasab Thursday.

AnimeshP · Post by **AnimeshP** » 07 May 2010 20:03

Some more insights into the Khawaja episode ... can guru-log comment on whether what is being said in the article makes sense?

In a Ditch

A quick word about Khawaja himself. A squadron commander in the Pakistani Air Force early in his life, Khawaja later joined the ISI. After getting kicked out of the spy agency in 1988 for writing a letter to President Zia ul Haq that charged the army chief with hypocrisy, he set out freelancing. He reportedly arranged five meetings in the late 1980s between bin Laden and former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Daniel Pearl and Khawaja had met, and then stayed in phone and email contact, just prior to Pearl’s abduction in January 2002. Pearl’s wife claims that Khawaja had a hand in her husband’s death.

It’s important to consider what Khawaja might have been doing in North Waziristan. The Pakistani army is apparently gearing up for an offensive there against the Taliban, akin to the ones conducted in Swat and South Waziristan last year. In his confession from captivity, Khawaja claimed that he was sent by two former ISI chiefs to broker a deal with the militants, telling them that they’ll be spared if they simply aim their weapons towards Afghanistan, rather than on targets in Pakistan. It’s also been reported that Khawaja had arranged for the kidnapped British journalist to meet with Hakimullah Mehsud, the Pakistani Taliban leader rumored dead who has recently surfaced. That Khawaja, on either mission, would be kidnapped and murdered illustrates a profound evolution that’s occurred in Pakistan over recent years concerning the dynamic between the ISI and their one-time jihadi clients.

One of the characteristics distinguishing the new generation of militants from the old has been their deep mistrust of traditional authorities, such as the intelligence agencies, the tribal structures, and the mainstream Islamist parties. Two months before his death in July 2007, Ghazi told me even the traditional jihadi organizations like Jaish-e-Mohammad and Sipah-e-Sahaba (a sectarian outfit that attacks Shias) were being undermined as the rank-and-file defected and joined his movement. “Everywhere you look, you can see youngsters rejecting the old ones,” he explained. The splintering phenomenon continues today: the Asian Tigers are considered an offshoot of either Jaish-e-Mohammad or of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which itself broke off from Sipah-e-Sahaba in the early 1990s. Some Western audiences might applaud the fracturing and dividing, assuming that smaller outfits are easier to isolate. But each new group is more violent and reckless than the next—and also more removed from the original puppet-masters in ISI headquarters. Negotiations, bribes, and settlements hold no appeal for this generation of militants.

Several major questions remain about Khawaja and his death. Is it possible that he, as the Tigers allege, intentionally misled Ghazi and his brother Abdul Aziz during the July 2007 rebellion at the Red Mosque, which ultimately led to Ghazi’s death and Aziz’s arrest? Was Khawaja still working for the ISI and—perhaps by extension—the CIA?

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 07 May 2010 20:31

A_Gupta wrote:If Pakistan did not have nukes, then the case for a jihadi take-over of Pakistan being in India's best interests plus serving as the means of displacing the Pakistani Army's central role in the state would be very easy to make.

Nukes complicates the picture. Only if we take the view that JDAM is inevitable - whether or not jihadis take over the state - can we make the easy argument.

Arun, in my opinion it does not make a difference. I have stated this time and time again in he past. India is already the prime target of the PA with its nukes. The actual use of nukes has been threatened several times in the past even with these "moderates" in power. When jihadis get the nukes - the risk of nuclear damage on India actually reduces (note the use of the word damage and not attack). Many of Pakistan's nukes will be reserved for the kafirs of the West. The only way o make the US see the light (short of India fighting to take down the US) is to let the jihadis win. In their view of India there is no diference between the Pak army and jihadis. the army is just as brutal and reckless. It is only a US generated viewpoint that the Pak army is rational and moderate. i do not buy that.

One of the most irritating things about the US (and those who speak for the US) is the fact that the US is quite happy to see Pakistani nukes targeted at India in the hands of that Pakistan army. This, the US believes is "stability". I would like that stability to be upset so the US gets a dose of what we are getting. It is a US argument that the use of a JDAM is inevitable if the jihadis get. We get hit either way. Why let the US escape. Set US ass on fire too is what i say.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 07 May 2010 20:42

shiv wrote: One of the most irritating things about the US (and those who speak for the US) is the fact that the US is quite happy to see Pakistani nukes targeted at India in the hands of that Pakistan army. This, the US believes is "stability". I would like that stability to be upset so the US gets a dose of what we are getting. It is a US argument that the use of a JDAM is inevitable if the jihadis get. We get hit either way. Why let the US escape. Set US ass on fire too is what i say.

On the geopolitical thread, Brzezinski points a way out for India. If India adds enough nukes to make China start arming up way beyond its "minimum deterrence posture", then the US is threatened.

Problem is that since "India and Pakistan are rivals" is the common wisdom, and "rivals would invade each other given the chance" is also common wisdom, stability requires a standoff between rivals. What is forgotten is that if Pakistan did not send terrorists into India, India would not (I think) be an invasion threat to Pakistan.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 07 May 2010 20:56

Dawn correspondent Azaz Syed’s residence attacked

ISLAMABAD: Unidentified gunmen attacked the house of Dawn correspondent Azaz Syed in Islamabad on Friday. Fortunately, Azaz and his family members remained safe.

Azaz Syed has been working on several important stories, most of which throw light on the role of the armed forces, the intelligence agencies and even militant organisations besides some political parties and influential personalities in Pakistan.

archan · Post by **archan** » 07 May 2010 21:01

Syed is committing blasphemy by trying to put out reasonable stories and unearthing what he and the kafirs believe to be the "truth" aout Paki military and hence he is "wajib-e-qatl", as in fit to be killed by the pious in order to uphold all that is pure.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 07 May 2010 21:05

In TFT this week, Khaled Ahmed has written an article on the "UN Report Pages that have not been read". It details the military-militant nexus. This is a must read for all.
Relevant excerpts

The UN Commission has looked at some other aspects of the murder without being ‘judgmental’, and these pages make a very interesting reading. (Those who deposed didn’t want to be named.) Para 179 notes that Ms Bhutto had identified three people she considered a threat to her security: (i) ISI officer Brigadier (Retd) Ejaz Shah, Director General of the IB at the time of the assassination, (ii) General (Retd) Hamid Gul, a former chief of the ISI, and (iii) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Chief Minister of Punjab until 22 November 2007.

Out of the three, Ejaz Shah has fled Pakistan and may have been helped in doing so by elements in the Establishment. He was enjoying a life of some quality in Lahore’s defence with his usual panache and was not convincing in his answer to the question why the kidnapper of Daniel Pearl was arrested from his house. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi probably never realised the full import of his son Rasikh’s participation in the Tablighi Jamaat in Lahore, with linkages that spread out to the TTP and Al Qaeda. Musharraf’s security adviser Tariq Aziz, who conducted back-channel talks with India, was greatly bothered that his son was active in Lashkar-e-Tayba that was to attack Mumbai in 2008. In 2005, Lashkar was allowed a big hand in rescue operations during the Kashmir earthquake because of him.

The UN Commission in Para 182 thought the police should have interrogated the three, after recognising earlier that the police were scared of the ISI.

In Para 218 the UN Commission notes that Ms Bhutto feared Hamid Gul on the basis of his retention of contacts with the terrorists. Ex-ISI chief Hamid Gul has recently come on TV and declared that the US had tried to get him declared a terrorist at the UN but that he was saved by a Chinese veto. It is known that a letter was handed over by the US to Pakistan about him detailing his contacts with the terrorists.

‘Hamid Gul has maintained extensive contacts over the years with Taliban and al-Qaeda operatives located in Pakistan, providing financial support and encouragement to these groups. In 2005, Hamid Gul provided general overarching guidance to the Taliban leadership on operational activities in Afghanistan. In 2008, Hamid Gul was in contact with the militant group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its leadership, including Baitullah Mehsud, and provided the TTP leadership and operatives with guidance on the conduct of militant operations in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region…

‘Hamid Gul was a regular contact for Sirajuddin Haqqani and regularly apprised Sirajuddin of Pakistan government activity in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). As of early 2007, Gul was involved in spotting, assessing, and recruiting young men from various Pakistani madrassas for training in eventual attacks against US-led coalition in Afghanistan. The training consisted of techniques for laying mines, arson and suicide bombings. As of late 2006, Gul was also involved in the training camps. In late 2006, Gul provided money to a Kabul-based criminal group for every International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) member that the group kidnapped and turned over to the Taliban. In addition to these kidnapping-for-ransom activities, this criminal group sold weapons and explosives to the Taliban and acted as travel facilitators for Taliban members in Afghanistan. As of mid-2008, Gul has knowledge of the resettlement of al-Qaeda members from Iraq to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region’.

As if upset by the US document, Gul subsequently appeared on TV to explain his and his sons’ private friendship with the Haqqanis in North Waziristan. He revealed that he had even sent his sons to jihad.

{Qari} Saifullah Akhtar {Emir of HuJI} is closely tied with Al Qaeda but he has been repeatedly caught and released by the ISI after apparently bogus trials in front of intensely intimidated judges of the country’s lower and higher judiciary. {This is very important. The Lahore High Court's release of terrorists in every terrorist case citing lack of evidence has to be because of this} After the unsuccessful 1995 Islamist coup, Saifullah Akhtar was indicted together with some army officers but was mysteriously removed from the list of indicted persons and released. His fighters were concentrated in Bajaur and he is supposed to have been behind the attack on Ms Bhutto in Karachi in 2007 and the blowing up of the Marriot Hotel in Islamabad in 2008.

In April 2010, two ex-ISI officers, Khalid Khwaja and Col Imam, with their loyalties clearly on the side of Al Qaeda and the Taliban, were captured by the Asian Tigers faction of the Taliban. Before the ex-air force officer Khalid Khwaja was executed by the Asian Tigers he confessed on the Internet that he was working for the pro-Al Qaeda and Taliban faction of the ISI. The video on the Internet had him saying: ‘The top jihadi commanders are the ISI’s proxies and are given a free hand to collect funds. The leaders include Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khaleel (who laid the foundations of the International Islamic Front with bin Laden in 1998), and Maulana Masood Azhar (chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad), and Abdullah Shah Mazhar (a former supreme commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad.)’

Both Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Tayba are closely aligned with Al Qaeda. Both are being used as non-state actors by the state of Pakistan. Either the enemy is on both sides, which makes Pakistan vulnerable to a takeover by the terrorists; or there are friends on both sides, which makes Pakistan a terrorist state. The death of Benazir Bhutto has highlighted this dilemma. {The enemy is on both sides and the friends are also on both sides.}

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 07 May 2010 21:20

Blog the nexus between the Pak military and the jihadis with your comments.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 07 May 2010 21:46

This FS case seems to bring up quite a lot of questions in my mind. If he did actually intend causing damage, did he really think that he wouldn't be tracked down even if the car exploded and there were only shreds left behind at the scene?

If he actually did know he could be tracked down, why didn't he leave the country on the same night? That tells me he was planning on not being tracked down by the fbi or dhs and decided to leave the country when they were close to getting him. If that is the case, did he leave on his own or was he told to leave by someone from outside.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 07 May 2010 21:48

A_Gupta wrote: On the geopolitical thread, Brzezinski points a way out for India. If India adds enough nukes to make China start arming up way beyond its "minimum deterrence posture", then the US is threatened.

OT for this thread. Brzezinski is wrong. China responded to India's nuclearization (1974) by giving Pakistan nukes. The US responded to India's "rise" by "holding the ring" and adjusting the power balance in favor of Pakistan, even looking the other way when Pakistan got nukes.

Brzezinski is snake oil and any ideas he gives India in public must be treated as such. IMO

India has very few winning options in this game. But a long term intent to sit it out and displace the US as a power center in the region is in my view, the best for India. The US goes the minute the Pakistan army goes, but India cannot remove the Pakistan army without taking on th US indirectly of directly.

But India can make things difficult for the US (and make jihadis even more angry) by not giving an inch to the Pakistani army. India IMO is welcome to promise the world to Gilani. He is a zero. But India must not talk or reach any accommodation with the Pakistani which can be touted as a victory. As long as the Pakistani army is seen as a whore of the US and a loser with regard to India - we can watch the jihadis get more and more angry. Every attack by the jihadis on us is an excuse for us to spoil the US-Paki army love fest. Every attack by the jihadis on th Pakistan army is none of our business. It is a Pakistan-US problem.

Pakistan wants to claim that this is "both countries' problem" and wants the US to make India give concessions which will make the jihadis less angry with the Pak army. India can make every possible concession as long as it is to Gilani in return for promises that he will never be able to deliver.