Islam

[Qwerty]

This is a transcript of a story that was shown buy Australian 60 minutes last week. Whilst I know almost none of you are Australian I think most of you guys would benefit in reading this as i found it very interesting. Some of the footage was quite scary (the french muslim slums for example). I usually enjoy watching 60 minutes as it isn't as sensational as most other current affairs shows. This was possibly the best stroy I have ever seen on 60 Minutes. With that in mind though, it was somewhat bias in how it was presented in full.

Anyway, here it is. (Peter Overton is the australian journalist doing the strory)

INTRODUCTION:
Two things really struck us while working on this story. First, we're in the middle of the biggest population shift in more than 1000 years, as Muslim populations grow steadily in countries like Britain, France and yes, Australia. Secondly, the London bombers were home grown, seemingly ordinary Englishmen. Now, there's do doubt the vast majority of Muslims just want a peaceful life. But some don't. That's where the danger may lie. And that's why we've been into the suburbs of Paris and Amsterdam, Sydney and Melbourne listening to Muslims, seeing what they hold dear.
STORY:
SHEIKH KHALID YASIN: Our message is to young people, young brothers and sisters — trust is sacred, and how can you put a sacred trust in the hands of a non-Muslim that doesn't understand what that sanctity is about?

PETER OVERTON: My journey into the world of Islam began here — a suburban town hall in Sydney.

SHEIKH KHALID YASIN: I like to talk like one of you.

PETER OVERTON: These are young Muslims and they're Australian. Most of them were born here. But the message they were hearing was of a world that sounds so alien to so many of us.

SHEIKH KHALID YASIN: There's no such thing as a Muslim having a non-Muslim friend, so a non-Muslim could be your associate but they can't be a friend. They're not your friend because they don't understand your religious principles and they cannot because they don't understand your faith.

PETER OVERTON: Sheikh Khalid Yasin is not an enemy of the Western world but nor is he a friend. For him, Muslims and non-Muslims will be forever divided.

SHEIKH KHALID YASIN: Australians have to wake up and smell the coffee. To what extent do people expect that people assimilate to where it gets to the point where you actually want me to imitate?

PETER OVERTON: Khalid was born in America and was once a patriot. He served in Vietnam, but then converted to Islam. Now he's a true believer in the Koran, an uncompromising disciple of its strict justice system, travelling the world to spread his message. This is what he believes men should do to wives who disobey.

SHEIKH KHALID YASIN: The verse says (speaks Arabic). Specifically, this means, if you take that word literally, it means literally beat them lightly, like I would my child. Like that or like that.

PETER OVERTON: These are the kind of messages that drive a wedge, pushing Muslims and non-Muslims further apart at a time when relations are already strained, but we're in the midst of the greatest shift in global population since the eighth century. Muslims are building large and growing minorities across the Western world. How we deal with this here in Australia will determine the kind of country we become. Do you see Australia having Muslim/Islam as the dominant religion here one day?

SHEIKH MOHAMMAD OMRAN: Why not? What's wrong with that?

PETER OVERTON: There are now nearly 500,000 Muslims living in Australia. Sheikh Mohammad Omran is a prominent member of that community, a Melbourne-based Muslim leader.

SHEIKH MOHAMMAD OMRAN: We choose to come to Australia as Australia welcomed us to come. You didn't choose to come to Australia anyhow. And we believe we have more rights than you because we choose Australia to be our country and you didn't. So don't come to me now because you are the majority or you are in the power now to say to me, "Well, this is only my way or the highway". I won't accept that.

PETER OVERTON: Sheikh Omran represents the most fundamental of all Islamic groups in Australia. They see themselves as the true believers, defenders of the Koran against the Western world.

SHEIKH MOHAMMAD OMRAN: You destroyed Iraq altogether. You say, "We want to build a democracy." Where is the democracy? No democracy. You condemned 50 killed in Britain, fair enough. But every day, more than 100 killed in Iraq. This is right and this is wrong?

PETER OVERTON: To truly understand the growing influence of Islam on the Western world, we travelled to Europe where Muslim immigration has been under way for 40 years. Here, by mid-century, one in five Europeans will be Muslim, and, in Holland, multiculturalism has soured under the pressure. This is a place where prostitutes pay income tax and I can get cannabis with my coffee. The Dutch embrace same-sex marriage and euthanasia, yet the fabric of Holland is changing. Within a decade, its three major cities, including Amsterdam, could be majority Muslim and this most tolerant of countries is responding by passing radically intolerant laws.

FILM: I feel at least once a week the strength of my husband's fist on my face.

PETER OVERTON: Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh made a controversial movie about violence against women in Islamic societies. In November last year, in broad daylight on a busy Amsterdam street, he was murdered by a young Muslim extremist. Shot several times, his throat slit and a message of hate pinned to his chest with a knife. The Dutch reacted angrily, public opinion was galvanised. The government approved tough new immigration laws, including a requirement that you must learn the language to come.

GEERT WILDERS: It's not a racism or whatever to say that we should prevail this culture and if people come from other cultures, they are welcome here, but they should live according to our culture and according to our laws.

PETER OVERTON: So the house-full sign goes up on anyone who isn't a Westerner?

GEERT WILDERS: They were pampered in Holland from the day they came to Holland and it was unacceptable and politically incorrect to tell them that those are our rules and if you don't like them you can leave through that door, and if you don't go voluntarily, we will help you.

PETER OVERTON: Geert Wilders is a Dutch politician whose life is under threat. Following van Gogh's murder, he called for a ban on all Muslim immigration to Holland and that has made him a target for extremists.

GEERT WILDERS: It's not a problem of a lack of integration, it's a problem of hate of everything that we stand for.

PETER OVERTON: You've been accused of being an enemy of Islam and should be beheaded — are you an enemy of Islam?

GEERT WILDERS: No, I'm not an enemy of Islam. I don't hate Islam. I believe that Islam is not compatible with democracy. This is true.

PETER OVERTON: That famed Dutch tolerance turned to violence and vengeance against Muslims. Forty percent of the population say they hope Muslims no longer feel at home in Holland.

DRIESELL BEZUHLY: This is a real problem. I spent the first 20 years of my life in Morocco. But my children were born and raised here, and, if the majority of the Dutch decide that we are not welcomed here, then it's going to be a problem for them.

PETER OVERTON: Driesell Bezuhly came to Holland 40 years ago from Morocco. But he and his family have felt the changes sweeping the land in the wake of anti-Muslim sentiment.

BEZUHLY (DAUGHTER): I don't think I feel Dutch. I am Dutch, because I was born here, and there is no ... there is no other thing I could be. My parents are from Morocco, but I am born here, so I'm Dutch.

PETER OVERTON: From Holland to France. Five million Muslims live here — the largest Islamic community in Europe, and here, too, a backlash is under way. This is the Paris of 2005. And so is this. Dish City — so-called because of the satellite dishes picking up Moroccan TV, an entire neighbourhood occupied by Muslim families and off limits to anyone else. These housing commission suburbs on the outskirts of Paris are virtual no-go zones for anyone who doesn't live here. They are places where serious crime is rife, gang rapes are not uncommon and it's feared they are breeding grounds for extremists. We've been told we are putting ourselves at risk by coming here and I must say I don't feel very comfortable at all. Here, too, legislation has been toughened. In an effort to defend France's secular culture, Muslim girls have been forbidden to wear the traditional head scarf to public schools. For girls like Zanib, born and bred in Paris, it was an attack on her identity.

ZANIB: To me, it's my faith, it's my spirit, it's who I am, and those people say that I don't want to be integrated, well, how can you talk about integration when I am from here? How do I integrate to a place that is already, is already me?

PETER OVERTON: Back home, we pride ourselves on being a truly multicultural nation. But we're not immune to the growing resentment many Muslim communities overseas are facing.

NEIL FERGUS: There has to be a more sane approach to this in fundamentalist Islamic circles. The reality is in mainstream Islamic circles, this is regarded as lunacy.

PETER OVERTON: Terrorism expert Neil Fergus believes Muslim leaders hold the key to heading young Muslims in the right direction.

NEIL FERGUS: There isn't room for leading imams to sit on the fence any more. They really need to be forthright and show some leadership and some moral fibre in terms of giving their followers a clear direction on how these type of abhorrent events sit against the word of the prophet.

PETER OVERTON: Who is responsible for September 11?

SHEIKH MOHAMMAD OMRAN: I don't want to say USA Government, but I would say some of them, they are responsible for that.

PETER OVERTON: The Government is responsible?

SHEIKH MOHAMMAD OMRAN: Yes. Yes! I believe in that 100 percent. I believe there is — what they call it? A conspiracy against Islam and Muslims.

PETER OVERTON: I think the average person out there would be amazed that you don't think Osama bin Laden was responsible for September 11.

SHEIKH MOHAMMAD OMRAN: There is a mastermind behind these things and the mastermind 100 percent he is from the US Government.

DANNY NALIA: No Muslim can deny the fact that Islam calls on the whole world to be Islamic.

PETER OVERTON: Christian pastor Danny Nalia is unashamedly critical of the Muslim teachings that divide communities. A lecture he gave to his Melbourne congregation was found to vilify Muslims and he's been ordered to apologise or risk jail.

DANNY NALIA: We have just sacrificed freedom of speech and democracy for Islamic Sharia law by stealth.

PETER OVERTON: Will you apologise? You've been found guilty of vilifying Muslims.

DANNY NALIA: We will not apologise and we stand by what we said. If it means going to jail, yes, we shall go to jail. There was a website article in the recent past where one of the Islamic groups in Victoria or NSW which stated that Muslims are like water coming out of a pure water spring and that all non-Muslims were like water coming out of a suburban sewer and they called on all Muslims not to assimilate into Australian society, because if a drop of suburban sewer falls into the pure water spring, it will pollute the water.

SHEIKH KHALID YASIN: A Muslim needs to distinguish him and herself.

PETER OVERTON: That's certainly the kind of message Sheikh Khalid Yasin was preaching at Bankstown Town Hall 10 days after the London terrorist bombings — this from a man who was about to apply to become an Australian resident.

SHEIKH KHALID YASIN: If you prefer the name of somebody on your clothes other than the name of the Muslims, if you prefer the clothing of the Kaffers other than the clothing of the Muslims, most of the names that's on most of those clothing is faggots, homosexuals and lesbians. God is very straightforward about this — not we Muslims, not subjective, the Sharia is very clear about it, the punishment for homosexuality, bestiality or anything like that is death. We don't make any excuses about that, it's not our law — it's the Koran.

PETER OVERTON: And this on why young Muslims shouldn't attend university.

SHEIKH KHALID YASIN: The university is a gateway for deviation. You forget your Islamic direction. Now you have become compromised through some kind of intellectuality.

PETER OVERTON: Some of the things I've seen and heard around the world these last weeks are really difficult to accept — beliefs so foreign to our own way of life. But, with the biggest Islamic nation in the world as our next door neighbour and 500,000 Muslims in Australia, we just have to find a way to get along.

PETER OVERTON: Can Australians and Muslims live together?

SHEIKH MOHAMMAD OMRAN: One hundred percent. They are living together, my dear, where are you now? You are in my mosque and you are living with me and there is millions of people here around me, most of them non-Muslims. So why we don't?

PETER OVERTON: But there are differences in beliefs.

SHEIKH MOHAMMAD OMRAN: So what? We agreed to build an Australian nation, a strong nation, a harmony nation, but with so many differences among us, so what?

source: http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/s...story_1455.asp


Please post any comments or questions. Anything.

[neo_ny_23]

So what do you wanna discuss here about? About this convo in particular or the problem of terrorism and Islamic Fundamentalism in particular? If u wanna discuss the problem of Islamic Fundamentalism, then you just opened the whole can of worms here. If you indicate me what u really want to discuss here, I will elaborate on that topic and give u a brief idea about the stuff from my own experience of terrorism, anti-terrorism, history of CIA, al Qaeda, Afghan wars, etc.

[Qwerty]

As I said before, anything.

What ever floats your boat.

[neo_ny_23]

Frankly, I dont really want to initiate a talk about the origins of al Qaeda, who is really responsible for 9/11, Afghan War, Iraq war, and Islamic Fundamentalism even if I have complete information, facts from trusted sources, because lots of people visit this website and I dont think many will be happy to read the bitter truth about all those things.

But, if any one else initiates the discussion and wants to talk about it, I will be more than happy to contribute.

[Oreo]

Originally Posted by neo_ny_23

Frankly, I dont really want to initiate a talk about the origins of al Qaeda, who is really responsible for 9/11, Afghan War, Iraq war, and Islamic Fundamentalism even if I have complete information, facts from trusted sources, because lots of people visit this website and I dont think many will be happy to read the bitter truth about all those things.

But, if any one else initiates the discussion and wants to talk about it, I will be more than happy to contribute.

But expressing your opinion is what the forums are all about, it's what free speech in the USA is all about. You are ALLOWED to express your views even if people do not agree with it. It's about open dialogue so we know where everyone is coming from. It IS NOT however, to trash some one or to attack them. That's why the advisors and I are around. Please do not feel that you cannot express your views here. This is INDEED a touchy subject and somewhat of a cultural clash. But that does NOT mean that what you have to say is not important. If you do not wish to contribute, you do not have to...but then just don't post, it's your choice, that's what it's all about.

[Qwerty]

Originally Posted by neo_ny_23

Frankly, I dont really want to initiate a talk about the origins of al Qaeda, who is really responsible for 9/11, Afghan War, Iraq war, and Islamic Fundamentalism even if I have complete information, facts from trusted sources, because lots of people visit this website and I dont think many will be happy to read the bitter truth about all those things.

But, if any one else initiates the discussion and wants to talk about it, I will be more than happy to contribute.

Um, i think with the creation of a thread i have initiated conversation. Stop making up excuses.

[neo_ny_23]

In late 1970s and early 1980s when there were subtle revolutions taking place against Soviet troops and officials in Kabul, against Soviet occupancy of Afghanistan, CIA knew that they have a potential of making Afghanistan as Soviet's Vietnam.

Northern Alliance commanders and many mujahadin organisations started revolting against Soviet invasion. Naturally they seeked helped from Pakistan (nearest place and easiest place to get help) and also CIA. CIA and Pakistani Intelligence and government happily trained, provided hi-tech equipments of that time, recruited mujahadins all around the middle east to take part in the "Holy War" against the Soviets.

Major countries which helped those mujahadins (through intelligence, arms, money and government help) are US and Pakistan, while Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt and few other countries provided recruits and money... lots of money. A lot of arms flowed into Afghanistan through Pakistan (all the above countries used to send their cash or bullets to Pakistan and then Pakistan after arming its own army's teeth to combat against India, sent the rest of the money to Afghanistan). Both Pakistan and US saw a huge personal interests in the Afghan War. US - wanted to take revenge of the Vietnam, and Pakistan, wanted to get up to date arms, money, and also recruits which can latter be used in bleeding Indian blood in Kashmir. Lots of money flowed in from US and Saudi Arabia to Pakistan to help those mujahadins... lots in billions.. not just millions.

Training camps opened up in North Western provinces of Pakistan and South Eastern provinces of Aghanistan where arab fighters came over to kill the "infidels". Little did CIA know that by "infidels" they not only meant Soviet troops, but all non-believers, especially USA. These mujahadin fighters were trained not to fight in front.... but were trained how to wage gurreila wars, or "terrorist" attacks against the Soviets. They were trained under the very eyes of CIA, ISI and Prince Turki ( Intelligence head of Saudi Arabia), these fighters were trained how to explode car bombs in important locations, how to set up booby traps in phones, cycles, pens, etc which seem useless but have bombs in them. Soviets werent sitting quietly and letting their troops die. They developed new kinds of air crafts and helos to kill the mujahadins... But US stepped up to help them. They provided Anti-air craft missiles, called Stinger Missiles.. US provided as much as 2000 (dont remember if its 2000 or 5000) Stinger missiles. It should be understood that one Stinger Missile is enough to bring down one civilian plane and kill all the crew and passengers. (remember somethign happened in 1990s? A plane was brought down near Bermuda and FBI said it was mechanical failure? Think again!) No wonder, with so much help to the enemy, Soviet lost the war and understood the treat of Terrorism and soon disintegrated.CIA saw this as their victory and withdrew from Afghanistan even if CIA was still involved in Afghanistan as late as 1992-93.

Around late 1980s, Osama Bin Laden, the 17th son of Mohammed Bin Laden, a Construction bussinessman from Saudi Arabia, was
inspired by another sect of Islam called Wahhabism. The creator of Wahhabism, Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahab, is himself controversial who around 17-th or 18-th century was critical of the Saudi Arabia liberal Islam ways and used violence to kill all the infidels and set up a "pure" Islamic rule of Allah. Well, thats another story that Abdul Wahab, married another girl
(he is a "pir" or religious person who shouldnt marry or something, I dont exactly remember), and violeted his own Islamic ways towards the end, but his teachings were enough to fire up the Islamic Fundamentalists. Osama was mainly sent by Saudi Govt as an unofficial ambassador to Peshawar, Pakistan to help the "freedom fighters" in Afghanistan. Osama mainly supplied money, funds and gave tactical support to these mujahadins. Around 1989-90 ish, Al Qaeda was created by Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, supported by his disciple, Osama. After the Afghan war, Azzam realized the threat these Mujahadins possess towards the society and the world since in his eyes they were as good as "terrorists or bandits with guns". Azzam mainly created Al Qaeda to help oppressed muslim people to rise up and be strong and protest against injustice and stuff like that. But he had his differences with Osama even if Osama was his student. Osama had radical ideas and supported the use of arms. Moreover Pakistani ISI wanted these mujahadins armed so that they can be trained and sent to Kashmir to kill Indians. So, in 1991-92ish, Osama working with ISI assassinated Azzam and two of his sons in a car bomb - a kind of attack which CIA and Pakistani intelligence taught the terrorists to kill Soviets. One of the two guys who understood the threat of Pakistan backed terrorists is finally dead. The other man is Ahmad Shah Massaud. He was the commander of the Northern Alliance who fought against both the Soviets and Talibans.

Talibans or Students of Islam, were mainly a band of rogue millitarily trained clerics who were taught in 1000s of Pakistani Madrassas and trained in Pakistan by their army. Its an irony that in 1980s, CIA and Pakistan government worked together "hard" to print millions of copies of Islam corrupting the main ideas in them and supporting violence so that they will be "motivated" to kill the soviets.


Armed with the help of Pakistani army and govt and American indifference, the Talibans entered Afghanistan through the south and finally captured Kabul and drove Massaud and his forces to North West. Massaud was the most toughest and bitter enemy of Mullah Mohammed Omar and the Taliban. Massaud was great in the sense that he not only fought against the Soviets and defeated them, but he also fought single handedly against the Talibans from 1995ish till September 9th, 2001 when he was finally assasinated by Osama bin Laden, just two days before the 9/11.

It is to be understood that by 2001, Al Qaeda was a huge organization with its hubs in almost all relevant countries in the world. Al Qaeda and Taliban enjoyed the support from Pakitani government who used Afghan military camps in training terrorists and then sending them to Kashmir. Offcourse Kargil war in 1999 is one of the best examples how far Pakistani Army can go upto creating nuisance in South Asia when its army general, Prime Minister "okayed" the project of sending Pakistani Army in disguise of mujahadins along with many other mujahadins to Kargil ( a place in Kashmir, in Indian province so as to cut off a whole part from Indian troops). No wonder they were defeated and the Pakistani PM even came close of using Nukes against India. This is to show how far they can go upto creating a mess around that region.

Al Qaeda today has its base all around the world in US, Pakistan, Afghanistan ( southern areas), almost all over Europe mainly UK, France and Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Southern America, Canada, Bangladesh, etc. It is really sad that we are fighting against an enemy which we trained ourselves a decade earlier. I agree US does things in its interests, but it fails to understand that those interests are short term, not long term interests. CIA never bothered to analyze what these mujahadins will do with their guns and weapons after the war. Infact it always turned its blind eye towards Pakistan which is the main hub of terrorism all around the world. And Pakistan in an effort to "show off" that they are aiding US, arrest al Qaeda supporters and terrorists. But, present CIA analysists believe firmly with evidence that those terrorists which were arrested in Pakistan were "ex-terrorists" or who had differences with al Qaeda and were discharged from it. Like the Afghan war against the Soviets, US did another mistake of attacking Iraq. Hell yeah there was a mess in that country but was that more harmful to the world right now than the Pakistani madrassas which teach corrupted versions of Islam to the young minds and train them to terrorize the world? The UK bombers were all taught in Pakistan about "Islam". One al Qaeda terrorist who was caught around in 2002 in Europe was trained by Pakistani Special Services Group. He was trained about using disguises, making survellience, creating explosives in home, espionage, use of high-tech equipements, and assassination. Iraq was NOT the priority during the war against terrorism. There are countries like Pakistan, and Sudan who openly support and help terrorist organizations. But no action is taken against them. If we are so worried about other people in other oppressed countries why dont we go and fight against Sudan which harboured terrorists all over the world, even Osama for 2 years, Carlos the jackal, and many others? Why dont we go and fight against North Korea which is arming its teeth to threaten the Pacific theater? Why dont we take some steps against Iran which is possessing real WMDs, not just fake pictures of them? Well its over now. But, for long term benefits, one has to take real steps, not just a show of "fight against terrorism". We caught Saddam Hussien who didnt kill a single American in American soil. But we have now no idea where Osama bin Laden is who successfully killed 1000s of Americans in their own homeland.

Al Qaeda, in contrary to popular belief, is still as powerful and deadly as it was before 9/11. Yeah, Mullah Omar and Osama escaped during the war and American forces easily moved through Afghanistan. Thats because Osama believes in the theory that "When we are in a disadvantageous position and if we have the exit door, always take the exit door rather than facing the enemy and wasting your most valuable resource against them. Save your valuable resources and most important men so that they can be used later when the time is with you". No wonder, only a fraction of Al Qaeda fighters died in the war while numerically 8 to 10 times the same number are safely hidding somewhere or just staying dormant.

A real solution against terrorism not only taking aggressive military measures against them and those who support them but also to understand the basic life of the middle class, poor Islamic families where these terrorists come from. One has to change not only their minds but also their approach to life by coming up with open ideas and things they really need. No one becomes a terrorist when he is a kid. They become terrorists when they come face to face with Western indifference and lack of a proper and stable political, educational and economic establishment in their own home countries. Education and economy are the main weapons to combat terrorism along with military.

(Source: Ghost Wars, by Steve Coll, Hunting the Jackal by Billy Waugh, Inside Al Qaeda by Rohan Gunaratne).

[Qwerty]

cool. that was pretty intersting neo, cheers.

You are dead right about education being a key ingredient here. Whilst the Saudi's and other middle eastern countries have told the American government they will help as much as they can in the fight against terror, they are telling their populace the exact oposite. Many schools and school books throughout the middle east are, allegedly, key ingredients in anti-westene feelings.

And whilst westerners have to keep buying oil of the saudis and other such countries, things are not going to change a great deal. Whilst America and other western countires want to tell the Saudis they need to chnage a few things around for the worls interests, they cant if they still want to be a customer of the Saudis.

Once countires are self suficiant in fuel though, the middle east will lose a lot of political power. And with power goes money. Whihc is another problem.

Poverty is another key ingredient in anti-western feeligns again.

Its a vicious cycle.

[neo_ny_23]

Today I stumbled across this article which clearly shows how interested Pakistani Government is in the War against Terrorism. Its a shame that we label Pakistan as an "aly in our war against Terrorism".

LAHORE, July 31: While no religious seminary in Pakistan is ready to admit that the three London suicide bombers ever visited them, the Pakistan Government has itself declared that the three came to Pakistan between November 2004 and February 2005.

Muhammad Siddiq Khan and Shehzad Tanweer stayed in Lahore and Faisalabad while Haseeb Hussain chose Karachi. Six months after their return from Pakistan, they committed such bloody acts of terror that it could change Europe much more than 9/11 changed America. The tragedy highlights the superficiality of Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf’s rhetoric about changing the country’s direction.

During their stay at the seminaries, the bombers learnt to make explosives from recovered Al-Qaeda manuals. The information provided to Islamabad by the UK authorities show that Khan and Tanweer came to Pakistan in mid-2004. After landing in Karachi, the two militants traveled to Lahore from where they proceeded to Faisalabad. In the interregnum, they were at the Jamia Manzurul Islamia, an extremist Sunni madrassa situated in Lahore Cantonment. There, they lived with Osama Nazir at Jamia Fatahul Rahemia, a religious school run by Qari Ahlullah Raheemi.

Raheemi, an extremist cleric, is considered close to outlawed Pakistani militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, led by Maulana Masood Azhar. Azhar was released by India at Kandahar in exchange for hijacked passengers of flight IC-814. British-born Islamic militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who has been sentenced to death for the killing of US journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002, was considered close to Azhar.

British intelligence agencies have already approached their Pakistani counterparts to know whether the three were in touch with the Al-Qaeda or other Islamic groups in Pakistan, or if there was a Pakistan-based mastermind behind the London attacks. What the British authorities specifically asked the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) to find out is how many more Muslim volunteers of Pakistani origin present in the UK are ready to carry out suicide bombings for their cause.

Sources say British agencies have provided vital leads to their Pakistani counterparts to track down other potential bombers who have returned to Britain in the recent past. Sources say two of the four London bombers had visited Pakistan and were being supervised by Al-Qaeda managers based in Pakistan since then. British citizenship and familial ties to Pakistan enabled them to travel freely between the United Kingdom and the South Asian state.

The bombers apparently followed a set route, though there were many who used to believe that the terror highway of Pakistan had been closed effectively after Musharraf’s oft-repeated claims of having taken concrete steps to uproot extremist elements and dismantle their Jihadi infrastructure.

Barely a month before the blasts, the June 2005 arrests of two Pakistani-Americans in the small Californian town of Lodi, and a confessional statement by one of them of having been trained at an Al-Qaeda training camp in Pakistan for six months till 2004 to carry out terrorist attacks in the US, had questioned the actual commitment of America’s most-trusted ally against terror — General Musharraf.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) believes that the arrests would help bust the well-organised network of an Islamic militant group in California whose fighters were being imparted military training at a Rawalpindi camp run by leading Pakistani militant outfit, Jamiatul Ansar (JUA), previously called the Harkat ul Mujahideen (HUM) and formerly led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil.

One of the men arrested, 22-year-old Hamid Hayat, is accused in an FBI criminal complaint of undergoing training in an Al-Qaeda camp in Pakistan to learn “how to kill Americans” and then lying to FBI agents about it. His father, 47-year-old Umer Hayat, is charged with lying about his son’s involvement and his own financing of the camp. Hamid’s affidavit says that he was preparing to attack hospitals and shopping centers. It describes the investigation as beginning on May 29, 2005, when Hamid Hayat was flying from Pakistan to San Francisco. He had flown to Islamabad from San Francisco on April 19, 2003, and returned to the US on May 29, 2005 after his wedding, the FBI affidavit states.

A week after the two Pakistanis were arrested in Lodi, the visiting Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chairman Yasin Malik disclosed in Islamabad on June 13, 2005 that Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed used to run a training camp for Kashmiri militants when the armed struggle in Jammu & Kashmir was at its peak.

Malik declared: “Sheikh Rashid has played a great role for Kashmir’s liberation. He used to support the frontline Jihadis from Kashmir, and has the honor of having trained around 3,500 Jihadis. However, a few know of his contributions.”

Sheikh Rashid considers himself to be among Musharraf’s closest hands. As information minister, he happens to be the public face of the Pakistani Cabinet, as well as the launcher of the General’s political weather-balloons. Terrorism experts, therefore, say these revelations highlight the threat posed by the second-generation Pakistani militants and the persistent presence of terrorist bases in a country which is the alleged hideout of the Al-Qaeda chief, Osama bin Laden and his second-in-command, Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri.

At the same time, contrary to Musharraf’s claims, the pattern of treatment being meted out to leaders of the four major Jihadi groups he had banned in January 2002 shows that his intelligence establishment continues to maintain its long alliance with the former, primarily because of the fact that both share a common agenda: the liberation of ‘Occupied Jammu & Kashmir’.

At present, sources say, hundreds of militants are undergoing advanced training at camps in Bagh, Rawalkot, Kotli, Gulpur, Aliabad, Halanshumali, Padhar, Halan, Kaliar, Forwad Kahuta and Kacharban across Poonch district in Jammu & Kashmir.

Notwithstanding the ongoing peace process between India and Pakistan, militant circles concede that several training camps along the Line of Control (LOC) were reactivated in April 2005, facilitated by the melting of snow. They also say that hundreds of militants had gathered at various points along the LOC after rigorous training in cutting and penetrating the fence erected by India.

Although Musharraf insists that he is determined to end all forms of terrorism, there seems hardly any evidence that his Government has tried to dismantle the Jihadi network from Pakistani soil. The authenticity of his claims can be gauged from the record of his administration’s handling of the Jihadi kingpins as none of them has either been prosecuted on terrorism charges, despite the fact that all four are wanted either by the Indian Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) or by the FBI.

As things stand, the four major groups — Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM), Harkat ul Mujahideen (HUM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) — resurfaced and regrouped to run their networks as openly as before, though under different names. Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, Maulana Masood Azhar, Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil and Syed Salahuddin — the leaders of the four outfits — are once again on the loose. While JEM and HUM have been renamed Khudamul Islam and Jamiatul Ansar respectively, Lashkar and Hizbul have not camouflaged their identities.

The soft treatment these outfits enjoy in the Musharraf administration shows that they are being kept on the leash to wage a controlled Jihad in Jammu and Kashmir, whenever needed. As the political will to dismantle extremist groups that are not on the FBI’s ‘most wanted’ list seems to be absent, most of the Jihadi groups continue to pursue their agenda. Musharraf, by his own admission, no longer controls the Jihadis that the state had long supported, and the ‘holy warriors’ are far from ready to call it quits.

Also, the Lashkar and Hizbul Mujahideen, both active in J&K, have been seemingly allowed by the administration to resume training at their camps in the country. As the camps reopen, trained militants as well as aspirants are flocking to enlist for the holy war. Interestingly, a significant portion of the crowd constitutes trained militants called in for refresher courses.

Three years since Musharraf’s January 2002 announcement, the so-called modernization campaign has largely failed, and hardly a few cosmetic changes could be introduced in the madrassa system. The Federal Government’s plan for madrassa reform is a classic example of the one-step forward, two-steps backwards approach.

Musharraf’s rhetoric to modernize the country’s 10,000 seminaries has met with little success mainly due to his administration’s failure to enforce the Madrassa Registration and Regulation Ordinance 2002, which was meant to reform seminaries by bringing them into the mainstream. Most of these madrassas were self-financed but they are now being funded by the Government also for modernizing textbooks, including secular subjects and introducing computers into the classroom.

In 2001-02, Rs 1,654,000 was distributed among the madrassas. As the number of students is 1,065,277, this comes to Rs 1.55 per student per year (2.5 US cents). An additional aid of Rs 30.5 million was released for computers and changing the syllabi in 2003-04, which comes to Rs 28.6 per student (50 US cents). But since all madrassas do not accept aid, the money need not be distributed as evenly. The madrassas generally do not charge tuition fees and attract poor students.

Analysts believe that the Musharraf regime’s failure in reforming the seminaries and in cracking down on Jihadi networks has resulted in the resurgence of extremism and sectarian violence in the country. The Pakistani dictator’s priority has never been eradicating Islamic extremism, but rather the legitimization and consolidation of his dictatorial rule, for which he seems dependent on the clergy.

The clergy is hand-in-glove with the ISI and the Jihadis The nexus comes into play at the madrassas itself where young students are indoctrinated. These recruits are then picked up by the agencies or local militant outfits and trained.

During the Afghan Jihad, it was the ISI that hired indoctrinated youth from the seminaries of the NWFP and Balochistan who were then trained and sent into Afghanistan. The same was the case with those who were busy on the Kashmir front. The Pakistani military and intelligence establishments, the country’s religious leadership and the militants share a common belief in the country’s rightful claim over Kashmir.

It is amid all these developments over the last two decades that the tentacles of the July 7 blasts have reached Pakistan. As the biggest-ever probe launched in Britain explores possible Pakistani links to the blasts, it has become clear that no one could have damaged Muslims in Britain more than the suicide bombers. London’s 7/7 brings Muslims across the world back to the situation they faced after 9/11.

The 7/7 bombings and the involvement of the British nationals of Pakistani origin also proves that just as the West has failed in winning its war against terrorism, the Musharraf administration has been unsuccessful in winning its war against extremists and individuals. The bombings have led to increased pressure on Pakistan. As always, Musharraf has ordered a countrywide crackdown. As scores are picked up from seminaries, one cannot help but wonder why the cleansing had stopped after the initial rush of blood.

Analysts have described Musharraf’s July 21 address to the nation as an updated version of his January 2002 televised speech. The new administrative measures for combating terrorism are similar to those announced in the past. This raises two questions. What happened to the first campaign against terror? If these measures did not produce desired results in the past, how will they do a better job this time?

Analysts say given the military background of the Musharraf regime, the counter-terrorism policy was confined to administrative measures pursued through the civil administration, police and intelligence agencies. The narrow strategy comprised police raids on seminaries and arrests of some activists of militant outfits. However, this policy didn’t offer a sustainable solution because the Government priorities shifted and the arrested Jihadis were released later.

Another problem that adversely affected the 2002 campaign against terrorism was the divided official opinion about the role of militant groups in the insurgency in Kashmir. This is why for a long time after September 2001, Pakistan’s officials insisted on distinguishing between terrorism and wars of liberation. Some groups involved in Kashmir were advised by Pakistani intelligence agencies to keep a low profile. The underlying assumption was that if needed, these groups could be reactivated to pursue the official agenda in Kashmir.

Further, the state patronage of Islamic orthodoxy and militancy during 1979-2001 allowed a large number of people to internalize these values. Some of them continue to serve in the bureaucracy, police and intelligence agencies and sympathize with militants and the religious orthodoxy. They quietly soften administrative action against these groups.

Above all, analysts opine, the fate of Musharraf’s counter-terrorism policy and the efforts to promote Islamic moderation depends on its relations with the six-party religious alliance, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA). If the MMA is to be appeased to cope with the expediencies of power, the latest campaign against terrorism cannot be pursued to its logical conclusion.

The real problem seems to be that there is sympathy for Islamic extremists in Pakistan’s military and intelligence circles. At the same time, there is a widespread feeling that Pakistan is actually fighting the war for the West. Therefore, analysts believe that unless Pakistan makes the war on terror its own war, it cannot win it.

Tell me guys. Tell me what you think about this.

(Source: Amir Mir, South Asia Tribune)

[Aqeel]

I was away for my graduation exams, so I don’t get touch with this post, Thanks a lot Neo_ny_23+ for providing me the link to this post. (From the post of Pakistan Prime Minister)

I’m not here to defend Islamic militants, their views, Pakistan, ISI, or anyone else. I just want to comment on the “facts” provided by Neo_ny_23+. Sorry, to say you like or not your thoughts are biased. These are not the thoughts of any fact provider; these are thoughts of a patriot. Who is so eager to defend his country that he has mixed the facts and this is only once side of the picture; other side too has a story to share.

Let me clear things in topics.

India and state Terrorism;

This is a report of the State Terrorism as practiced by India internally on its own population and externally on its neighbours. This was published in the GLOBE in January 1993, it is being re-printed being still valid today

The only country in the world, other than Israel, to have acquired land through conflict or intimidation after the end of World War 2 is India. Israel has the excuse at least that in some of their conflicts with the Arabs they pre-empted imminent aggression and thus were not the aggressor per se. In the South Asian sub-continent, India has openly coveted (and/or made designs to take possession thereof) before actually annexing their neighbour or their prime real estate. In every incident of aggression, care was taken to garb the nakedly expansionist moves under some camouflage or the other.
EXTERNAL TERRORISM

The first to fall into India's grip was Kashmir, the legal subterfuge used was the Maharaja's Letter of Accession. This was followed by military intervention to annex Hyderabad, Junagadh and Manawadar in 1948. In 1960 it was the turn of the Portuguese possessions of Goa, Daman and Diu in a farcical war. The smaller princely States of India were just taken over lock, stock and barrel at the appropriate time. As the world started to look askance at naked aggression, India turned increasingly to subterfuge. In 1968 they formed the Research and Analytical Wing (RAW) whose main purpose at that time was to organise covert operations in Bangladesh, in this they were actively supported by the Border Security Forces (BSF) whose Deputy Director General (DDG), in this case Brig Pande, was based at Calcutta with an alternate HQs in 91 BSF at Agartala for operational purposes. With the creation of RAW, India turned from naked aggression to sophistication in the pursuit of its ambitions. RAW became involved in covert operations in all the peripheral countries around India. While RAW's role in the creation of Bangladesh did not get much attention, its operatives were in constant contact with hard-core India sympathizers within Awami League (AL) such as Tajuddin, Nazrul Islam, etc. Through these surrogates RAW maintained pressure on Sheikh Mujibur Rehman whenever he started weakening in his anti-Pakistan stance. After 1971, RAW retained its interest in Bangladesh, raising a parallel military organisation loyal to AL (and India) known as the Rakhi Bahini headed by Brig Nuruzzaman. As a Captain of the Pakistan Army, Nuruzzaman had undergone trial for treason in the famous Agartala Conspiracy Case. Though they were better armed and organised than the Bangladesh Armed Forces, the Rakhi Bahini was easily disarmed and demobilised by the Bangladesh Army post-Mujib. RAW agents have since become a permanent factor for destabilisation in Bangladesh, having subverted the loyalties of a large segment of the Hindu population. After Sheikh Mujib was assassinated, they re-created the 1971 vintage Kader Bahini led by the infamous Kader Siddiqui who operated from Indian territory from 1975 to 1985 and constantly troubled the Zia Regime (and later the Ershad regime) with many instances of terrorism. Today India sustains the Chakma revolt against Bangladesh in the Chittagong Hill Tracts by supporting the Shanti Bahini which makes cross border raids from training and logistics camps in the Indian Tripura State at Amarpur, Sabroom and opposite Baghban-Tilla.

Westerners were captivated by the marriage of the American Ms Hope Cooke with the ruler of the Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim in the early 60s. Set in a fairytale Shangri-La atmosphere Sikkim became known as one of free world's remaining ancient monarchies. But trouble incited by RAW was brewing from 1973 onwards. RAW planted agents in Gangtok, Mangain, Namchi and Gyalshing for cultivating sympathisers who would fan disturbances against the reigning monarch and would then 'request' for Indian help against the 'despot'. Just in case the anti-monarchist ploy did not work, RAW was ready with operational data required for military intervention. On 20 April 1975, the once friendly and peaceful kingdom of Sikkim became a possession of India.

Bhuttan's Jigme Wangchuk of the adjacent Himalayan Kingdom took this lesson to heart and while he clearly pouts at regional official functions he does not strain too much at the leash and studiously toes the Indian line, realising that his situation is probably more untenable than his once-upon-a-time Sikkim Counterpart. Nominally, he remains, along with the Maldives, as showpiece independent nations and the only ones on India's periphery 'without' problems with India. Just in case that he should ever dream otherwise, the Kingdom is prone to inspired pro-India riots from time to time. This domino will fall eventually or may not depending upon whether the Indians want to keep the showpiece going.

Nepal is the only Hindu Kingdom in the world. King Bhirendhra ran afoul of India because of his independent stance on regional policies. Previously known as an annexe of India, Nepal opened out to the world in the late 70s and early 80s. RAW was mandated by the Indian Government to bring Nepal into line. The first set was that India used a pretext to halt all supplies of food, medicine, oil etc. from going to this land-locked country. In the meantime RAW agents fanned out among anti-monarchist elements and as the economic blockade took hold, riots broke out all over Nepal escalating into full fledged political confrontation between the monarchy and the electorate. Acts of terrorism, including the explosions of bombs, sabotage of installations, attacks on prominent personalities, etc. proliferated. Faced with the possibility of large-scale anarchy and even take-over by India on the Sri Lanka pattern, the King opted to become a constitutional monarch and a 'friendly' government came to power in Nepal. This was a blatant interference in the internal affairs of another nation, RAW was used as the terror weapon.

Burma has not escaped interference from India. Having a long border with India, Burma is bedevilled by independence movements that freely roam across international borders. Such cross border operations have meant that Burmese troops have been engaged on yet another front to secure the country's frontiers. There is concern in Bangladesh that RAW agents were behind the trouble in Arakan Province that has resulted in 250,000 Arakanese Muslim refugees crossing over to Bangladesh. Normally Burma and Bangladesh enjoy excellent relations but this refugee problem has become a sore point that has almost led to war between the two countries.

The paradise that once was Sri Lanka is a case of the full force of application of the so-called Indira Doctrine, that this whole region is an area of unrestricted Indian influence. The former Chief of RAW, Kao, was mandated by Indira Gandhi to repeat the Bangladesh story and bring the Sri Lankans into line. RAW was given a free hand to destabilise the island republic, a country so at peace with itself and its neighbours that it had a maximum of only two or three active military units (less than 5,000 men under arms). The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Ramachandra, gave his consent to RAW setting up Tamil rebel camps at Ganda and Gorakhpur. Tamils were trained to bring about an armed rebellion to carve a Tamil State out of the predominantly Sinhalese island. Of the many groups that RAW trained, the most deadly were the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) led by Prabhakaran, which murderously targeted the other fellow ethnic Tamil Groups in addition to bringing unrestrained terror to the Sinhalese majority in the island. The full face of terrorism was unleashed in the cities with car bombs, assassinations etc. killing and maiming thousands before the Sri Lankan Armed Forces could re-organise themselves and assert the rule of the law. With their LTTE allies ultimately besieged in the North and North East, the Indians gave the Sri Lankans an ultimatum to stop their offensive and virtually at the point of gun signed the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord in 1987. Indian forces started landing in Sri Lanka as the Indian Peace-Keeping Force (IPKF) to 'enforce' the peace even before the Accord was signed. This was Pax India-na at its most blatant. As often happens in a Client Patron relationship, the Tamil Tigers refused to fall into line with their Indian masters and the IPKF started to sustain heavy casualties from their former allies. The Indian Army blamed RAW for not providing accurate information about the former RAW proteges. The IPKF inadequacy in dealing with the LTTE became a debacle that forced the Indians to withdraw from Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan paradise that once was had now became Hell on Earth, the fighting between the now 3-4 division strength Sri Lanka Armed Forces (over 100,000 men under arms) and the Tamil Tigers goes bloodily on without quarter given or taken. As a revenge for having caused innumerable casualties and horrific damage, the Tamil tigers targeted the man who had mandated the IPKF to establish Pax-India-na in Sri Lanka, Rajiv Gandhi. In a classic Tamil Tiger operation, RAW trained operative assassinated Rajiv Gandhi, the blood cycle had come a complete circle. This is second time around that it had happened in the same family, the first being the gunning down of Rajiv's mother by Sikh Bodyguards in the wake of the storming of the Golden Temple at Amritsar and the killing of Bhindranewala and his close associates. Bhindranewala shot into fame from obscurity as a protege of late Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi's younger son, who mandated RAW to support his feud. As a sequel to Rajiv's assassination India closed down all camps and suspended the free movement of Tamils (now mostly supporter of LTTE) with India, one may well ask, if this is not an instance of an open display of export of State terrorism, what is? Unfortunately for India, the Tamils have plenty of sympathisers in Tamil Nadu and the problems persist, having come home to roost.

The Indian Ocean farce where 200 Tamil mercenaries from the Ealam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF - another creation of RAW) were employed to stage a coup against Maldives President Mamoon Abdul Gayoom is a case in point. President Gayoom was prompted to ask for Indian help for rescuing his government. Anybody with scant knowledge of aircraft, ships and logistics would have worked out that the Indian forces were dispatched to the rescue much before the coup was even attempted. A grateful Gayoom has given Indian forces a major foothold deep in the Indian Ocean, a solid landbased aircraft carrier for dominating the oceanic area figuring in the designs of India hegemony.

Pakistan figures promptly as a major RAW target, with special emphasis on the separatist Sindhu Desh movement. A wing of the Indian Special Services Bureau (SSB) has established terrorist camps across the border from Sindh in Rajasthan in eight major locations, Ganganagar, Jaipur, Udhampur, Kishangarh, Bikaner, Barmer, Jaiselmer and Gandhinagar. Services of Hindus who had migrated to India during 1971 and whose relatives are still living in Sindh are coordinated through a RAW cell located at Jaipur called the Sindhu Desh Department. With the exit of the active elements of the Al-Zulfikar Organisation (AZO) from Afghanistan and Libya, AZO has been taken over lock, stock and barrel by RAW. The same style of paid gunmen and bomb explosions as was witnessed in Sri Lanka has been duplicated in Sindh. The cooperation between the KGB, Khad and RAW to destabilize Pakistan, particularly Sindh during the decade-old Afghan war, is well documented and known to western intelligence agencies.

RAW emerges as the only presently functioning instrument of widescale application of State terrorism. This is no rogue operation planned by some idealistic nuts running wild, this is a deliberate implementation of the policy of the Indian Government to annex and occupy neighbouring countries or to browbeat them into accepting Indian hegemony. That RAW takes the initiative to sow anarchy and disorder puts it in a murderous class of its own.

Pakistan's main claim to fame with respect to being judged guilty of State terrorism is Kashmir, there is widescale speculation that the US may declare Pakistan a terrorist State because of supposedly ISI-organised camps organise guerrillas to cross into Indian occupied Kashmir. The ISI learnt most of its expertise from close collaboration with the CIA during the 80s decade Afghan war when Afghan Mujahideen were trained in guerilla warfare in camps in the border region to liberate Afghanistan from Soviet yoke. Given the fact of Kashmir's disputed status and Pakistani emotions, the ISI could well be using that knowledge for operations in Kashmir but the insurrection within Kashmir is mostly indigenous, the people's will being spontaneous does not need orchestration. The ISI and other Pakistani covert agencies are also accused of providing help to Sikh militants demanding a separate homeland. Most of the Sikh militants are ex-Indian Army personnel who mutinied after the Golden Temple was desecrated. Support to them by Pakistan may be more moral than material in the circumstances. Kashmir is another matter, it is freedom struggle and the ISI need not organise camps since Kashmiris on both sides of the border are committed to freedom from Indian tutelage and thus would be crossing the border without official sanction. Even if the sanction is denied, the borders will remain porous, in the circumstances imposing a clamp down would be next to impossible.

INTERNAL TERRORISM

Many people wrongly believe that RAW is used by India only for the purposes of the State's external policies. RAW has another more vicious role, to support the security forces within India to cow down its own population.

Many people in the outside world are not aware of the Hindu class system, almost 53% of the population are of the lowest class, the Untouchables. With about 17% Muslims and 3-4% Christians of various denomination, only about 25-27% of the population is really enfranchised. Most of the government jobs go to this minority with a sprinkling drawn from the majority for purposes of window dressing. The only government employment really open to the majority population are the menial jobs, even in the Armed Forces Untouchables, Muslims and Christians are few and far between. Control of the government at all levels and of the Armed Forces thus gives the Hindu minority upper class dictatorial authority over the rest of the population. When VP Singh was PM he tried to overcome this inequity by enforcing a Quota system, riots broke out all over the country, mostly fanned by the civil administration. In Delhi most of the protestors were government servants, this was repeated during the Babri Masjid riots in December showing BJP's hold. To sustain their rule, the ruling classes use RAW as a weapon to stamp down dissent, spread disinformation, political character assassination, hit squads to commit murder, etc. The amazing thing is that they got away with it despite the fact that the maximum amount of movements for independence are raging within India.

To start with is the grey area of Kashmir which is legally not a part of India but is under Indian subjugation. To fight the freedom movement, the Indians have adopted a three track policy. First they have shored up the present Indian administration, particularly the law enforcement agencies to maintain civil order. Since the local police forces have been hopelessly compromised, the Indians moved in large number of units from the Border Security Forces (BSF) and the Central Reserve Police (CRP). To augment their strength at key points, at least 2 more complete mountain divisions have been moved in, one from Eastern Command and the other from Southern Command. Both these formations were part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka. In addition, Brigade sized independent formations as well as special commando units have been posted to Kashmir. While the BSF and CRP were known for their penchant to resort to atrocities against non-combatants particularly old men, women and children, the commando units were trained by Israelis to combat the urban guerillas on the counter-Intifida pattern. Most infamous among these special units are the so-called Black Cats (they wear black uniform). The prime modus operandi is to surround a locality and line up all the men held in that swoop. Hooded men, who are obviously either informants or guerillas who have been tortured and thus forced to cooperate, are then brought to identify possible dissidents. Some of those that are held simply disappear, in most cases their bodies turn up after a few days. There is no sanctuary, churches and/or mosques are entered at will, in many cases there has been gun-battles on the premises. A form of ethnic cleansing is in process in Kashmir, the country is being rid of Muslim Kashmiris. There have been as many as 40,000 documented deaths in the last 2/3 years, over double that have crossed over the LoC to become a fresh wave of refugees in Azad Kashmir.

Almost a similar modus operandi is followed in Khalistan (Indian Punjab). Operation Blue Star in 1984 aimed at getting the Sikh militants out of the Golden Temple at Amritsar. The Sikh leader Bhindranewala was a RAW creation, a discovery of the late Sanjay Gandhi who thought he could be built-up as antidote to the growing Sikh freedom movement. Unfortunately for India, while before Bhindranewala the Sikhs were for greater autonomy within India, after Blue Star the great majority now want an independent Khalistan. Like in Kashmir, the province is in a state of virtual internal siege and the guerilla attacks are matched by the State's law enforcement agencies in the context of terrorism. Like in Kashmir, draconian laws ensure that fundamental rights remain suspended.

Over the broad mass of Central India, extending to the South is the shadowy Naxalite movement. Originating in a village called Naxalbari in West Bengal in the late 60s, this is essentially a revolt of the downtrodden class against the injustice of the rich and ruling, particularly the landlord class and government functionaries. At the beginning the movement was not really terrorist-oriented but the reaction of the civil administration forced them to respond with vengeance, now it is all out war with the Naxalites beheading their targeted enemies. Naturally the Indian Government's response, both Federal and State, has been to fight fire with fire with only lip-service given to civil liberties.

In the South is the land of the Tamils. In the 60s and 70s there was a budding secessionist movement, however with Indian moves on Sri Lanka in support of the minority Tamils against the majority Sinhalese, this movement was stymied. During the 80s, RAW created many camps in Tamil Nadu for the Tamil guerilla movements. Most of the supplies to Tamil areas were ferried across the straits to Jaffna and other areas by RAW operatives. A time came when the Sri Lankan Tamils had virtually free run of the place. However, with the advent of the IPKF into Sri Lanka, the major Tamil group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE), led by Prabhaharan, revolted against Indian tutelage. RAW's proteges now became India's implacable enemies, the most bloody action was Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in typical LTTE style with the help of a girl from the LTTE suicide squad, she blew herself up along with the former PM of India. The Indian reaction against the Sri Lankan Tamils in India has been predictable and has created a backlash among the South Indian Tamil population.

Most of India's budding secessionist movements are too small to be well documented but the Indian response has been bloody and brutal. Some of the movements that are of significance are:-

a. Gorkhaland

The areas around Darjeeling, just south of Nepal, is inhabited by a large number of Gorkhas who are fighting for their own homeland. There is an uneasy peace at the moment because the Indians have promised autonomy.

b. Bodoland

Just west of Darjeeling lies Meghalaya where Bodo tribals are fighting for their independence. This freedom struggle started with bows and arrows, it is now a full fledged guerilla movement.

c. ULFA

United Liberation Front of Assam envisages an independent Assam as the local inhabitants feel they have been colonized by the Indians. As usual, the Indians have met terror with terror, razing entire villages to the ground.

d. Nagaland

The Nagas have been fighting for their independence since almost 1947. The British had promised them an independent homeland for their active support against the Japanese in World War 2. After the emergence of Bangladesh, the mainly Christian Nagas lost their main supply base for some time and they came to terms with the Federal authorities. However the promises made by the Indians were never fulfilled and as Bangladesh fell out with India, the Naga logistics improved and the guerilla movement goes on in full swing.

e. Mizoram

Like the Nagas, the Mizos are mainly Christians and their guerilla movement has followed the same route. Laldenga, their leader, had to come to terms after the emergence of Bangladesh. He was brought to Delhi for peace negotiations and then incarcerated when the talks failed in utter violation of the immunity given to him. Today the movement for an independent Mizoram goes on.

f. Manipuris

One of the greatest shocks of 'democratic' India that awaited tea planters of West Pakistani origin who moved into India while escaping from East Pakistan in 1971 (and were incarcerated in Indian Jails) was to find Manipuri children in many jails of Tripura State, particularly Agartala Jail. Under the Maintenance of India Security Act (MISA), a large number of Manipuri children of Manipuri influentials were kept as hostages for their good behaviour. For a time after Bangladesh became a separate country, there was relative peace in Manipur as the guerilla movement lost its supply sanctuaries. It is now a war-torn country with Indian forces being attacked by Manipur guerillas in areas stretching from Manipur south to the Burmese border.

CONCLUSION

In the face of overwhelming evidence of Indian sponsored State terrorism directed against (1) its neighbours and (2) its own population for years, the USA is not likely to discriminate against Pakistan on the basis of the evidence at hand and the nature of the international dispute with respect to Kashmir, though restraint may well have been advised by the US through diplomatic channels. One may well ask, what is any Pakistani government to do, turn the other cheek and act deaf, dumb and blind while Kashmiris are increasingly subject to atrocities? In Kashmir today, if death, rape and torture has become endemic, it is mostly at the initiative of Indian forces. To be fair while one may accept that we may have cast a stone or two, in the face of the Indian barrage of terrorism against all its neighbours, one will expect that justice will not be denied. If the world community has any even-handed non-discriminatory yardstick for labelling any nation a terrorist State, India outstrips everyone else by a mile!

Too be continued….