08-02-2006, 03:54 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Lashkar is India's Al Qaeda</b>
Pioneer.com
Wilson John
Counter-terrorism operations through appropriate covert action should be taken to stop LeT from killing innocent civilians and bleeding India ---- Less than a month ago, Pakistan supported terrorist group Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) carried out synchronised attacks in Mumbai, killing 201 and maiming hundreds more. It was the most brazen and devastating assault since the one on Parliament on December 13, 2001, and led the establishment, and even a taciturn Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to denounce it in strong terms. It was also aimed to act as a disclaimer to the growing public perception that the Government was incapable of reacting strongly.
Five immediate conclusions can be drawn from the attack. First, India is high on the list of terrorist groups. Second, most of these groups are based in Pakistan and enjoy financial support of charity and religious organisations in Kuwait, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Third, groups like LeT have managed to get a toe-hold in the mindscape of a small section of Muslims incensed by events like Babri Masjid's demolition and the Gujarat riots. Fourth, these groups are transnational. Fifth, Indian state's response has been grossly inept, belying its claims of emerging as a global power.
Therefore, we need to look at how terrorist groups like LeT have grown in the past two years, in the shadow of the US led global war on terrorism and the composite dialogue between India and Pakistan. It would be fatally naive to under estimate the strength and scope of LeT. It would be equally foolhardy to point fingers at Al Qaeda, an anonymous conglomeration of terrorist elements with different objectives and motivations, for attacks like the Mumbai blasts. It would be more appropriate to understand that LeT is India's Al Qaeda, a network of terrorist groups and individuals, in Pakistan, West Asia, Bangladesh, Nepal and inside India.
India must understand that LeT is a highly ambitious organisation of Sunni (Ahle Hadis) extremist ideology, generously funded by powerful Islamist forces and the Pakistan military. The US is certainly not concerned about the growth of Lashkar till another attack takes place on its soil. India must not wait for the State Department's action. It has already banned the group and locked away the files.
LeT is one of the better-known charity organisations in Pakistan with more than 2,200 offices. It has also attracted generous contributions from the Pakistani diaspora in UK, Europe and US besides religious organisations in Riyadh, Kuwait and Dubai. Today, it runs one of the biggest chain of schools (140 on the last count) and colleges, including engineering, and madarsas (29) in several parts of Pakistan. It brings out magazines, including those for children, called Nanha Mujahid, and women, apart from an Urdu weekly and an English monthly. It also runs two websites. The group has expanded its base in PoK and Sindh, besides its original home, Punjab. In Lahore, for instance, where it has its headquarters, the group recently constructed a new mosque in Markaz Qadsiya (cost: Rs 4.6 crore), and LeT chief Hafiz Saeed leads prayers every Friday.
Lashkar's relief, rescue and rehabilitation activities during the October 2005 earthquake in PoK won it public acclaim from Gen Musharraf's regime. Two Ministers visited LeT camps and praised the relief work.
Besides the schools where young students are taught that "jihad is tourism", LeT's expansion into civil society is pointer to its political ambitions, a la Hamas. A recent advertisement in their jihadi weekly is revealing. It states, "On the orders of the honourable Amir of Jamat-ud Dawa, Professor Hafiz Saeed, we have appointed four judges who would work under the supervision of Markaz-e-Darul Qaza al Sharai Jamat-ud Dawa, Pakistan. The Markaz is at Al Qadsia Mosque, Lahore. All the Muslims are urged to resort to the following courts for speedy justice: Jamia Mosque Quba, Islamabad, Markaz Umm-ul Qura, Gujranwala, Jamia mosque Namra, Faislabad and Jamia mosque Sheikh-ul Islam, Multan." In essence, the group is now setting up parallel courts in these towns.
The reason for documenting Lashkar's activities is to point out that it is not a terrorist group that operates out of tents as many of our policy makers seem to think. This misconceived notion has spawned a legion of enthusiasts who waste no time in advocating bombing LeT missions in Pakistan, like the Israelis. Thanks to India's consistent obfuscation in dealing with acts of terror, LeT has metamorphed from a band of mercenaries carrying out sporadic attacks in Kashmir into a network which has expanded across India and beyond.
This is a threat which we can ignore only at our peril. Our opinion makers singing 'Give peace a chance' should realise the immense potential of groups like LeT . By attacking select targets like Ayodhya, Akshardham and trains, LeT has shown its capability. We must get out of this perverse argument that, by taking a stand, we are playing into the hands of terrorism. It is the other way around. If we don't stop groups like LeT, there will be no peace to talk about.
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Pioneer.com
Wilson John
Counter-terrorism operations through appropriate covert action should be taken to stop LeT from killing innocent civilians and bleeding India ---- Less than a month ago, Pakistan supported terrorist group Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) carried out synchronised attacks in Mumbai, killing 201 and maiming hundreds more. It was the most brazen and devastating assault since the one on Parliament on December 13, 2001, and led the establishment, and even a taciturn Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to denounce it in strong terms. It was also aimed to act as a disclaimer to the growing public perception that the Government was incapable of reacting strongly.
Five immediate conclusions can be drawn from the attack. First, India is high on the list of terrorist groups. Second, most of these groups are based in Pakistan and enjoy financial support of charity and religious organisations in Kuwait, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Third, groups like LeT have managed to get a toe-hold in the mindscape of a small section of Muslims incensed by events like Babri Masjid's demolition and the Gujarat riots. Fourth, these groups are transnational. Fifth, Indian state's response has been grossly inept, belying its claims of emerging as a global power.
Therefore, we need to look at how terrorist groups like LeT have grown in the past two years, in the shadow of the US led global war on terrorism and the composite dialogue between India and Pakistan. It would be fatally naive to under estimate the strength and scope of LeT. It would be equally foolhardy to point fingers at Al Qaeda, an anonymous conglomeration of terrorist elements with different objectives and motivations, for attacks like the Mumbai blasts. It would be more appropriate to understand that LeT is India's Al Qaeda, a network of terrorist groups and individuals, in Pakistan, West Asia, Bangladesh, Nepal and inside India.
India must understand that LeT is a highly ambitious organisation of Sunni (Ahle Hadis) extremist ideology, generously funded by powerful Islamist forces and the Pakistan military. The US is certainly not concerned about the growth of Lashkar till another attack takes place on its soil. India must not wait for the State Department's action. It has already banned the group and locked away the files.
LeT is one of the better-known charity organisations in Pakistan with more than 2,200 offices. It has also attracted generous contributions from the Pakistani diaspora in UK, Europe and US besides religious organisations in Riyadh, Kuwait and Dubai. Today, it runs one of the biggest chain of schools (140 on the last count) and colleges, including engineering, and madarsas (29) in several parts of Pakistan. It brings out magazines, including those for children, called Nanha Mujahid, and women, apart from an Urdu weekly and an English monthly. It also runs two websites. The group has expanded its base in PoK and Sindh, besides its original home, Punjab. In Lahore, for instance, where it has its headquarters, the group recently constructed a new mosque in Markaz Qadsiya (cost: Rs 4.6 crore), and LeT chief Hafiz Saeed leads prayers every Friday.
Lashkar's relief, rescue and rehabilitation activities during the October 2005 earthquake in PoK won it public acclaim from Gen Musharraf's regime. Two Ministers visited LeT camps and praised the relief work.
Besides the schools where young students are taught that "jihad is tourism", LeT's expansion into civil society is pointer to its political ambitions, a la Hamas. A recent advertisement in their jihadi weekly is revealing. It states, "On the orders of the honourable Amir of Jamat-ud Dawa, Professor Hafiz Saeed, we have appointed four judges who would work under the supervision of Markaz-e-Darul Qaza al Sharai Jamat-ud Dawa, Pakistan. The Markaz is at Al Qadsia Mosque, Lahore. All the Muslims are urged to resort to the following courts for speedy justice: Jamia Mosque Quba, Islamabad, Markaz Umm-ul Qura, Gujranwala, Jamia mosque Namra, Faislabad and Jamia mosque Sheikh-ul Islam, Multan." In essence, the group is now setting up parallel courts in these towns.
The reason for documenting Lashkar's activities is to point out that it is not a terrorist group that operates out of tents as many of our policy makers seem to think. This misconceived notion has spawned a legion of enthusiasts who waste no time in advocating bombing LeT missions in Pakistan, like the Israelis. Thanks to India's consistent obfuscation in dealing with acts of terror, LeT has metamorphed from a band of mercenaries carrying out sporadic attacks in Kashmir into a network which has expanded across India and beyond.
This is a threat which we can ignore only at our peril. Our opinion makers singing 'Give peace a chance' should realise the immense potential of groups like LeT . By attacking select targets like Ayodhya, Akshardham and trains, LeT has shown its capability. We must get out of this perverse argument that, by taking a stand, we are playing into the hands of terrorism. It is the other way around. If we don't stop groups like LeT, there will be no peace to talk about.
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