Post-26/11: What India needs to do

Source: DNA INDIA

In the introduction to her book What Terrorists Want, Louise Richardson explains why she studied terrorism “to try to establish why an otherwise responsible parent, student or teacher would chose to join a terrorist movement and remain in one and why a group of people would collectively choose to kill innocent people they do not know in order to advance some goal unlikely to be achieved in their lifetime.”
What happened in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 and continued for three days raises just these and several other questions. And what we have seen is no longer a proxy war, but an all out assault on the Indian state. It is an attack on all Indians and all Indians will have to be prepared to fight this one. It is far too serious to be left to politicians.
It may be state policy in Pakistan to use jehad as a deadly instrument of foreign policy and as a force equaliser against the superior Indian military, but then that state has the manpower willing to act as its emissaries in this bloody game virtually sure that they will die. There is a terrorist rationality in this seeming irrationality — of dying unsung for a cause unfulfilled. Perhaps the incident itself is the rationale. Perhaps the incident coverage by the media provides the narrative and renown for the future. Or perhaps, the debate that ensues with the pseudo-liberal platitudes provides some justification.
The terrorists who attacked Mumbai were seeking a global audience for their expression of hatred and the spectacular act was part of their psychological warfare.
Their inspiration may be the desire of their leaders and ideologues — like Syed Qutb, Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam, Ibn Taymiyah and even Hafeez Saeed — to return to the glory of 7th century Islam. This would inevitably put them into conflict with the 21st century world including a large percentage of Muslims. Pakistani rulers have used Kashmir as glue for organising groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) as a policy instrument against India. It may now be getting out of control.
Why now?The question that many ask is that given Pakistan’s present political uncertainties, an economic crisis despite having just received an IMF bailout, and a security predicament in the NWFP and US pressure to co-operate, given the kinds of peace overtures coming from the president, why did it feel it necessary to indulge in this kind of adventurism. Maybe these are the very reasons why this adventure was necessary. All this is part of a devious plot, to create a crisis on the eastern frontier by having this terrorist act which is difficult for the Indians to ignore, then move troops away from the Fata and NWFP which would alarm the US/Nato in their battles against the Taliban in Afghanistan. The ensuing tension on the eastern frontier would absolve Pakistan of having to fight America’s war in the west unless the US is able to assure Pakistan that its eastern flank is not endangered by Indians.
A major terrorist incident in Mumbai would provoke an Indian reaction, raise tension and alarm the US. Kashmir would be back on the radar screen of the new president. So, if India could be made to see reason in this, Pakistan would be able to help the American cause in Afghanistan. There is considerable writing in the US precisely on these lines and a major terrorist action would be useful in impressing the new president anxious to find a different path to solving the Afghanistan imbroglio. The hope would be that the Americans would be able to leave Afghanistan with Pakistani assistance, Pakistan would have access to Afghanistan and Kashmir and, finally, the LeT would be the heroes.
As it is, the Pakistan army has been fighting its Fata campaign very half-heartedly and has been more interested in obtaining steady cash inflow of money from the US. The Pakistanis do not want to eliminate the Taliban as they would have future uses for it in Afghanistan and Kashmir in a post-US phase.
Sushant Sareen feels that there will be immense US political, military and economic pressure on Pakistan to prevent it from entering into a deal with the Islamists. If the Pakistanis defy the Americans, then they risk economic collapse and military confrontation with the US.
On the other hand, acceptance of US demands will cause public outrage as the US and Pakistani forces take on the Taliban and the Taliban retaliate by hitting in major towns and cities. In this context, the Mumbai plot was a way to pre-empt this pressure.
Over time, the Pakistani Taliban have been able to or been allowed to take control of large chunks of territory in Fata and Swat. The startling disclosure that Baitullah Mehsud, till recently accused of assassinating Benazir Bhutto, had now been declared a Pakistani patriot, who would allow the army to pull out and concentrate on the Indian frontier, could be an indicator of the shape of things to come.
It is possible that there is a strong difference of opinion in the Pak army about priorities — whether Pakistan should be fighting America’s war in the NWFP and killing their own Muslim brothers in the province or fighting its own war in Kashmir and against India.
Possibly, there are those in the Pak army who feel that Pakistan must not be seen to be fighting its own people -although that never bothered the Pak armed forces whenever they have had to tackle the Baloch. Maybe this is a victory for the Islamists inside the Pak army.
The Pak army’s badge of professionalism is heavily imbued with Islamic overtones. The Pakistani soldier and officer are different from the officers who graduate from Khadakvasla, Sandhurst or West Point. The man from Kakul trains under the motto ‘Jehad fi’isbillah’ — Jehad in the name of God. He leads a modern Islamic army and genuinely believes that he is the ‘protector of the faith’ and the ‘defender of the realm’.
And this army is steadily losing control of parts of its territory in the northwest as the Taliban spread deeper into Pakistan.
Pak army’s guided missileThe LeT (Army of pure), whose involvement in the Mumbai attacks is now established, is an Islamic terrorist force in Asia with links to Al Qaeda. Its network extends across South Asia, has links in Afghanistan, and has received generous donations from the Middle East especially Saudi Arabia. Besides, it also has the support of the Pak army and the ISI. Seed money came from Osama bin Laden and there have been generous donations from rich Pakistani businessmen. Saudi Arabia has sustained this outfit with considerable funding.
The political wing of the LeT, the Markaz Dawa Irshad, (renamed Jamaat ut Dawa renamed Idara Khidmat e Khalq) today runs 200 mainstream Dawa schools, 11 madrassas, two science colleges, an ambulance service, mobile clinics and blood banks. Its recruits are not ill-educated madrassa students, but well educated and educationally qualified urban professionals.
The Lashkar continues to have training camps in Muridke, with its headquarters near Lahore. The LeT has conducted operations in Chechnya, Bosnia, Iraq and SE Asia. The Lashkar is an invaluable asset to the Pak authorities as it enables it to keep the Kashmir option open even while supporting the US campaign in Afghanistan.
It is sometimes assumed, incorrectly, that the LeT is a Kashmiri outfit. It is a purely Punjabi Pakistani group. As an associate of Osama bin Laden’s International Islamic Front for Jihad Against Crusaders and Jews and then later to include Hindus, its scope of activity is beyond Kashmir.
As Wilson John of the Observer Research Foundation points out Hafeez Saeed’s favourite verse from the Quran is Wajahidu fi Sabilallah (Wage a holy war in the name of God). It was not too long ago when the LeT chief Hafeez Saeed told his followers in Lahore from where he usually doles out inflammatory sermons against India when he said, “India understands only one language — the language of Jehad”.
This was on October 13, 2008, a few weeks before the attacks on Mumbai were launched or as one can suspect, maybe by then the operation had already begun.

Vikram Sood is a former chief of the Reasearch and Analysis Wing. The second part of this article will appear tomorrow

9 factors which make a Lashkar terrorist

Source: Rediff

January 30, 2009When Ajmal Kasab and his co-murderers were handpicked for the Mumbai [Images] terror operation nine factors were taken into consideration. An Intelligence Bureau officer told rediff.com that these factors are abided by when a terrorist is being recruited.
Arrested terrorists, Sabahuddin and Fahim Ansari have confirmed during their interrogation that a strict procedure is followed while recruiting likely terrorists into the Lashkar-e-Tayiba.
The most important factor is commitment to the Lashkar’s ideology. When the Lashkar recruits youth the latter are told they will undertake a military operation and there is absolute need to be committed to the organisation’s ideology in order to succeed.
The second factor is, obviously, that the recruit is Muslim.
The third factor is the maturity of the recruit. The IB says the recruitment process begins at the age of 10. However when it comes to waging war the Lashkar ensures that the minimum age of the terrorist is at least 15. The Lashkar gives priority to hard work, mental and physical fitness over age.
The next aspect deals with sacrifice; the recruit should be willing to give up his life in order to achieve his goal.
Another important aspect which the Lashkar takes into consideration is concealing information. Talkative recruits are dumped. Likely terrorists are told they should not discuss the mission even with their closest friends or family. If a Lashkar commander discovers that the mission is being discussed, the recruit runs the risk of losing his life.
The Lashkar lays a lot of emphasis on obedience. This aspect has been picked up from the Pakistani military. During the training programmes recruits are told not to ask questions and only to follow orders.
While being recruited, the recruits undergo regular medical check-ups to establish that they are physically and mentally fit. Should any recruit not fulfill these conditions, he is dropped from the terror programme.
Finally, the recruit should be patient by nature and more important, be able to endure psychological trauma.
Likely terrorists are told over and over again that they should be patient and fight till the end, and not abandon their path even if they are overwhelmed by the enemy.
Overcoming psychological trauma is most important. The terrorists are expected to remain calm when they witness bloodshed, when they are arrested or even when they are about to be overwhelmed by their adversaries.

US anti-terror aid for Pakistan cut by $50m

Source: Daily Times, India Today

LAHORE: The United States has paid Pakistan $100 million for its frontline-state role in the war on terror, against an originally planned amount of $150 million, a private TV channel reported on Monday. Talking to the media in a ceremony of Pakistan Microfinance Network in Islamabad, Finance Adviser Shaukat Tareen said the reason for the reduced funding was a new payment system in the US. He said the government was in contact with the US administration and was expecting to receive a positive response in this regard, the channel said. –daily times monitor.

The US has deducted $55 million out of the $156 million bill set by Pakistan for rendering its military services to fight against Taliban and Al Qaeda in volatile bordering tribal areas adjacent to war-torn Afghanistan.

Shaukat Tarin, a financial advisor in the prime minister’s office, said the US had “changed the format” for money released under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) for Islamabad, resulting in a “massive” deduction.

Pakistan, a key US ally in the fight against terrorism, has mobilised its more than 100,000 troops in tribal areas to contain Islamic militants launching cross-border attacks on international forces in Afghanistan, and bills US for the expenditure.

The cut in its reimbursements is a setback to the civilian government led by President Asif Ali Zardari, widower of assassinated former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto.

Tarin said Islamabad had taken the matter of the deducted money with Washington.

Pakistan joined the US-led international alliance against terrorism after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, with Islamabad getting some $297 million every year since 2003, in the form of Foreign Military Grants to quell the Taliban militancy.

But the authorities in Washington have said repeatedly that Islamabad was not doing enough to control Islamic insurgency in its ungoverned tribal region.

The new US government, led by President Barack Obama, has vowed to focus more on Pakistan in its policy to defeat Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. In its efforts, the new administration would link Pakistan’s aid with the security in the border region in Afghanistan, the White House said in a policy statement last week.

Pakistan, which has recently avoided default by obtaining a $7.6 billion loan package from the IMF, is relying heavily on US to revive its economy.

The US has so far provided between $10 and $11 billion of aid for social development as well as in form of military aid. But Pakistan says it has suffered financial losses many times more than it has collectively received aid from American and its western allies after becoming front line state in the ongoing war against terrorism.

USAID projects in FATA (Pakistan) shelved over security

Source: Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: Around 25 projects operated by USAID in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and settled areas of the NWFP have been temporarily closed over security concerns, a private TV channel quoted its sources on Wednesday.

According to the channel, staff members working on several projects in Tank, DI Khan, and North and South Waziristan agencies have been called back due to worsening security in those areas. The work on the projects would resume once the law and order situation improves, the channel said.

USAID was working on a comprehensive programme to support short, medium and long-term objectives of the government of Pakistan’s FATA Sustainable Development Plan (FSDP) 2006-2015. USAID’s objectives included enhancing the government’s legitimacy and writ in FATA, improving economic and social conditions for local communities, and supporting sustainable development. To achieve the objectives, USAID had expanded its earlier programmes and initiated new activities that included, building the capacity of FATA institutions to deliver services to citizens; improving livelihoods; strengthening health and education services; and developing FATA’s infrastructure.

How LeT conceals its terror training camps :Vicky Nanjappa

January 28, 2009 15:44 IST
Source: rediff

The Lashkar-e-Tayiba [Images], which was responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks [Images], goes to extreme lengths to conceal the identity of terrorists while carrying out an attack in India, according to Intelligence Bureau sources.

The interrogation conducted on Ajmal Kasab [Images], Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin have helped the IB piece together details of the things the LeT does to ensure that the identity of the terrorists is concealed at all times.

An IB source told rediff.com that extreme caution is taken while training terrorists and the levels of security are such that none of the security agencies are able to get a wind of what is happening.

The fidayeens are trained in an area which is at least 20 kilometres away from a populated area. Moreover there should be no army camp or a police station anywhere in a 30-km radius.

While earmarking the area, the LeT ensures that there is enough land to train at least 50 men in shooting and physical training. Apart from this the LeT also ensures that there is a medical facility close by.

The LeT takes a lot of precaution in ensuring that the location is kept a secret. Only the top commander and his second in command apart from the trainers are aware of the location. What is interesting is that once the training programme is completed then the place is not used for at least another year and all traces of the camp are immediately wiped out.

Further the LeT also ensures that the area has several exit points. Once training for the day is complete no one is allowed to hang on there and all trainees return to base camp.

The trainees too are strictly vetted before being admitted. Also care is taken to ensure that the trainees don’t know each other. This is done to ensure that there is no bonding between them.

Fighting terror : Heroes awarded this republic day

Source: PIB, IBNLIVE

The Ashoka Chakra is awarded to any individual, uniformed or civilian, for the most conspicuous bravery, or some act of daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice otherwise than in the face of the enemy.

On January 26, 2009 the President will confer 11 Ashoka Chakra Awards, including two announced earlier on August 15, 2008 on Asstt. Commandant Pramod Kumar Satapathy, Special Operation Group, Orissa State Armed Police (Posthumous), and Shri R P Diengdoh, Meghalaya Police (Posthumous), at Rajpath before the start of the parade.

The following is the full list of awardees and a brief on their acts of valour:

SHRI R P DIENGDOH MEGHALAYA POLICE (POSTHUMOUS)

On 6^th November 2007, information was received that about ten militants, armed with automatic rifles and a huge quantity of explosives have set up a camp in the jungles of Meghalaya.

Shri RP Diengdoh volunteered to lead the police party in the operations against the militants. The police party reached the site the next day just before dawn and charged into the camp to flush out the militants. The militants opened heavy fire on the assault team. Shri Diengdoh boldly returned the fire and shot dead one militant. However, he was hit by a bullet. Unmindful of the grave injury, he continued to lead the team and managed to capture two dreaded militants.

Shri RP Diengdoh displayed exemplary dedication to duty and pre-eminent valour in making the supreme sacrifice while fighting the militants.

ASSISTANT COMMANDANT SHRI PRAMOD KUMAR SATAPATHY TRAINING-IN-CHARGE OF THE SPECIAL OPERATION GROUP ORISSA STATE ARMED POLICE (POSTHUMOUS)

In the night of 15^th February 2008 about 500 heavily armed naxalites carried out simultaneous attacks on police at various locations in and around Bhubaneswar looting many weapons and killing several police personnel. Thereafter, they hid in nearby jungles.

Assistant Commandant Shri Pramod Kumar Satapathy of the Special Operation Group along with a mere 20 police personnel reached the elevated position taken by the naxalites inside the jungle and immediately mounted an assault on them. The naxalites retaliated with heavy fire on the police team and in a fierce encounter lasting for about two hours. Shri Satapathy led the operations with exemplary courage before making the supreme sacrifice.

Shri Pramod Kumar Satapathy displayed highest degree of bravery and dedication to duty in the fight against naxalites.

IC-45618 COLONEL JOJAN THOMAS JAT REGIMENT / 45 RASHTRIYA RIFLES (POSTHUMOUS)

On 22^nd August 2008, at about 03:30 AM, Colonel Jojan Thomas, Commanding Officer of 45 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion deployed in Jammu and Kashmir established contact with a group of terrorists.

Colonel Thomas immediately rushed to the area with available troops and soon a fierce firefight ensued. Leading from the front, Colonel Thomas eliminated two terrorists from close quarters. In the process he sustained severe gun shot wounds. Inspite of this, he engaged the third terrorist in a fierce hand-to-hand fight before eliminating him.

Colonel Jojan Thomas displayed exemplary leadership and exceptional gallantry in eliminating three hardcore terrorists and made the supreme sacrifice for the nation.

SHRI MOHAN CHAND SHARMA INSPECTOR, DELHI POLICE (POSTHUMOUS)

On 19^th September 2008, Shri Mohan Chand Sharma, Inspector, Delhi Police received specific information that a suspected person wanted in connection with the serial bomb blasts in Delhi was hiding in a flat in Batla House area of Jamia Nagar, New Delhi.

Shri Sharma leading a seven member team quickly reached the identified flat. As soon as he entered the flat he received the first burst of fire from the terrorists holed up inside the flat. Undaunted, he returned the fire. In the ensuing exchange of fire, two terrorists were killed and one captured.

Shri Mohan Chand Sharma showed exemplary courage and devotion to duty in fighting the terrorists and made the supreme sacrifice for the nation.

13621503 HAVILDAR BAHADUR SINGH BOHRA10^TH BATTALION THE PARACHUTE REGIMENT (SPECIAL FORCES) (POSTHUMOUS)

Havildar Bahadur Singh Bohra was the squad commander of an assault team deployed for a search operation in General Area Lawanz of Jammu and Kashmir.

On 25^th September 2008, at 6:15 PM, he observed a group of terrorists and moved quickly to intercept them. In the process, he came under heavy hostile fire. Undaunted, he charged at the terrorists and killed one of them. However, he suffered severe gun shot wounds. Refusing evacuation, he continued with the assault and killed two more terrorists at extremely close range.

Havildar Bahadur Singh Bohra, thus, displayed most conspicuous bravery and made the supreme sacrifice for the nation in fighting the terrorists.

SHRI HEMANT KAMLAKAR KARKARE JOINT COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, MAHARASHTRA (POSTHUMOUS)

On 26^th November 2008 at 9:40 PM, Shri Hemant Kamlakar Karkare, Joint Commissioner of Police and Chief of the Anti-Terrorist Squad, received information about a terrorist attack at Chhatrapati Sivaji Terminus Railway Station, Mumbai.

Acting swiftly, Shri Karkare dispatched teams to plug the possible escape routes and himself alongwith a small team rushed to Cama Hospital where the terrorists had moved by then. A firefight ensued between the terrorists and the police team. As a result, the terrorists were forced to change their position. Shri Karkare pursued the terrorists but in the process his jeep got ambushed and he was critically injured. He however, continued to lead the operation and succeeded in injuring one of the terrorists.

Shri Hemant Kamlakar Karkare displayed courage and leadership of the highest order in fighting the terrorists and made the supreme sacrifice for the nation.

SHRI TUKARAM GOPAL OMBALE ASSISTANT SUB-INSPECTOR OF POLICE, MAHARASHTRA (POSTHUMOUS)

On 26^th November 2008, Shri Tukaram Gopal Ombale, Asstt. Sub Inspector of Police was on night duty at D B Marg Police Station when the terrorist attack in Mumbai took place.

Around midnight, a wireless message was flashed that two terrorists were moving towards Marine Drive in a car. Shri Ombale immediately positioned barricades to block its passage. As soon the car stopped, one of the terrorists inside the car opened fire. Shri Ombale in a daring act rushed to the left side of the car and pounced on one of the terrorists in order to snatch his AK 47 rifle. In the process he got seriously injured and later succumbed to his injuries.

Shri Tukaram Gopal Ombale showed raw grit and unparalleled courage in making his supreme sacrifice while fighting the terrorists.

IC-58660 MAJOR SANDEEP UNNIKRISHNAN BIHAR REGIMENT / 51 SPECIAL ACTION GROUP (POSTHUMOUS)

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan led the commando operation launched on 27^th November 2008 to flush out terrorists from Hotel Taj Mahal, Mumbai in which he rescued 14 hostages.

During the operation, his team came under intense hostile fire, in which one of his team members got grievously injured. Major Sandeep pinned down the terrorists with accurate fire and rescued the injured commando to safety. In the process, he was shot in his right arm. Despite his injuries, he continued to fight the terrorists till his last breath.

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan displayed most conspicuous bravery besides camaraderie and leadership of the highest order and made the supreme sacrifice for the nation.

4073611 HAVILDAR GAJENDER SINGH PARACHUTE REGIMENT / 51 SPECIAL ACTION GROUP (POSTHUMOUS)

In the night of 27^th November 2008, Havildar Gajender Singh was leading his squad in the operation to rescue hostages from the terrorists at Nariman House, Mumbai.

After clearing the top floor of the terrorists, he reached the place where the terrorists had taken position. As he closed in, the terrorists hurled a grenade injuring him. Undeterred, he kept firing and closing in on the terrorists by exposing himself to the hostile fire. In the act, he injured one of the terrorists and forced the others to retreat inside a room. He continued the encounter till he succumbed to his injuries.

Havildar Gajender Singh displayed most conspicuous courage against grave odds and made the supreme sacrifice for the nation in combating the terrorists.

SHRI ASHOK MARUTRAO KAMTE ADDITIONAL COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, MAHARASHTRA (POSTHUMOUS)

On 26^th November 2008, ten heavily armed terrorists launched simultaneous attacks at various places in Mumbai.

Shri Ashok Marutrao Kamte, Addl. Commissioner of Police was part of the police team which rushed to Cama Hospital where the terrorists had moved in. A firefight ensued between the terrorist and the police team. As a result, the terrorists were forced to change their position. The Police team pursued the terrorists but in the process their jeep got ambushed and Shri Kamte was critically injured. He however, continued the fight and played key role in injuring one of the terrorists.

Shri Ashok Marutrao Kamte displayed courage and leadership of the highest order in fighting the terrorists and made the supreme sacrifice for the nation.

SHRI VIJAY SHAHADEV SALASKAR INSPECTOR, ANTI EXTORTION CELL OF CRIME BRANCH, MAHARASHTRA (POSTHUMOUS)

On 26^th November 2008, ten heavily armed terrorists launched simultaneous attacks at various places in Mumbai.

Shri Vijay Shahadev Salaskar, Inspector, Anti Extortion Cell of Crime Branch was part of the police team rushed to Cama Hospital where the terrorists had moved in. A firefight ensued between the terrorist and the police team. As a result, the terrorists were forced to change their position. The Police team pursued the terrorists but in the process their jeep got ambushed and Shri Kamte and Shri Salaskar was critically injured. He however, continued the fight and played key role in injuring one of the terrorists.

Shri Vijay Shahadev Salaskar showed raw grit and unparalleled courage against grave odds and made the supreme sacrifice for the nation.

Delhi on high alert after Noida shootout

Delhi on high alert after Noida shootout

Sunday, 25 January , 2009, 12:15

New Delhi:

The incident took place at 2.15 am in Sector 97 when the suspected terrorists were intercepted while they were travelling in a white Maruti 800 car, Additional Director General of Police (UP ATS) Brij Lal said at a press conference in Lucknow.

“The terrorists opened fire at the ATS team, which fired back at them. The driver of the car lost control and went off the road. Then the police team took cover behind a road divider and fired at them. During the gun battle, ATS officer Vinod Kumar Singh sustained a bullet injury,” Lal said.

The terrorists were injured in the shootout and they were taken to hospital, where they were declared brought dead, he added.

“One of the terrorists, while being taken to hospital identified himself as Farooq, a resident of Okara in Pakistan, and his companion as Abu Ismail from Rawalakot (POK),” Lal said.

The police are trying to find out the local contacts of the terrorists, he added.

“The number plate of the car (UP 14E 9531) was found to be that of a Bajaj Chetak scooter owned by a Ghaziabad resident,” said inspector Anil Samania of Noida Police.

Fake student identity cards were also recovered from them, he said.

The car’s engine and chassis number had been erased, police said.

Police intercepted the men’s car in the suburb of Noida as it approached Delhi at around 0200 local time (0730 GMT).

Officers say they found Pakistani passports with the men, along with AK-47 rifles and five hand grenades.

A high alert was sounded in New Delhi and its neighbouring areas after two suspected Pakistani terrorists were killed in a gun battle with the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror squad (ATS) in the Noida suburb early Sunday.The incident took place at 2.15 am in Noida’s Sector 97 when the suspected terrorists, who were travelling in a white Maruti 800 car, were intercepted. A gun battle ensued. The injured terrorists were taken to hospital where they were declared brought dead, police said.

Two terrorists killed in encounter near Delhi”An alert has been sounded in the wake of the morning’s incident,” Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.Security has been beefed up at sensitive points, including the Metro and railway stations and crowded market places.Additional police personnel have been deployed along with bomb disposal squads at Delhi Metro stations, railway stations and inter-state bus terminals. Extra security cover has been extended to all the religious places in the capital, Bhagat said.

Barricades have been put up at various intersections and sniffer dogs are deployed at railway stations. Metal detectors have also been placed at entry points of many busy markets, he added.

Two AK-47s, five hand grenades, RDX, detonators, Pakistani passports and Rs18,000 in cash were recovered from the suspected terrorists, Additional Director General (Uttar Pradesh ATS) Brij Lal said at a press conference in Lucknow.

BSF foils infiltration bid along IB in Jammu

Two terrorists killed in encounter near Delhi

Fata insurgency challenge of highest order: Obama

Source: Pakistani newspaper

WASHINGTON, Jan 23: An international challenge of the highest order and an urgent threat to global security is how the new US President Barack Obama described the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan in his maiden speech to his diplomatic corps.

Mr Obama was equally forceful while talking about another pivotal issue that has occupied US policy makers for half a century: the Middle East. ‘Let me be clear: America is committed to Israel’s security. And we will always support Israel’s right to defend itself against legitimate threats,’ he said.

‘Now, just as the terror of rocket fire aimed at innocent Israelis is intolerable, so too is a future without hope for the Palestinians,’ he added.

Reacting to his statement, the pro-Israeli neo-con media welcomed Mr Obama’s commitment to Israel but rejected his suggestion for creating a better future for the Palestinians. ‘We need to wipe them out,’ said a neo-con blogger. Some Arab commentators were also disappointed.

‘Mr Obama dispelled any notions of a change in the US Middle East policy,’ As’ad Abu Khalil, a professor of political science at California State University, told a US media outlet. ‘It’s like sprinkling sulphuric acid on the wounds of the children in Gaza.’ But both groups noticed that Mr Obama acted fast, unlike his predecessor George W. Bush who ignored the Arab-Israeli conflict for too long and was not sincere to his own peace plan.

Just two days after talking oath, Mr Obama made telephone calls to Washington’s long-standing allies in the Middle East – Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah of Jordan.

But his Thursday afternoon statement at the State Department makes it clear that he is equally, if not more, focused on South Asia. ‘Another urgent threat to global security is the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan,’ he said.

‘This is the central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism.’

Drawing a parallel between the two issues, Mr Obama observed: ‘There, as in the Middle East, we must understand that we cannot deal with our problem in isolation. There is no answer in Afghanistan that does not confront the al Qaeda and Taliban bases along the border.’ He also acknowledged that the military option alone cannot end this crisis. ‘And there will be no lasting peace unless we expand spheres of opportunity for the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan,’ he said. ‘This is truly an international challenge of the highest order.’ The American people and the international community must understand that the situation in the two countries ‘is perilous and progress will take time,’ he warned.

Mr Obama conceded that violence in Afghanistan was ‘up dramatically.’ In describing the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, Mr Obama did not focus only on the existence of the so-called terrorist safe-havens in Pakistan, indicating that his administration is open also to pointing out the drawbacks of its Afghan allies.

‘A deadly insurgency has taken deep root. The opium trade is far and away the largest in the world. The Afghan government has been unable to deliver basic services,’ he said. Mr Obama then turned to the issue that he also highlighted during his election campaign: militancy in the tribal areas.

‘Al Qaeda and the Taliban strike from bases embedded in rugged tribal terrain along the Pakistani border,’ he said, adding that this does not only threaten Afghanistan but also is a threat to the United States. ‘While we have yet to see another attack on our soil since 9/11, al Qaeda terrorists remain at large and remain plotting,’ he warned. Toning down his election rhetoric, which focused on using the US military might to subdue the militants, in this policy statement Mr Obama spoke instead of setting ‘achievable goals.’ ‘Going forward, we must set clear priorities in pursuit of achievable goals that contribute to our collective security,’ he said.

Mr Obama said that his administration was committed to refocusing attention and resources on Afghanistan and Pakistan and to spending those resources wisely.

‘We will seek stronger partnerships with the governments of the region, sustained cooperation with our Nato allies, deeper engagement with the Afghan and Pakistani people and a comprehensive strategy to combat terror and extremism,’ he declared.

‘The world needs to understand that America will be unyielding in its defence of its security and relentless in its pursuit of those who would carry out terrorism or threaten the United States,’ the new US president warned.

Earlier, President Barack Obama has described his new chief diplomat Hillary Clinton Hillary as “an early gift” to the State Department.

“It is my privilege to come here and to pay tribute to all of you, the talented men and women of the State Department,” Obama told the employees during a visit to underscore “my commitment to the importance of diplomacy in renewing American leadership.”

“I’ve given you an early gift, Hillary Clinton,” he said amid laughter and applause. “You will have a secretary of state who has my full confidence,” he said of his one- time Democratic rival for the nation’s highest office.

The former first lady too, leaving the bitterness of the election campaign behind, reciprocated his sentiments: “We are not only honoured and delighted, but challenged, by the president coming here on the second day.”

opinion: A just war on terror —Rafia Zakaria

Source: Dailytimes

A just war on terror can only be a war that abandons force and invests faith in the idea that if people are no longer bombed in the name of protecting America, they will themselves join the just fight against terror?

On January 2, 2009, his first day in office, Barack Obama ordered the shutting down of Guantanamo Bay within a year. This pivotal move was long expected by his supporters and marked the beginning of what has been touted as the forthcoming theme of Obama’s nascent presidency: regaining America’s moral stature in the world.

By all accounts, shutting down Guantanamo seems to be a calculated symbolic first move, putting a dramatic and visible end to the kind of flippant rejection of the rule of law so closely associated with the Bush-Cheney Administration.

In addition to the Guantanamo order, another executive order forbade the use of torture in the interrogation of terror suspects in an effort to show, in the president’s own words, “that we are able to follow the core standards of conduct not solely when it is easy but also when it is hard.”

However, the closure of Guantanamo and the official cessation of the use of torture, welcome as it is, puts into focus what will be the Obama administration’s most challenging task in the days ahead: redefining the war on terror as a just war. Inherent in this project is reconfiguring not simply the means and rules by which America conducts warfare but also taking a second look at the strategic goals that Obama has not questioned in his campaign.

One notable example of these is the oft-repeated American aim of catching and imprisoning Osama bin Laden, something Obama has continually recounted during his campaign speeches. The issue of bin Laden’s pursuit and the concomitant portrayal of the Afghan war as the “right” and “just” war by Obama raises the question: can an unmanned drone attack on Pakistani territory in pursuit of this goal, and the killing of innocent civilians that routinely accompanies such attacks, be considered a “just” act equally capable of the moral high ground America achieves to recapture?

The answer from the Pakistani side is no, but will Americans be tempted to believe that all sins of the Bush Administration have been instantly absolved with the closure of Guantanamo and the forbidding of torture?

If they do indulge in such moral compartmentalisation where constitutional flouting in America is considered impermissible but killing civilians abroad is not, then little will have changed in the moral calculus of evaluating America. Americans may indeed believe themselves redeemed by eliminating the visible symbol of Guantanamo, but the rest of the world, most prominently the Muslim world towards which Obama has extended a conciliatory hand, will shake its head with the same disgust and disappointment that has marked its relationship with America in the past eight years.

The juxtaposition of the symbol of Guantanamo and the use of military power against civilians illustrates how both are ultimately symbols of imperial overreach that cannot be reconciled with moral leadership. It also brings forth another crucial dynamic of the war on terror: the gaping economic chasm existing between the countries where it is conceptualised and the countries where it is waged.

Take for example the following scenario: if a future terrorist attack on the United States were traced to a small village on the outskirts of London, how would the United States respond? Would a surgical strike that eliminates the village be an option?

The scenario sounds ludicrous since no one would even consider such a route, but the underlying logic it exposes is integral to understanding the moral dimensions of a war that is waged in a certain way when it involves poor countries and another where rich industrialised nations are involved.

Imagine further if such a strike on an English village is permitted and an unmanned drone kills members of a wedding party. It is undoubted, of course, that the world would be up in arms with moral outrage; there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind that this was an unjust act, despite the presence of possible terrorists.

The purpose of drawing attention to such a hypothetical scenario is not to argue for its plausibility or probability but to emphasise how the Obama’s administration’s strategic military goals may clash with their stated moral goals. This often unaddressed aspect of the war on terror has successfully been used by Islamist groups to cast the struggle as one between the world’s haves and its have-nots. A war where powerful nations can gloss over the sovereignty of poor ones and the lives of the cab drivers in Gaza cannot be equivalent to those of the ones in New York City is thus as much a moral quagmire as Guantanamo and the use of torture.

Recasting the war on terror requires re-evaluating the use of any military options against civilian populations. Support for groups like Al Qaeda and the Tehreek-e Taliban in the Muslim world persists because they are unfailingly able to portray themselves as the “little guy”, the weapon-less, ragtag warriors of faith fighting a military behemoth armed with drones and F-16s. The populations where they have taken root are all identify with being the “little guy”, and when a bomb falls on their village, the memory of burned CD shops, destroyed schools and public floggings fades under the deafening onslaught of an enemy that can kill without sending a single soldier.

In other words, the inherent destruction promised by military operations cannot possibly salvage moral standing for a superpower with much blood on its hands.

Undoubtedly, the impending closure of Guantanamo shows that the Obama administration is invested in turning the tide. The precept that insists that the Guantanamo inmates could be held indefinitely, tortured and refused a fair trial is the same doctrine that says civilian populations in areas where Al Qaeda may be hiding are mere collateral damage.

Accepting this fundamental similarity and abandoning both as epithets of the imperial overreach that has so maligned America in the Bush years requires elevating moral leadership not simply as a rhetorical theme but as a priority superseding the nation’s reliance on brute military force. A just war on terror, thus, can only be a war that abandons force and invests faith in the idea that if people are no longer bombed in the name of protecting America, they will themselves join the just fight against terror.

Rafia Zakaria is an attorney living in the United States where she teaches courses on Constitutional Law and Political Philosophy. She can be contacted at rafia.zakaria@gmail.com

analysis: Swat under siege —Abbas Rashid

Source: Dailytimes

Both India and Pakistan do not seem optimally positioned in terms of internal dynamics to deal with the pressing issues they face. The dissensions within will allow the militants to secure even greater space

One indicator of the state of Swat is the fate of its schools. According to one estimate, over the last fortnight, around twenty schools have been burnt down — more than one a day on average. The total number of schools in Swat that have been destroyed has now exceeded 150. Most are girls’ schools. In fact, few schools in the area are actually functioning because of understandable concerns on the part of parents and teachers for the safety of the children.

There are doubts expressed sometimes as to who is responsible for this. Obviously, it is not possible to rule out the involvement of more than one element. But the Taliban have often enough made clear their aversion to girls’ education and the experience of their rule in Afghanistan provides ample testimony as to their determination in this regard.

But what are we doing about the havoc being wreaked in Swat?

Earlier this week members of parliament passed a resolution expressing solidarity with the people of the valley, pledging to “stand up for the protection of their rights in the face of the onslaught by non-state actors”.

We are not quite sure just how this will happen. On Thursday, President Asif Zardari met security chiefs and politicians to discuss the violence in Swat and elsewhere in the northwest, and said the government was following a “three D” policy of dialogue, development and deterrence.

The problem, however, is that dialogue and short-lived peace deals have been tried before, only to have the Taliban return to the area stronger than before. Development interventions are not possible unless preceded by peace and a modicum of stability. And so far, the fairly substantial presence of military and paramilitary forces in the area has somehow not deterred the Taliban from terrorising the people of Swat and FATA, forcing large numbers to leave their homes and flee the area. The majority of the police force is no longer performing its duties and even the security advisor suggested as much when he declared Thursday that the police would have to work at restoring their credibility.

But Swat is now in the grip of a broader Taliban-led insurgency challenging the writ of the state in FATA and increasingly in the settled areas of the NWFP. And a successful counter-insurgency strategy operation cannot be carried out by a demoralised police force. While the military and paramilitary forces have carried out successful operations in the area, there is a general sense that the initiative still rests very much with the Taliban who seem to be running short neither of arms, men or money in what is nothing less than an unrelenting drive to take effective control over large areas of Pakistan and force millions of its citizens to do their bidding.

An ISPR spokesman Wednesday blamed the situation in the area partly on the two months of truce agreed by the new provincial government with the militants, giving them a chance to regroup and tighten their grip. That may be so. Earlier, this was a strategy followed by the military under President Pervez Musharraf as well.

Now, again, the federal government has sought the services of JUIF chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to negotiate with the Taliban. It is unlikely that the latter will agree to anything less than exercising effective control in large parts of the NWFP and imposing their own version of sharia that, among other things, rules out education for women and polio shots for children.

Clearly, a negotiated peace is the best option but it should not be a synonym for the surrender of the writ of the state. In the alternative, force has to be judiciously but effectively used to restore confidence in a terrorised populace. And while the Maulana may be the right person to negotiate with the Taliban, he might need reminding that his party lost in the last elections, held less than an year ago, and the ANP and the PPP won convincingly in the area: it says something about the preferences and aspirations of the people as opposed to those of the militants and terrorists.

Meanwhile, there is a level of uncertainly created by the fallout from the bomb blasts that killed so many innocent people in Mumbai last November. As the threats from India mounted, Pakistan made it clear that it would move troops fighting the insurgency to its eastern border and some were reportedly redeployed.

A major redeployment would obviously provide the Taliban with the opportunity to consolidate their gains and advance further. But, the pressure from India now seems to be receding and with the new US administration headed by Barack Obama, it is likely that there will be an attempt to put a regional initiative in place with regard to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Richard Holbrooke has been reported as Obama’s choice for the position of US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan But an important part of his mandate could be Pakistan-India relations as well. President Obama spoke during his campaign about the need to resolve the Kashmir issue and the recent remarks made by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband are indicative of the thinking in western capitals that a ‘regional’ solution may not be entirely possible without some kind of a settlement on Kashmir.

Pakistan, for its part, has made it clear that it will go along with any settlement acceptable to the Kashmiris, while India remains deeply suspicious of any third party involvement as indicated yet again by its sharp reaction to the Miliband’s remarks. However, India needs to resolve the Kashmir issue not for Pakistan but for itself just as Pakistan has to meet the challenge posed by the Taliban in FATA and the NWFP not in support of the US war on terror, but for its own integrity and survival as a nation-state.

For now, however, both India and Pakistan do not seem optimally positioned in terms of internal dynamics to deal with the pressing issues they face. The dissensions within will allow the militants to secure even greater space. To deal effectively with the growing menace of militancy and terrorism, both countries need to allow for a regional approach to the issue.

Abbas Rashid lives in Lahore and can be contacted at abbasrh@gmail.com