Al-Qaeda is a front organization of CIA and MOSSAD

The Mumbai based group alleged that Al-Qaeda is a front organization of CIA and MOSSAD. “There is enough evidence that the Al-Qaeda is a front organization of the CIA and MOSSAD. The Bush junta has used the bogey of terror and of Al Qaeda to justify his unending and ever expanding Global War on Terror, which is only a means of capturing the resources of the world and of establishing the sole hegemony of Israel in West Asia,” said the group of activists and intellectuals. The group is holding a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday to “expose the links between Al-Qaeda and the CIA-MOSSAD”.

Holding American-Israeli operation accomplices of the 9/11 attack on the WTC, the spokesman of the group said that this has been widely written about in USA and Europe itself and more than 50% of the American people and far more Europeans, now believe and are convinced about this fact. He said that sections of the Indian ruling political and military elite are importing the same Bush-Olmert formula into India. “The increasing terror attacks only serve the cause of the Indian elite and divide the masses along communal lines. It is only the ordinary Indians who are the victims of terror either in temples, mosques, buses or trains,” he said adding that practically no political leader suffers a similar fate, where the terrorists are apprehended and killed in “encounters”.

“Every terror attack is meant to push and drag the Indian masses further into the waiting arms of Uncle Sam and the Israeli Goliath. Every terror attack spreads further hatred for Muslims and Islam and weakens the Indian Muslim community,” he said.

Hatred Rising: Drones and Democracy

By KATHY KELLY and JOSH BROLLIER

On May 12th, the day after a U.S. drone strike killed 24 people in Pakistan’s North Waziristan, two men from the area agreed to tell us their perspective as eyewitnesses of previous drone strikes.

One is a journalist, Safdar Dawar, General Secretary of the Tribal Union of Journalists. Journalists are operating under very difficult circumstances in the area, pressured by both militant groups and the Pakistani government. Six of his colleagues have been killed while reporting in North and South Waziristan. The other man, who asked us not to disclose his name, is from Miranshah city, the epicenter of North Waziristan. He works with the locally based Waziristan Relief Agency, a group of people committed to helping the victims of drone attacks and military actions. “If people need blood or medicine or have to go to Peshawar or some other hospital,” said the social worker, “I’m known for helping them. I also try to arrange funds and contributions.”

Both men emphasized that Pakistan’s government has only a trivial presence in the area. Survivors of drone attacks receive no compensation, and neither the military nor the government investigate consequences of the drone attacks.

Mr. Dawar, the journalist, added that when he phoned the local political representative regarding the May 12th drone attack, the man couldn’t tell him anything. “If you get any new information,” said the political representative, “please let me know.”

In U.S. newspapers, reports on drone attacks often amount to about a dozen words, naming the place and an estimated number of militants killed. The journalist and social worker from North Waziristan asked us why people in the U.S. don’t ask to know more.

It’s hard to slow down and look at horrifying realities. Jane Mayer, writing for The New Yorker, (“The Predator War,” October 26, 2009), quoted a former C.I.A. official’s description of a drone attack:

“People who have seen an air strike live on a monitor described it as both awe-inspiring and horrifying. ‘You could see these little figures scurrying, and the explosion going off, and when the smoke cleared there was just rubble and charred stuff,’ a former C.I.A. officer who was based in Afghanistan after September 11th says of one attack.”

“Human beings running for cover are such a common sight,” Jane Mayer continues, “that they have inspired a slang term: ‘squirters.’”

Just rubble and charred stuff…

The social worker recalled arriving at a home that was hit, in Miranshah, at about 9:00 p.m., close to one year ago. The house was beside a matchbox factory, near the degree college. The drone strike had killed three people. Their bodies, carbonized, were fully burned. They could only be identified by their legs and hands. One body was still on fire when he reached there. Then he learned that the charred and mutilated corpses were relatives of his who lived in his village, two men and a boy aged seven or eight. They couldn’t pick up the charred parts in one piece. Finding scraps of plastic they transported the body parts away from the site. Three to four others joined in to help cover the bodies in plastic and carry them to the morgue.

But these volunteers and nearby onlookers were attacked by another drone strike, 15 minutes after the initial one. 6 more people died.One of them was the brother of the man killed in the initial strike.

The social worker says that people are now afraid to help when a drone strike occurs because they fear a similar fate from a second attack. People will wait several hours after an attack just to be sure. Meanwhile, some lives will be lost that possibly could have been saved.

The social worker also told us that pressure from the explosion, when a drone-fired missile or bomb hits, can send bystanders flying through the air. Some are injured when their bodies hit walls or stone, causing fractures and brain injuries.

The social worker described four more cases in which he had been involved with immediate relief work, following a drone attack. He didn’t supply us with exact dates, and we weren’t able to find news articles on the internet which exactly matched his accounts. Riaz Khan, an AP reporter covering a drone strike on May 15th, noted differences in details reported by witnesses and official sources. “Such discrepancies are common and are rarely reconciled,” according to Khan (May 15th , “Officials: US missiles kill 5 in NW Pakistan”)

Exasperated by the neglect and indifference people in Waziristan face, especially those who say they have nowhere to hide, the journalist and social worker began firing questions at us.

“If the US had good intelligence and they hit their targets with the first strike,” Safdar asks, “why would the second one be necessary? If you already hit the supposed militant target, then why fire again?”

“Who has given the license to kill and in what court? Who has declared that they can hit anyone they like?”

“How many ‘high level targets’ could there possibly be?”

“What kind of democracy is America,” Safdar asks, “where people do not ask these questions?”

Reliance on robotic warfare has escalated, from the Bush to the Obama administrations, with very little significant public debate. More than ever before, it is true that the U.S. doesn’t want our bodies to be part of warfare; there’s also not much interest in our consent. All that is required is our money.

But, you get what you pay for in the U.S.A. The social worker and the journalist assured us that all of the survivors feel hatred toward the United States. “It is a real problem,” said Safdar, “this rising hatred.”

Kathy Kelly (kathy@vcnv.org) and Josh Brollier (Joshua@vcnv.org) are co-coordinators of Voices for Creative Nonviolence

Pakistani Taliban ready for Osama’s plan

By Syed Saleem Shahzad

ISLAMABAD - After a successful series of meetings in Washington last week, the United States and Pakistan have deepened their strategic relationship aimed at broad-based military cooperation for an American victory in Afghanistan. A dialogue process has also been set up with a handpicked team of the Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA), the second-largest force in the Pashtun-dominated south of Afghanistan after the Taliban.

United States President Barack Obama flew to Afghanistan at the weekend in a surprise visit to impress on President Hamid Karzai that effective political policy is needed to reinforce the military campaign against the Taliban-led insurgency this summer.

332 terror hits claimed 5,704 lives since 9/11

By Sabir Shah

LAHORE: The extent to which Pakistan has borne the brunt of the US-led War against Terror can be gauged from the fact that during the last 102 months since the 9/11 episode, the country has averagely been rocked by terrorists every 10th day during this period, which has witnessed 332 terrorism-related incidents inflicting 5,704 deaths till date.

While 58 terrorism-related incidents have jolted Peshawar (Charsadda and Darra Adamkhel included) since September 11, 2001, the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have been hit 46 times by terrorists in these last eight and a half years.

A research conducted by The News, using statistics and chronology recorded by the US Department of State, archives of Pakistani newspapers and websites carrying

information about global terrorism, has revealed that while the port city of Karachi has been struck 37 times by terrorists during this period under review, Lahore has confronted such happenings on 21 occasions, the same number as the Swat valley.

While Quetta has so far seen blood pouring down its drains 18 times, Dera Ismail Khan has been attacked 16 times by the terrorists during this still ongoing war. The Pakistan Army personnel and installations of country’s armed forces, outside the war zones of Swat, South and North Waziristan etc, have been targeted at least 22 times during this time period under review.

Meanwhile, not fewer than 105 terrorism incidents have taken place since in the war-ridden Bajaur Agency, Kurram Agency, Orakzai Agency, Lower and Upper Dir, Mohmand Agency, South Waziristan and North Waziristan agencies etc.

The NWFP cities mainly hit include Hangu, Kohat, Shangla, Buner, Bannu, Mansehra, Buner, Haripur, Nowshehra, Lakki Marwat and Parachanar etc. Terror has also whacked the calm of Dera Bugti four times.

The residents of Bahawalpur, Sialkot, Hub, Sargodha and Faisalabad found themselves strapped in the grip of fear on two occasions each.

Horror also haunted Multan, Mian Channu, Taxilla, Pishin, Panjgur, Gujranwala, Wah, Dera Ghazi Khan, Kalat, Kamra, Bhakkar, Chakwal, Mianwali, Hassan Abdal and Muzaffarabad etc, at least once each.

During this fright-studded period, high-ranking al-Qaeda officials like Abu Zubaida and Ramzi Binalshibh were arrested by Pakistani officials on March 23, 2002, and September 14, 2002, respectively.

Similarly, on March 1, 2003, Wall Street Journal newsman Daniel Pearl’s killer Khalid Shaikh Muhammed was arrested during CIA-led raids on a suburb of Rawalpindi.

At the time of his capture, Khalid was the third highest ranking official in al-Qaeda and was believed to have supervised the planning for the September 11 attacks on the US.

Khalid Sheikh Muhammed was also linked the USS Cole bombing, an attempt to blow up a civilian airliner with a shoe bomb and the terrorist attack at a synagogue in Tunisia.

Claiming that it has lost around $35 billion since joining the still-continuing War on Terror, Pakistan witnessed only two terror-related incidents in 2001, 14 in 2002, just 8 in 2003, 18 in 2004, 11 in 2005, 16 in 2006, 56 in 2007, 72 in 2008, 130 in 2009 and 29 in the first two-and-a-half months of 2010 till the fling of this report.

The year 2009 of course remained the bloodiest of all with 130 incidents claiming around 1,800 lives, followed by 2008 which saw 1,565 people falling prey to 72 such attacks.

Terror in Pakistan claimed the lives of eminent personalities like the two-time Premier Benazir Bhutto (December 27, 2007), banned Anjuman-e-Sipah-e-Sihaba chief Maulana Azam Tariq (October 6, 2003), former Interior Minister Lt Gen (R) Moinuddin Haider’s elder brother Ehteshamuddin Haider (December 21, 2000), noted religious scholar Ghulam Murtaza Malik (May 7, 2002), eminent Deobandi scholar and head of Islamic religious school Jamia Binoria, Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai (May 30, 2004), leading Shia scholar and Chief of Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan, Allama Hassan Turabi (July 14, 2006), Chief of Peshawar City Police Malik Saad (January 27, 2007), former Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam MNA and Wafaqul Madaris Vice Chairman Maulana Hassan Jan (September 15, 2007), Pakistan Army’s top medic Lt Gen Mushtaq Baig (February 25, 2008), former head of Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group Maj Gen (R) Ameer Faisal Alvi (November 19, 2008), Awami National Party Provincial law-maker Alam Zeb Khan (February 11, 2009), leading Sunni Barelwi cleric Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi (June 12, 2009), Punjab-born Balochistan Education Minister Shafiq Ahmed Khan (October 25, 2009), Balochistan’s Deputy Inspector General Nizam Shahid Durrani (November 19, 2009), ANP politician Shamsher Ali Khan (December 1, 2009), former NWFP Education Minister Ghani-ur-Rehman (January 3, 2010), Peshawar’s District Police Officer Iqbal Marwat (February 12, 2010) and Jamaat Ahl-e-Sunnat’s key leaders Mufti Saeed Jalalpuri (March 11, 2010) and Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Nadeem (March 14, 2010).

During this particular period, former President Pervez Musharraf survived three life attempts.

While Musharraf saw death close to him twice in December 2003, he also managed to survive the July 6, 2006, attack aimed at his life.

Then Corps Commander Karachi Lt Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat also narrowly escaped on June 10, 2004, when gunmen opened fire at his convoy in Karachi.

On July 30, 2004, there was an unsuccessful assassination attempt on the Prime Minister-elect Shaukat Aziz, while he was campaigning for a by-election in Attock District.

On August 2, 2004, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Mohammad Yousaf also managed to deceive death.

On April 28, 2006, the then Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, survived an assassination bid at Charsadda.

On July 17, 2007, another suicide bomber blew himself up outside the venue of the district bar council convention in Islamabad, just be-fore the arrival of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto also escaped unhurt on October 18, 2007, when her convoy was attacked in Karachi upon her return from a long exile, but could not ride her luck the second time she was fatally targeted on December 27, 2007.

On October 30, 2007, a suicide bomber struck a police checkpoint in the high security zone of Rawalpindi, less than a kilometre from President Musharraf’s Camp Office.

The blast also splattered the checkpost outside the residence of then Chief of the General Staff General Tariq Majid.

On November 9, 2007, a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the house of the then Federal Political Affairs Minister Amir Muqam in Peshawar. The minister escaped unhurt though.

On December 21, 2007, a suicide bomber again unsuccessfully targeted former Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao.

On June 9, 2008, controversial Swat cleric and chief of Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat Muhammadi Maulana Sufi Muhammad survived a remote-controlled bomb.

On October 2, 2008, a suicide attacker targeted the Charsadda house of ANP leader Asfandyar Wali Khan, who survived the attack.

On October 6, 2008, a suicide attacker targeted a gathering at PML-N legislator Rashid Akbar Nawani’s house in Bhakkar. Nawani luckily survived the attack.

On November 11, 2008, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a packed Qayyum Stadium in Peshawar, minutes after the NWFP Governor Owais Ghani had left the venue and just moments prior to the departure of Senior Provincial Minister Bashir Bilour.

On March 3, 2009, a convoy carrying Sri Lankan cricketers and officials in two buses was fired upon near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Six members of the Sri Lankan cricket team were injured.

On March 11, 2009, senior minister of the NWFP Bashir Bilour survived yet another assassination attempt in Peshawar.

On June 11, 2009, the NWFP Prisons Minister, Mian Nisar Gul Kakakhel, was

seriously injured when his convoy was ambushed by suspected militants in Darra Adam Khel.

On September 2, 2009, sitting Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi was injured in a brazen attack in Islamabad.

On February 9, 2010, renowned politician Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was attacked by militants in Rawalpindi, though Sheikh Rashid managed to live on by ducking the bullets.

Public Intelligence Network (PIN) is what we need!

By Ahsan Waheed

Pakistan, Lahore: Last Friday, 12th March 2010 was an extremely tragic day for the people of Lahore. Over 80 people lost their lives in twin suicide blasts in the heart of military cantonment. Though the attack was on the Garrison Security Force (GSF, Army) patrol convoy, but the civilian death toll far exceeded the military casualties. Many children coming back from schools, some young boys who used to sell balloons on the roadside, women buying groceries and men working in shops and workshops were killed.

As usual, TTP (Tahrik-e-Taliban Pakistan) have claimed responsibility for these blasts. Later same day a series of small explosions were witnessed in a residential colony of Lahore. The explosions were carefully executed to ensure that the law enforcement agencies remained on the wild goose chase. Pakistani news media covered the entire episode of these multiple low intensity blasts live on television. The whole nation (and rest of the world) saw how Pakistani security agencies ran in circles as one explosion led to another. Media wasted no time in stating that the terrorists were making a joke out of Pakistan’s intelligence and security agencies.

In the next forty eight hours or so, our intelligence agencies uncovered something that was amazing and mind boggling and at the same time spine chilling. 1500 kg of bomb making explosives + suicide jackets + hand grenades + light machine guns were recovered from Lahore’s residential area market and then next day another 3000 kg of bomb making explosives + more suicide jackets + more hand grenades + more weapons were recovered again from Lahore. That makes it 4500 kg of explosives from a single city plus all the other deadly terrorist weapons. How can such a huge cache of explosives and weapons enter a city full of check posts and high alert security agencies personnel? It must also be noted that only few days before 12^th March attacks in Lahore, FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) office was also completely destroyed and scores of its staff members were killed in a suicide attack. The cache of arms and explosives which was recovered was on tipoff from a local resident. This means that had not the civilian noticed something fishy going on in one of the shops in his area, intelligence agencies might not have been able to detect these deadly explosives, which could have resulted in loss of hundreds of more innocent lives.

So how do intelligence agencies work? Usually they assess the situation, follow a pattern and trends and come up with possible scenario. Their moles provide inside information from various sources and undercover agents infiltrate the enemy locations. Even USA was unable to predict and avoid the 9/11 WTC tragedy. But immediately after the 9/11 attack, all US secret service agencies came up with all sorts of clear proofs, evidences and information that such an attack was bound to happen. All this information that had been circulating in the intelligence and national security agencies circle was useless because they had failed to avert this huge tragedy. Indian intelligence agencies also claimed after the Mumbai attack that they had knowledge of the attack long before the Mumbai tragedy actually happened. Yet all the evidence and warnings were presented only when it was too late. My personal belief is that intelligence agencies use this “after attack evidence” as a face saving tactic. Just to let the tax payers know that the intelligence agencies were not just sitting on their soft asses while the terrorists were plotting to blow up your neighborhood!

Of course I am not saying that intelligence agencies are useless, they do make the job of terrorists more difficult. Their harsh interrogation mechanism can do bear fruit and many new leads are obtained which help avert future attacks. Their moles do provide information which helps in beefing up security on time. In fact without intelligence agencies support it would be almost impossible to counter terrorism. When a suicide bomber decides to blow up a target, no on location security can prevent him from blowing himself up. But with intelligence information pre-emptive measures can be taken to stop the suicide bomber by catching him and ceasing the explosives that may have been used. There are many examples of how intelligence agencies have been able to identify, locate and capture terrorists before they could strike. Such arrests lead to many new leads and further arrests.

Coming back to Lahore, the 4500 kg explosives plus all the other stuff in a way can be considered huge victory for the intelligence agencies if we include and make public support a part of national intelligence network. This was an excellent example of how ordinary citizens can become a vital part of anti-terrorism force. Government should not only encourage public support but the intelligence agencies must conduct training programs and workshops for the civilians to better monitor and secure their neighborhoods. If such programs are conducted on regular basis, then the intelligence agencies will automatically become manifolds more powerful and acts of terrorism can be brought down significantly. Such confiscation of explosives will be a huge blow to the already badly beaten Taliban. Their losses in the Waziristan area are already increasing everyday as the Pakistan Army is battling them out, out of their holes killing them as mercilessly as these terrorists kill the innocent civilians. These terrorist attacks are actually their cowardly way of trying to force the Government of Pakistan to halt military operations against the “Taliban”. But this time Talibans know that their end is not only inevitable but extremely close.

Increase in terrorist activity in Lahore is also an indicator of Taliban activity in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Especially the southern Punjab, which has been neglected by the past governments. The poverty and illiteracy level is very high in these areas. Most of the people in the southern Punjab are dominated by feudal lords. This makes these people the ideal future recruits for terrorist networks like Taliban, LeT and Al Qaida (Al Qaeda). By improving the life of people in such areas government can avoid future catastrophe. Feudal lords must be forced to help the people in their villages and towns, schools with modern education must be introduced, religious organizations operating in these areas must be monitored and kept under check. In addition movement of people from other areas should also be observed strictly. This may not suit the life style of the feudal lords as they might lose their grip and control over the people but for national interest we have to educate our people and provide them with opportunities to improve their quality of life.

In order to make anti-terrorist forces more affective field staff of intelligence agencies has to be increased and its interaction with the common people must be intense. Pakistan has witnessed way too many terrorist attacks in the last few years. While such cowardly acts bring great sorrow, it also makes the nation stronger and more resilient. Today, almost all Pakistanis have been affected by this wave of terrorism in one way or another and all Pakistanis are determined to fight it till all terrorist elements are eliminated. In the end it’s not the Pakistan Army or intelligence agencies that are going to eradicate the curse of terrorism but it will have to be common people of Pakistan. It will have to be a unified national effort. One lapse in security should not be consider a defeat for the security and intelligence agencies but should be considered a lesson for the future. It will have to be you, me and all of us who are the public of Pakistan who have to join hands and form a Public Intelligence Network (PIN) which will work with the government intelligence agencies to counter terrorism. Being a Pakistani you automatically become a part of PIN and if you will not report any information that you may have about a suspicious / terrorist activity, then you are as bad as the terrorists.

A fatal attraction

A. Siddique

The February 26 attack by a suicide team on a guest room and hotel complex, frequented by Indian officials and workers in the fashionable quarters of Kabul has brought into full glare the dilemmas confronted by the Indian strategic planners overseeing the Afghanistan operations. The issues at stake are the raising of the Indian military profile in Afghanistan and rationalising the political cost for civilian and military casualties that are inevitable to rise as the strategy is proceeded with in earnest. Opportunities beckon; the US is set on a deadline of rolling back its military deployment within five years starting from 2011 and its allies would be dashing for the exit door in an even shorter timeframe. Filling the military vacuum by sending in forces fulfils the ultimate Indian desire of landing a pincer on Pakistan’s western flank but the costs, such an investment could incur, could be staggering.

A measure of the pain that may be confronted was starkly laid out by the Indian military casualties sustained during the latest Kabul attack. Among the total 17 deaths Indian share stood at six; a toll that included two Indian officers of the major rank, an Indo-Tibetan Border Police constable and an embassy staffer from Kandahar Consulate, who, despite attempts to conceal his identity was in all probability a senior RAW operator. That is not all!

In addition to the four casualties inflicted upon the Indian military establishment in Afghanistan, there were six injured military men of unspecified rank that were carried home by the IAF’s Boeing 737-200 aircraft, expeditiously dispatched in the wake of attack. There are no details in the media regarding the identity of these injured army persons or the tasks they were performing in the risk-laden environs of Kabul, but it is manifest that the threat to Indian military-intelligence presence in Afghanistan is escalating. The latest attack was third in a series of bombings targeting the Indian presence in Kabul. In July 2008, a suicide bomber rammed a car full of explosive into the entrance to the Indian Embassy killing more than 50 people including the Defence Attaché. In October 2009, a suicide bomber blew himself up near the Indian Embassy extracting a toll of 17.

The perception that the threat to the security of Indian presence in Afghanistan is mounting, is not lost on the planners in the South Block. The hard reality of a strategic failure in Afghanistan, after an investment of almost a decade following the 9/11, is beginning to stare India in the face.

The terrorism card, so successfully played by India in defining the terms of negotiations with Pakistan has failed to stick in Afghanistan. Credibility of the Indian vision of a politico-military balance in Afghanistan has come to be frequently questioned by the US military commanders. There is a growing awareness that dependence on India has been a major reason for landing the US in the quagmire of Afghanistan by clouding its judgment with faulty premises and engineered intelligence. The US commanding general in Afghanistan has obliquely pointed out to the folly of following the Indian urgings. In his assessment of the situation submitted to President Barack Obama in August 2009, General Stanley McChrystal warned that India’s growing influence in the country could “exacerbate regional tensions” and encourage “counter measures” by Pakistan.

Afghanistan has become a test case for India in its attempts at power projection in the region. To circumvent the geographical barriers imposed by the Pakistani landmass, India has invested heavily in building the 218km Zaranj-Delaram Highway to link Southern Afghanistan with the Iranian port city of Chah Bahar. This enables India to bypass Pakistan and transport goods and equipment from Iran to Kabul and across Afghanistan. By committing $1.2 billion towards building infrastructure, India has become a major donor in a war ravaged Afghanistan. There are around 5,000 Indian personnel who have arrived in Afghanistan to engage in the reconstruction effort. Following up the Indian significant presence and taking advantage of the excuse provided by their security concerns, India has inducted around a battalion of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel in Afghanistan. Moreover, to test waters for enhancing the military profile, India has started sending military doctors and education instructors in Afghanistan. The two Indian Army majors killed in the latest Kabul blasts belonged to these two categories.

Despite setbacks, the ambition of placing boots on ground has not lost traction with the hawkish strategic quarters in India. Former Indian Army Chief, General Shankar Roy Chaudhry, has described the military involvement in Afghanistan as “a war of necessity.” General Deepak Kapoor, too, has argued that that the Indian military presence in Afghanistan could give it some strategic depth against Pakistan; saying the Indian military presence in Afghanistan could be used to squeeze Pakistan. C Raja Mohan, a prominent Indian analyst, has expressed similar thoughts. “Why is India’s contribution to Afghan security so low? If countries so far from Afghanistan – like Canada and Australia – have deployed troops there, what is holding back Delhi, such an important neighbour and economic partner of Kabul?” he argues. Sushant K Singh, editor of a strategic affairs journal Pragati, recently wrote: “An Indian military involvement in Afghanistan will shift the battle ground away from Kashmir and the Indian mainland” recommending that the Indian military should operate independently in Afghanistan.

But much lies betwixt the cup and the lip. The envisioned Indian strategy to curtail the Pakistani influence in Afghanistan, envelop it (Pakistan) from the west and find ingress into the energy rich Central Asian Republics lies in tatters. Indian perspective and the intelligence upon which the US has relied so much stands discredited and discarded. It has taken eight long years for the US to know the ropes and finally acknowledge that Indian presence and ambitions, particularly those dreaming of a military presence in Afghanistan are a recipe for grand chaos and disaster.

The Indian developmental work in Afghanistan stands out as a masquerade to screen her naked ambition for dominance in Afghanistan which is unacceptable to the Pashtun majority. Indian presence, seeking to alter the flow of history and tradition, is bound to result into a backlash. In case the Indian administration dares to land a military contingent into Afghanistan, its disastrous foray into Sri Lanka with Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in 1987 shall certainly appear to be much milder in comparison.

The writer is a freelance columnist.

Tahir ul Quadri: The cleric who dares terrorism

ByMohammed Al Shafey

London, Asharq Al-Awsat-Dr. Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri is the Pakistani Islamic scholar who recently made headlines with the publication of his 600-page fatwa prohibiting suicide bombing. Ul-Qadri is one of Pakistan’s most prominent clerics, and he believes that his fatwa represents a complete theological rebuttal of every argument used by Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. In his fatwa, Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri asserts that terrorists do not go to heaven but instead are bound for hell, and he utilizes Quranic references, hadith, and scholarly interpretations to reinforce his opinion. Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri told Asharq Al-Awsat that he hopes his fatwa will have an affect on the ground and prevent Muslim youth from becoming brainwashed by terrorist ideology.

Ul-Qadri is the founder of the Minhaj-ul-Qur’an International [MQI] which has branches in more than 90 countries around the world and which works to promote peace and harmony between communities. Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri is also the founder of the Minhaj Welfare Foundation and the Minhaj International University. Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri has published a vast number of Islamic scholarly texts, and he is well known for being a promoter of inter-faith dialogue and a strong critic of Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden.

The following is the text of the interview:

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Have you previously issued any fatwas against terrorism?

[Tahir ul-Qadri] I have written 1000 books, 400 books have already been published about one dozen of those books I have written on this particular subject. The first book that I wrote was on this subject and that was in 1995 and it was from the standpoint of human rights. In the first question in the discussion [section] of this book which was published in February 1995, I wrote that the killing of Muslims and non-Muslims in terrorist operations is totally prohibited, and then I quoted about 200 pages on this particular subject. This was in 1995, and soon after 9-11 I wrote this book on human rights; it is called Muqaddima as-Sira and is on the pattern of Muqaddima Ibn Khaldun and I included all of these discussions in this book which is made up of two volumes. I then wrote my second book which was published in 2004 and called Human Rights in Islam. Two thirds of this book is on this particular subject, but it was not in the form of fatwa it was just a research book about human rights and non-Muslims rights and property rights [in Islam].

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Is there a particular reason behind the timing of your issuance of this fatwa prohibiting suicide operations?

[Tahir ul-Qadri] The reason that I issued a fatwa at this particular time is because terrorism has become stronger in Pakistan over the past year, and they have begun slaughtering people like sacrificial animals. Some eye-witnesses have even said that they have unearthed the bodies of people that were killed and hung from trees for days…this was done in Sawat [in Pakistan] where many people were slaughtered. They then started targeting mosques on Friday, and this happened in Karachi, not to mention the Army Mosque in Islamabad, and also [mosques in] Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Kohat, and many other places.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] What do you think about the call for dialogue with the Taliban in order to calm the situation and restore security and stability to the country?

[Tahir ul-Qadri] When such [terrorist] activities began targeting the people praying, first many ulema and scholars and some political leaders went for a dialogue with them [the terrorists] in Sawat…the Pakistani government went for dialogue, but the process stalled, because they [the terrorists] did not act on the basis that they were in a condition of dialogue. Therefore they returned to attacking mosques and schools, and everything was closed, and the same killing resumed.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Why are religious scholars in Pakistan hesitant about condemning terrorism or terrorist groups?

[Tahir ul-Qadri] I saw many scholars silent on this subject, and they were merely demanding that this military operation be stopped. They were not ready to condemn the terrorists for their terrorist activity. Secondly, if they were asked why they refused to condemn the terrorists, they would try to drag the subject to other issues; they were not interested in addressing this.

Some ulema condemned the acts of terrorists, but these were merely condemnations, they were decisions of one of two pages along with the signatures of hundreds of ulema, but they did not contain any evidence or [citation of] authorities on which grounds this condemnation should be based. There no Quranic or hadith references to convince the brainwashed youth.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are the political scholars in Pakistan afraid of violence from Al Qaeda or the Taliban? Could this be a factor in their reluctance to issue condemnations?

[Tahir ul-Qadri] One reason is that many of the scholars are perhaps scared that if anybody declares any decree of fatwa, he is murdered. Over the last twenty years perhaps more than sixty ulema have been murdered either as a result of sectarian terrorism or during the present wave of terrorism. Hassan Ilahi al-Zahir was murdered, and until today nobody knows who was responsible for this. Recently, Dr. Sur-Firas al-Naeimi gave a very small verbal condemnation of terrorism, and he was murdered by a suicide bomber at his madrassa.

Therefore one reason is that they are scared, because there is no protection in Pakistan for anybody. Second is the political reason, because all of these terrorists originate from the North West Frontier Province [NWFP]; from Sawat, from Peshawar, from Waziristan, and most of the ulema have political constituencies in that region. Therefore they find themselves needing to win the votes of the residents of this area…so they have vested political interests. Therefore if they issue a verdict [against terrorism] they issue it with ifs and buts, or with conditions and excuses, and this confuses the youth. Therefore I thought that there should be a fatwa without any conditions and excuses, but with absolute condemnation.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] How would you describe the Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders and their ideologues that push the youth to commit suicide operations?

[Tahir ul-Qadri] These are the ones who brainwash the youth, until they carry out suicide bombings believing that this is jihad. They are the Kharijites of today, according to the hadith the Kharijites “are the dogs of hellfire” because they diverge from the true path and bring division amongst the Muslim community. They believe that this is a kind of jihad and that they will go to heaven, but they will not go to heaven.

These young suicide bombers have been brainwashed, they believe they will become heroes of the ummah, but this is not true at all, they will become heroes of hell, and they will be commemorated there. They are not going to heaven, they are going to hellfire.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] What about countries like Iraq and Afghanistan? Does this fatwa apply to suicide attacks in these countries?

[Tahir ul-Qadri] This is different. When there is warfare in any country, and you are fighting in a battlefield where everybody is killing one another, then everything is permissible during warfare. However even during warfare there are hadith narrated in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim that confirm that during warfare you cannot kill women, children, or old people; this is haram. You [also] cannot kill their priests, their animals, burn their trees, destroy their property, or kill their farmers; this is the Hadith of the holy prophet [pbuh] prior to the battle of Tabouk. The Quranic verse is also clear, and states “Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors. [Surat Al-Baqara; Verse 190]“

This is the Sunnah of our Holy Prophet that is for all mankind. Islam is a great religion, but look at the unfortunate situation that we find ourselves in, people are losing their lives in the mosques and on the streets, they are being killed sleeping in their houses, they are being killed in the markets; the women, the aged, the children, so there is no justification [for this]. These terrorists of Al Qaeda and the Taliban are tarnishing the image of Islam with their indiscriminate killing of innocent people in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iraq, New York, London, and Madrid.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Were you in contact with any scholars and sheikhs in the Arab region before issuing your fatwa?

[Tahir ul-Qadri] I am in contact with them almost continually, along with my students, thank God, in all areas of the Arab world.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Every day we are seeing suicide operations being carried out against the Americans, so how can anybody justify this?

[Tahir ul-Qadri] Whenever a suicide bomber carries out an operation that results in the death of innocent people then this is prohibited and totally haram. Islamic teachings say that it is better to leave 99 sinful people than kill one innocent person, and as the Holy Quran says “whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind [Surat al-Maeda; Verse 32].” This verse reveals two things, killing of a person is a sin, it is haram, and considering this killing lawful, this is blasphemy.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups brainwash the youth saying that if they undertake suicide operations they will go to heaven where they will have 72 virgins, is this true?

[Tahir ul-Qadri] Absolutely not! Absolutely not! This is rubbish!

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Where are they going then?

[Tahir ul-Qadri] They are going to hell. They are going to hell, because they are killing human beings, they are killing women, children, old people. They kill the innocent, non-combatants, and so they are going to hell. The prophet peace be upon him said that “whoever kills a person who has a truce with the Muslims will never smell the fragrance of Paradise” while in another hadith the Prophet confirmed they would go to hell.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you believe your fatwa will have an effect in Pakistan, on the Taliban?

[Tahir ul-Qadri] Let me create a distinction. There are three kinds of people that you can consider to be on the extremist terrorist side. Firstly there are the extremist leaders. The second category are those who are 100 percent brainwashed; they have no ability to understand, they are not open to reason, or they are in a situation where no book can reach them. I would exclude these two categories of people. Next are the thousands of youth who have not yet reached this point, but who are already proceeding along this path, and they have the potential to become extremists and terrorists. These youths number in the thousands, they are much larger in number [than the previous two categories] and they will definitely be affected by this fatwa, because it is aimed at them. They will hear about it through the media, and they may also be aware of my name.

The majority of these youth belong to different countries, and they aware that I never talk without authority. I never say a single thing without the authority of the Quran, the Sunnah, or the authority of the great imams. So they will be obliged to read it. We are going to prepare DVDs and online video recordings [of this fatwa], and they will read the Quranic verses and the tafsir [Quranic interpretation] and the hadith and the great authorities, and they will definitely have to change their minds. They will discover that what they were taught is a different story, and this [fatwa] is an absolutely different teaching. This will create doubt in their mind and they will be obliged to read this again and again and I hope – God willing – that Almighty God will grant them wisdom.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] How effectively do you believe a fatwa can influence the situation on the ground?

[Tahir ul-Qadri] It can influence the potential extremists and terrorists. They will be influenced by the fatwa when they read or listen to it, because they are Muslims, and there is a room to understand what the Quran, or the words of the great imams like Sheikh Ibn Baz or al-Albani or Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Tammiyah. However they were tricked into listening to al-Zawahiri and Bin Laden and the Kharijites of today, and it is the role of imams and scholars to reveal the “deviant ideologies.” They have only been listening to one side of the story, and I am sure they were never taught that killing innocents leads to hell. When they come across the dozens of hadiths [to this effect] they will be shocked; so this is how we will change their minds.

They are confused whether their acts of terrorism and killing people is right or wrong, they are stuck in the middle path, so when they read [this fatwa] the concept of terrorism will become clear to them and they will be able to differentiate between the right way and wrong way of defending their rights.

Islam suggests peaceful means of protest, and regime change. I think the more [such fatwas] are available to the people, the more it will be able to gradually change the situation on the ground.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] How would you describe the terrorist ideologues and leaders?

[Tahir ul-Qadri] I will describe them categorically, and according to Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Tammiyah, who said that they were the “Kharijites of today.” The Holy Prophet said that they will continue to emerge in my ummah throughout history, their presence is continuous, and the last of them will emerge with the Masih ad-Dajjal [false Messiah]. They are not going to heaven, they are going to hellfire.

Role of Tehrik-e-Taliban-Pakistan and Afghan Taliban

Brig. Asif Haroon Raja (Retd)

After 9/11, when Gen Musharraf was telephonically coerced by Washington, he quickly gave in to American seven demands. He agreed to side with untrustworthy USA which had a track record of leaving Pakistan high and dry in testing times, and to ditch Taliban regime which was anti-India and pro-Pakistan and had assured Pakistan of safe western border. He took a u turn at a critical time when both were badly in need of Pakistan support.

Musharraf took hasty decisions to change Afghan policy and to fight US war on terror in accordance with the wishes of Washington without taking into account its long term implications. His unwise decision to push the Army into South Waziristan antagonized the tribesmen compelling the defenders of our western border to turn their guns towards Pak Army, seen by them as a mercenary army of USA. It paved the way for our strategic assets in FATA becoming assets for our adversaries. Pakistan continues to suffer the blowback to this day.

Logically and morally, the US should have been highly obliged and indebted to Pakistan’s crucial support and should have gone out of the way to reward Pakistan handsomely for taking such a difficult decision which had grave ramifications for its security. Pakistan suffered grievous losses on social, political, economic and military planes while fighting futile war on terror. In terms of casualties, its losses far outnumber all other countries involved in war on terror. Pakistan having staked its security for protecting US interests was distrusted, maligned, coerced and destabilized. It was accused of double game and not doing enough.

India which did not shed a drop of blood was not only materially rewarded by awarding nuclear and defence deals but also made a strategic partner and given all out help to expand its influence in Afghanistan to emerge as a key player in Afghan affairs. Worst of all, CIA and FBI actively collaborated with RAW to cultivate Tehrik-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP) in FATA, Tehrik-e-Nifaz-Shariat-Muhammadi (TNSM) in Swat and dissident elements within Bugti, Marri and Mengal tribes in Balochistan to create lawlessness. Activities of rebellious forces were supplemented by foreign agents infiltrated from Afghanistan. The US strove to deprive Pakistan of its nukes and its media indulged in defamation campaign.

India is aiding TTP in FATA and BLA-BRA-BLUF in Balochistan. These outfits are being used for multiple purposes. Apart from the main objective of destabilizing Pakistan, these outfits are used for spoiling Pakistan’s relations with its neighbors. Kidnapping and killing of several Chinese officials working on development projects in Balochistan and in FATA were undertaken at the behest of India. Establishment of ETIM, a separatist organization vying for independence of Xingjiang province of China was reportedly based in FATA under the protection of TTP. Likewise, attacks on Imambargahs and targeting of Shia clerics and notables as well as acts of terror in Zahidan province of Iran using Jindollah group from Balochistan were RAW-CIA-MI-6 sponsored to fan Shia-Sunni conflict and to mar Pak-Iran relations. Jindollah’s leader Abdol Malik Regi who has recently been arrested was operating from Afghanistan and Dubai.

The Afghan Taliban should have carried a deep grudge since Pakistan not only betrayed them but also provided air bases, intelligence and logistic support to make US invasion successful. Pakistan is still continuing to make available its soil for transportation of war supplies to ISAF in Afghanistan. Several Taliban leaders including Abdul Salam Zaeef were handed over to USA to earn US goodwill and dollars. Conversely, Afghan Taliban should have joined hands with Pakistani Taliban, both driven by common ideological motivations, to avenge Pakistan’s betrayal. On the contrary they never fired a shot at Pakistan’s security forces. They refused to come to the rescue of beleaguered Hakimullah led militants in October-November 2009, even when the NATO-Afghan forces deliberately left the border facing SW open.

Finding that the US in connivance with India and Israel was playing dirty by indulging in covert operations in FATA, Swat and Balochistan, Pakistan wisely decided not to hound whatever few elements of Afghan Taliban and Haqqani group were present in Waziristan and to concentrate on quislings. In the wake of anti-Pakistan and pro-India Northern Alliance ruling the roost in Kabul and India striving to carve out a principle role for itself in Afghanistan after the departure of USA from the region, Pakistan is justified in keeping discreet contacts with friendly Pashtun Afghan factions.

It is ironic that Pakistan deceived Taliban and supported Karzai regime laden with Northern Alliance elements to earn the goodwill of USA but lost the goodwill of all three. It was greatness of Taliban that they ignored the great betrayal due to which they suffered a great deal and did not take it to their heart. It was black ingratitude of both Karzai led regime and US to deceive Pakistan and befriend India. Had the duo in league with India not played a double game to encircle and harm Pakistan, the latter would not have opened a window for the Taliban.

The coalition forces are fighting a protracted war in Afghanistan for the last eight years with least number of fatalities but they have got tired and weary and their morale has sunk low. The Afghan fighters on the other hand are fighting for the last three decades without any respite and have suffered colossal human and material losses. Still their resolve to continue fighting has not diminished. They show no sign of fatigue or loss of heart nor do they get over awed by the overwhelming numerical, technical, technological and firepower superiority of occupation forces. It is USA that has come down from the high pedestal and is eager to negotiate a deal with Taliban.

While the US has been constantly pressing Pakistan to do more, in actuality it is former that needs to do more. Pakistan Army with bare minimum resources, pitched against foreign trained and well equipped militants and having suffered heavy casualties has performed exceptionally well; high tide of militancy has been decisively enfeebled; morale of all ranks is high and each member is determined to root out the scourge of terrorism. Conversely, US led coalition forces enjoy vast superiority over their rag tag foes in men, material and intelligence resources. Despite being laced with all the advantages and with very low casualty rate, their performance has been dismal.

Near 80% of Afghan territory has been lost to the Taliban despite US leadership self professed claim that entire leadership of Al-Qaeda and Taliban is in Pakistan. US leaders claim that 80% of Taliban are moderate and are prepared to ditch 20% hardcore Taliban led by Mullah Omar. They also say that not more than 100 Al-Qaeda operatives are in Afghanistan. If all these claims are true, why the heavy troop surge and why so much fuss over biggest offensive in Helmand province when the expected opposition is so insignificant? Isn’t it ideal situation for beefed up coalition forces to effectively seal the border through mining, fencing and establishing posts along the border to prevent Pakistan based leaders from influencing the battles in Afghanistan and then deal with the leaderless Taliban and win the war hands down? The woven story to cover up failures needs lot of fine tuning.

Of late there is a noticeable change in the overall demeanor of USA towards Pakistan. It has belatedly dawned upon the US military that victory is not possible and safe withdrawal is the only realistic course of action left. They have realized that Pakistan in connivance with Afghan Taliban and not India or Northern Alliance would be able to arrange an honorable exit. But for this changed security situation, the US would not have changed its offensive posture towards Pakistan.

Subtle shift in US policy is not because of change of heart but because of self serving expediency. Pakistan should therefore remain wary of American moves rather than feeling euphoric that it has regained trust and confidence of USA. Under no circumstances should Pakistan hand over recently nabbed Afghan Taliban leaders like Mullah Ghani Baradar, Maulvi Kabir, Mulla Abdul Salam and Mulla Mir Muhammad either to USA or to Afghanistan since it will bring back the memories of black deeds of Musharraf. Ajmal Kasab being Pakistani national is in Indian captivity since November 2008 and has not been handed over to Pakistan. Why should Pakistan be in a hurry to hand over Afghan captives to Afghanistan ruled by US installed puppet regime whose days are numbered? After the withdrawal of foreign forces, if God forbid another bout of internecine war takes place in Afghanistan, it will not be among the Pashtuns but possibly between Pashtuns and non-Pashtuns in which the former would emerge victorious. It is therefore a strategic compulsion of Pakistan to keep the Afghan Pashtuns friendly. They must not be betrayed again.

Unlike Afghan Taliban, the TTP does not have a strong cause. While the former are fighting against occupation forces and US installed Afghan regime and US trained so-called Afghan National Army which is national in name only (over 70% are non-Pashtun) to free their country, the TTP are up against Pakistan security forces. They succeeded as long as the people believed that they were better Muslims who wanted to replace un-Islamic parliamentary and judicial systems with Sharia and were genuinely keen to provide cheap and instant justice to the poor. Their barbaric acts of suicide attacks, kidnappings for ransom, slaughtering of captives, targeting mosques, destroying schools and denying women rights created serious doubts in the minds of the people since these practices went against the teachings of Islam. They still remained in two minds since they had got utterly disgusted with the role of parasitic rulers and rich class totally callous and insensitive towards the poor. Absence of justice and extreme poverty had driven them to a state of hopelessness and despair. They prayed for a healthy change and thought that the Taliban might redress their grievances and make their lives better.

The people felt ebullient when a treaty was inked in Swat in February 2009 for the establishment of Islamic courts in Swat and Malakand Division in return for Fazlullah militants giving up militancy. Amidst rejoicing by the people of Swat, the detractors of Pakistan unhappy with the changed security situation nudged Maulana Sufi to declare that he didn’t believe in Pakistan’s constitution, democracy and legal system. As if this bomb shell was not enough, Swat militants joined by Uzbek and Tajik fighters gave a new twist to the situation when they entered Lower Dir and Buner and started harassing the public. Western media upped the ante by raising alarm bells that the militants were too close to Islamabad and might takeover the capital city as well as nukes. These unprovoked offensive acts brought a sudden change in the perceptions of the people and for the first time they saw the other side of face of TTP and TNSM. Sufi-Fazlullah threw away the battle they had won through imprudent acts. From that time onwards, public support veered towards the Army.

Once the people saw with their own eyes the connection of RAW, CIA and Mossad with Swat militants and also learnt that several Imams of mosques as well as sizeable numbers of Taliban fighters were Hindus posing as Muslims, their revulsion for fake Taliban espousing the cause of Islam got intense. They vacated their houses to let the troops deal with foreign paid militants without any let and hindrance and to restore the pristine tranquility of Swat once again. Nearly 2.5 million people got displaced but the people of NWFP bore the brunt of 80% IDPs by sharing their homes and resources smilingly. They bore the economic burden at a time when prices of daily commodities had sky rocketed, there were no jobs and load shedding was at its peak.

Encouraged by the response of the people, the Army went about performing its tasks in its usual professional manner and succeeded in toppling well entrenched strongholds of the militants in Swat within -weeks as against the estimated timeframe of -weeks. Roaring success of operation Rah-e-Rast helped the Army to seize initiative and brought a happy change in the overall security environment. Going by the military principle of maintenance of momentum, the Army kept the militants on the run giving them no respite to rest and refit. Riding on the crest of success, the Army leadership took the critical decision of locking horns with the main base of TTP in South Waziristan (SW) where it was the strongest.

With active foreign support spread over several years, late Baitullah had filled up hundreds of unapproachable caves and tunnels with all sorts of sophisticated arms, explosives and ammunition. Some tunnels were converted into field hospitals while house compounds were utilized for training. Factories producing IEDs, suicide jackets and other gadgets were in operation. Militants were equipped with high-tech telephone and wireless sets and jamming devices. Hiace and toyata hilux vehicles were in plenty to move from one place to another. The two flanks of Mehsud belt were well protected by Ahmedzai Wazirs under Maulvi Nazir within SW and Othmanzai Wazirs under Gul Bahadur along with Haqqani network in North Waziristan. Baitullah’s successor Hakimullah Mehsud had 10,000 fighters and 2000 foreigners. Terrain and weather together with home ground also suited the militants. Despite enjoying all these advantages, Pak Army took just -weeks as against stipulated time of -weeks to uproot TTP defences and is holding the captured ground with absolute firmness.

The writer is a retired Brig and a freelance defence analyst who contributes regularly for local and foreign newspapers.

Can Washington please grow up?

By John Hughes

Provo, Utah: America is one of the most stirring examples of democracy in action anywhere on the globe. But the way our legislators behave, it is no wonder some non-Americans find it totally perplexing.

Take the current political situation in Washington: Barack Obama ran his winning presidential election campaign on a platform of “change.” His Democratic supporters roared back: “Yes, we can.”

His Republican opponents ran their campaign on a sort of “We-too-can-change” platform. Their supporters murmured back: “Yes, we hope you can, but not too fast.”

Centrist independents, who now hold the balance of power between the two traditional parties, and who after a year into the new presidential term had hoped for bipartisanship and unity in the face of crisis, must be mighty disappointed.

The Democrats, after trying to rush an improbably comprehensive liberal agenda into being in Year 1 of President Obama’s term, have found out that “No, they can’t.”

The Republicans, after losing the White House and both Houses of Congress, have determined that their attitude toward anything the spendthrift Democratic majority in Congress proposes will be “No, you won’t.” The strategy apparently is to block Democratic-initiated programs with the hope that disillusioned voters will return a Republican majority to Congress later this year, and even hobble Obama’s bid for reelection. The danger for Republicans is that disaffected voters might blame the Republicans more for disruption than the Democrats for lack of accomplishment.

Much of the electorate is left fuming over (a) millions of jobs lost, (b) a mind-boggling national debt their children and grandchildren will be left paying off, (c) big bank presidents awarded annual salaries in the multimillions for questionable performance, and (d) a political logjam in Washington.

The national mood is not helped by cable TV commentators of the more lurid character suggesting that the administration is leading the country to Armageddon, or senior White House officials terming those who disagree with them “retarded.”

As has been traditional over the years, US political parties, both in and out of power, have tended to be more supportive of incumbent presidents on foreign policy than domestic policy. It is generally considered bad form to display disunity on foreign policy to foreign audiences, but acceptable to be in disarray on domestic challenges at home.

In sending more troops to Afghanistan, Obama is largely following President Bush’s war policy. His tough talk on Al Qaeda and terrorism meets with support from most Americans. He has escaped serious criticism on questionable handling of the closure of Guantánamo defense facility, on interrogation of the Christmas Day bomber, and the now-abandoned plan to try key Al Qaeda terrorists in courts a stone’s throw from the scene of the 9/11 disaster. Perhaps it is because his attorney-general, Eric Holder, is seen to have been the initiator of such moves.

While Obama’s Cairo and Istanbul “outreach” speeches to the Muslim world were well crafted and well received, his outstretched hand has yet to be gripped by the Arab world, or by difficult non-Arab clients like North Korea and Iran, to which he has also similarly offered engagement. North Korea already has developed nuclear-capable weaponry and Iran has proven rocket capability, with the ability to produce a nuclear warhead not far behind.

North Korea has proved adept at fending off US, European, and Chinese attempts to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Iran, a traditional wily negotiator, must surely have been impressed by North Korea’s example and probably hopes to emulate it.

Though China is America’s banker, its relationship with the Obama administration is prickly as it seeks recognition as a world power.

In these and other international challenges, Obama counts on bilateral support at home. It would be helpful if Republicans and Democrats could achieve similar bilateral concord on the serious domestic challenges facing the nation.

John Hughes, a former editor of the Monitor, writes a biweekly column.

General Aviation: A Reminder of Vulnerability

By Scott Stewart

On Feb. 18, 2010, Joseph Andrew Stack flew his single-engine airplane into a seven-story office building in northwest Austin, Texas. The building housed an office of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), along with several other tenants. According to a statement he posted to the Internet before taking off on his suicide flight, Stack intentionally targeted the IRS due to a long history of problems he had had with the agency. In the statement, Stack said he hoped that his action would cause “American zombies to wake up and revolt” against the government. Stack also expressed his hope that his message of violence would be one the government could not ignore.

Stack’s use of violence to attempt to foster an uprising against the government and to alter government policy means that his attack against the IRS building was an act of domestic terrorism. (Terrorism is defined by the intent of the actor, not the effectiveness of the attack, a topic we will discuss in more detail at another time.) While Stack’s terrorist attack ultimately will fail to attain either of his stated goals, he did succeed in killing himself and one victim and injuring some 13 other people. The fire resulting from the crash also caused extensive damage to the building. We have received credible reports that Stack had removed some of the seats from his aircraft and loaded a drum of aviation fuel inside the passenger compartment of his plane. This extra fuel may account for the extensive fire damage at the scene. According to STRATFOR analysts present at the scene, it appears that Stack’s plane struck the concrete slab between floors. Had the aircraft not struck the slab head-on, it may have been able to penetrate the building more deeply, and this deeper penetration could have resulted in even more damage and a higher casualty count.

For many years now, STRATFOR has discussed the security vulnerability posed by general aviation and cargo aircraft. Stack’s attack against the IRS building using his private plane provides a vivid reminder of this vulnerability.

Framing the Threat

As we have previously noted, jihadists, including al Qaeda’s central core, have long had a fixation on attacks involving aircraft. This focus on aviation-related attacks includes not only attacks designed to take down passenger aircraft, like Operation Bojinka, the 2001 shoe bomb plot and the Heathrow liquid explosives plot, but also attacks that use aircraft as weapons, as evidenced by the 9/11 strikes and in the thwarted Library Tower plot, among others – aircraft as human-guided cruise missiles, if you will. These aviation-focused plots are not just something from the past, or something confined just to the al Qaeda core leadership. The Christmas Day attempt to destroy Northwest Airlines Flight 253 demonstrated that the threat is current, and that at least some al Qaeda franchise groups (al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, in this case) are also interested in aviation-focused plots.

Jihadists are not the only ones interested. Over the past several decades, a number of other actors have also conducted attacks against aviation-related targets, including such diverse actors as Palestinian, Lebanese, Japanese and Sikh militant groups, Colombian cartels, and the Libyan and North Korean intelligence services. Stack and people like Theodore Kaczynski, the “Unabomber,” demonstrate that domestic terrorists can also view aviation as a target and a weapon. (UNABOM is an FBI acronym that stood for university and airline bomber, the targets Kaczynski initially focused on.)

The long history of airline hijackings and attacks has resulted in increased screening of airline passengers and an increase in the security measures afforded to the commercial aviation sector. These security measures have largely been reactive, and in spite of them, serious gaps in airline security persist.

Now, while some security vulnerabilities do exist, it is our belief that any future plans involving aircraft as weapons will be less likely to incorporate highly fueled commercial airliners, like those used on 9/11. In addition to newer federal security measures, such as expansion of the air marshal program, hardened cockpits and programs to allow pilots to carry firearms, there has also been a substantial psychological shift among airline crews and the traveling public. As Flight 93 demonstrated on Sept. 11, 2001, the new “let’s roll” mentality of passengers and aircrews will make it more difficult for malefactors to gain control of a passenger aircraft without a fight. Before 9/11, crews (and even law enforcement officers traveling while armed) were taught to comply with hijackers’ demands and not to openly confront them. The expectation was that a hijacked aircraft and passengers would be held hostage, not used as a weapon killing all aboard. The do-not-resist paradigm is long gone, and most attacks involving aircraft since 9/11 have focused on destroying aircraft in flight rather than on commandeering aircraft for use as weapons.

Paradigm Shift

This change in the security paradigm has altered the ability of jihadists and other militants to plan certain types of terrorist attacks, but that is just one half of the repetitive cycle. As security measures change, those planning attacks come up with new and innovative ways to counter the changes, whether they involve physical security measures or security procedures. Then when the new attack methods are revealed, security adjusts accordingly. For example, the shoe bomb attempt resulted in the screening of footwear. AQAP shifted the attack paradigm by concealing explosives in an operative’s underwear. In the case of planners wanting to use aircraft as human-guided cruise missiles, one way the attack paradigm can be shifted is by turning their efforts away from passenger aircraft toward general aviation and cargo aircraft.

Most security upgrades in the aviation security realm have been focused on commercial air travel. While some general aviation terminals (referred to as FBOs, short for fixed base operators) have increased security in the post 9/11 world, like the Signature FBO at Boston’s Logan Airport, which has walk-through metal detectors for crews and passengers and uses X-ray machines to screen luggage, many FBOs have very little security. Some smaller airports like the one used by Stack have little or no staffing at all, and pilots and visitors can come and go as they please. There are no security checks and the pilot only has to make a radio call before taking off.

This difference in FBO security stems from the fact that FBOs are owned by a wide variety of operators. Some are owned by private for-profit companies, while others are run by a city or county authority and some are even operated by the state government. The bottom line is that it is very easy for someone who is a pilot to show up at an airport and rent an aircraft. All he or she has to do is fill out a few forms, present a license and logbook and go for a check ride. Mohamed Atta, the commander of the 9/11 operation, was a pilot, and one of the great mysteries after his death was the reason behind some of his general aviation activity. It is known that he rented small aircraft in cities like Miami and Atlanta, but it is not known what he did while aloft in them. It is possible that he was just honing his skills as a pilot, but there are concerns that he may also have been conducting aerial surveillance of potential targets.

But general aviation doesn’t just encompass small, single-engine airplanes like the ones owned by Stack and rented by Atta. Anyone with the money can charter a private passenger aircraft from a company such as NetJets or Flexjet, or even a private cargo aircraft. The size of these aircraft can vary from small Learjets to large Boeing Business Jets (a modified 737) and 747 cargo aircraft. In many places it is even possible for passengers to board a charter flight with no security checks of themselves or their baggage. In such a scenario, it would not be difficult for individuals such as Atta and his colleagues to take control of an aircraft from the crew – especially if the crew is unarmed.

As seen on 9/11, or even in the Stack case, there is very little that can be done to stop an airplane flown by a suicidal pilot. The North American Aerospace Defense Command launched two F-16 fighters in response to the Stack incident, but they were not dispatched until after the incident was over. Only in the case where there is restricted airspace that is constantly patrolled is there much hope of military aircraft responding in time to stop such an attack. The 1994 incident in which an unemployed Maryland truck driver crashed a stolen Cessna into the South Lawn of the White House highlighted how there is very little that can be done to protect a building from this type of threat – and the level of security at the White House in 1994 was far greater than the security afforded to almost any other building today. The difficulty of protecting buildings from aerial attack demonstrates the need to secure aircraft so they cannot be used in such a manner.

The bottom line, however, is that it would be prohibitively expensive to totally lock down all airports and aircraft nationwide in an effort to prevent them from being used in attacks like the one conducted by Stack. In the face of this reality, the best that can be hoped for is to keep the largest (and therefore most destructive) aircraft safe from this sort of misuse.

There is currently no one authority, like the Transportation Safety Commission, that controls security at all the small airports and FBOs. In the absence of any policy or regulations tightening the security at these facilities and requiring the screening of charter aircraft passengers, the best defense against the threat posed by this vulnerability will be to educate those in the FBO and charter aircraft business and encourage them to exercise a heightened state of situational awareness.

9/11: The Most Important Issue in the History of the Universe

by Robert Singer

My goal in writing is to help wake up the huddled masses. To that end, the “Most Important Issue in the History of the Universe” is:

The Story Behind the Story Behind the Story of how the World Trade Center I and II collapsed on September 11, 2001.

Why? Because if you don’t know how the twin towers collapsed, you can’t be sure you are waking up the masses from the right dream.

9/11/01

I’ll get right to the point, I have read the books and watched the documentaries on September 11 for three years and the 9/11 official story is:

Nineteen fanatical Arab hijackers, masterminded by an evil genius named Osama bin Laden, crash airplanes into steel skyscrapers because they “hate our freedom to consume”. Inexplicably the jet fuel, which is basically kerosene that burns at about 400c, took on the qualities of an explosive demolition agent, vaporizing 70 tons of aircraft into a puff of smoke and causing 110-story buildings to collapse into a pile of rubble.

Is such a stupid story that Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld didn’t really expect you to believe it.

A jet fuel fire brought down two of the tallest buildings in the world: Improbable, to say the least. [1]

Millions believe a LIHOP (Let it Happen on Purpose) version thanks to Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 911, because their brain tells them the U.S. government killed 3,000 American citizens to pass the Patriot Act, build up the military and invade Afghanistan and Iraq. [2]

Everyone else, after you point out the obvious (110 stories of steel and concrete collapsing at free fall speed), thinks about it for a New York Second and realizes the official story is ridiculous and couldn’t be true.

Then, they come to the false conclusion it was a MIHOP (Made it Happen on Purpose): Bush, Cheney, and the Neocons killed 3,000 Americans so they could pass the Patriot Act, build up the military and invade Afghanistan and Iraq, an inside job.

In other words, The Powers That Be (TPTB) expected us to believe the 9/11 Truth story: A rogue element of the US government used controlled demolition to bring down the twin towers.

Let me be clear, I agree the US government or some proxy did exploit the events of 9/11: Building 7, the Pentagon and Flight 77. [3]

The “Experts” on 9/11

Professor Steven “Cold Fusion” Jones lectures ad nauseam about the obvious, that 110 stories of steel and concrete do not collapse into a pile of rubble from a kerosene fire. Jones’ research, allegedly peer reviewed, has not proven the building collapsed from controlled demolition.

Dr. Judy Wood, former professor of mechanical engineering, with expertise in material science concludes the buildings were destroyed using some type of “field effect technology” related to the Hutchison Effect and the presence of Hurricane Erin. [4]

Jones, sweet and innocent, looks like he belongs in the Bush administration not in the counterculture community.

Wood, marginalized and tossed out of the 9/11-Truth Movement happens to look like a hippie.

Dr. Wood raises important questions about the so-called collapse and the dip of the Earth’s magnetic field at the precise moment of the supposed first plane “impact” but the 9/11 Truthers refuse to acknowledge her research and her work has been left out in their search for the Truth. [5]

David Ray Griffin, retired professor at the Claremont School of Theology and spokesman for the 9/11 Truth Movement, has written numerous books questioning the 9/11 official story. Inexplicably he and co-founder, John B. Cobb, Jr., of the Center for Process Studies hang around with David Rockefeller. Griffin’s major project at present is in fact, “to develop a theology for a New World Order.” [6]

Dr. Griffin, like Jones, lectures frequently at universities and public places explaining in repetitive detail that September 11 was not the result of 19 Arab terrorists and a kerosene fire.

However, neither of them will discuss anything that contradicts the controlled demolition theory of the twin towers.

The government would not allow the openly treasonous behavior of David Ray and Steven Earl unless the 9/11 Truth Movement was a Counter Intelligence Program (Cointelpro). [7]

No Plane

The “no plane” theory, asserts both plane impacts with the WTC were faked with CNN Video Fakery/ Cartoon CGI. [8]

The following image of the second impact, taken from a news helicopter, depicts a video composite of a Boeing 767 accidentally appearing from behind a Layer Mask.

Nico Haupt and Morgan Reynolds, formerly the chief economist within the Labor Department under the Bush administration argue that no planes were used in the attacks.

Reynolds “claims it is physically impossible that the Boeing planes of Flights 11 and 175, being largely aluminum, could have penetrated the steel frames of the Towers, and that digital compositing was used to depict the plane crashes in both news reports and subsequent amateur video.”

“There were no planes, there were no hijackers,” Reynolds insists. “I know, I know, I’m out of the mainstream, but that’s the way it is.” Of the two Boeing 767′s, which vanished into the Twin Towers, Reynolds asks: How could two large wide-bodied aluminum jetliners penetrate massive steel towers and disappear with no deceleration visible, no plane wreckage visible in gashes and none knocked to the ground below the impact zone?

Discussion of “no plane” theories can get you banned from conspiracy theory websites and threatened with violence from members of the 9/11 community if you “no plane” too loudly.

The idea that there were “no planes”, keeps just about everyone confused about “what really happened” on 9/11.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Or if you want to read a thousand words, visit 911 Revisited – CNN Video Fakery / Cartoon CGI. [9]

And when I say everyone is confused, I mean EVERYONE is intentionally kept in confusion by the Alex and Steven Joneses, the Davids Griffin and Icke and the 911 Truth Movement that promotes the controlled demolition “theory” of the collapse of the twin towers.

Alex Jones is the “Minister of Truth” over a flock of “Truthers”, whose church is the “9/11 Truth Movement.”

The faithful followers are not concerned that Pastor Alex is now being given significant exposure and airtime by the mainstream media – specifically by Disinformation-Central Fox News.

The media attention he is getting is quite bewildering until one digs deeper and understands Alex Jones is part of a Cointelpro operation.

“The Truth Movement has the dual purpose of vectoring genuine truth seekers to dead ends, where anger, hype and paranoia endlessly stress the seeker and those around him or her, and to facilitate the mainstream media’s task of branding those who ask questions of authority and the true nature of reality as insane.”

Why does Jones appear to be closely aligned with that which he seeks to subvert and destroy?

The fact that Jones exposes government schemes – and extraordinarily loudly at that – becomes evidence that he may very well be Cointelpro.

“What people fail to understand however, is that serious Cointelpro operations are never obvious. They are by definition, very closely aligned with that which they seek to subvert and destroy because they would not get very far at infiltration and subversion if they were not.” [10]

“The Best Way To Control The Opposition Is To Lead It Ourselves” Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

While Minister Jones vociferously promotes the controlled demolition theory of the collapse of the twin towers a tiny fringe of 911 researchers with no political or monetary capital, led by Morgan Reynolds, the above-mentioned Dr. Judy Wood and Andrew Johnson, make a compelling case that “no planes hit the World Trade Center” (“TV Fakery”), and that controlled demolition cannot explain the energy released when the twin towers collapsed. [11]

911 Truthers acknowledge there are problems with the official 911 Truth story.

It’s an obvious computer generated-image of a 757 hitting the North Tower because you can’t see a break in the building wall between the port engine and fuselage. Think about how the jet engines, wings, fuselage and the tail section of an aluminum airplane just disappear through steel and reinforced concrete……and then appear to come through the other side.

But Minister Jones and his elders Physicist Steven Jones, author David Ray Griffin, architect Richard Gage in charge of 911 Truth, all with New World order connections [6], will not allow anyone to question a controlled demolition theory.

Why would the 911 Truth Movement promote a theory they know is untrue?

Professor James Fetzer, another well known 9/11 activist, said

“It’s Tactical. “Even if they (the advocates of No Plane Theory) are right, it hurts the movement. Many feel that there is so much evidence of government complicity beyond the issue of big passenger jets that diverting attention to the one thing most people believe that they “saw” is not to our tactical and strategic advantage.”

“Our Tactical and Strategic Advantage”

Should we trust the “creepy side of the 911 Truth Movement” to tell us whose tactical and strategic advantage is served by discrediting the “no plane, no thermite” theories? [12]

What if the 9/11 Truth is nothing more than a pseudo-movement promoting a government “alternative official” story?

Who are the likely agents of disinformation?

Woods and Reynolds want to hijack the movement so the naïve public will be confused about the planes and will believe the government’s lie about nonexistent “terrorists.” Huh?

OR

The Church of 9/11 Truth and the Joneses keep anyone from attempting to find out why Dr. Judy Wood calls the twin towers collapse, “The New Hiroshima” [11], and why at the precise moment of the alleged first plane “impact” did the Earth’s magnetic field dip.

My money is on Disinformation agent Alex Jones.

Google “Disinformation Agent” and the first result exposes Jones as a member of Project Mockingbird, Jesuit Temporal Coadjutor and alternative Media Gatekeeper for the Vatican: Alex Jones Jesuit Temporal Coadjutor CIA Disinformation Agent, spirituallysmart.com/Jones-CIA.htm Disinformation agents of the New Worldly Order (David Icke, Alex Jones, Zeitgeist) is worth 9 minutes of your time.

No Thermite

Chris Bollyn’s recent discovery of Super-Termite (nanothermite) at “Israel’s Super-Thermite Lab” is nonsense and should be dismissed immediately:

“The main reason for 9-11 was to change the military equation in the Middle East and bring the United States and NATO into the region on a permanent basis to wage war against the foes of Israel. But how could they possibly think they would get away with such an audacious and heinous crime of false-flag terrorism?”

He then goes on to make the ludicrous statement:

“What they didn’t expect is that a few Americans would dig into the evidence and uncover every stone to find the real culprits. They certainly didn’t expect that a careful and independent scientific analysis of the dust would reveal that a nano-composite form of super-thermite was used to pulverize the World Trade Center.”

“What they didn’t expect is that a few Americans would dig…” I can hardly stop laughing!

But when I did stop (laughing) and contacted Andrew Johnson at Check The Evidence, he pointed out:

Q) What is thermite anyway? Answer: Aluminum powder and Iron Oxide (rust).

Fact: The exterior of WTC towers contains aluminum and there were some rusty beams inside the buildings. Therefore we can dismiss any smoking gun theory of super-thermite because you would expect to find Aluminum powder and Iron Oxide in the remains of the World Trade Centre.

Q) What does thermite do to metal? Answer: It melts through it.
Q) What happened to the towers? Answer: They turned largely to dust.

Thermite cannot have been responsible for turning towers to dust. Let’s see this nanothermite in action please!

It’s an explosive but the towers didn’t explode -they turned into a fountain of dust. [13]

The 2001 Invasion of Iraq… That Was Called Off… When the Twin Towers Collapsed

Paul O’Neill’s revelations that the Bush administration planned to invade Iraq long before September 11, 2001 have been widely publicized. The decision to invade Afghanistan and Iraq was made in July 2001 and the plans were on Bush’s desk by Sept 9. [14]

During the 2008 Presidential election a comment about “John McCain’s Dirt on the Cross Lies” appeared on greenusa.blogspot:

“I served in the Navy as a Nuclear Plant Operator for over 14 years. I served onboard the USS Texas (CGN-39) in Operation Desert Storm. I served onboard the USS Arkansas (CGN-41) in support of Operation Desert Fox. I was a crewmember of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) when airplanes struck the Twin Towers on 9/11, and our ship was the first ship that was flying attack missions into Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.” [15]

Some time later I read the following:

On September 10th the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) chopped (turned around) in the straits of Hormoz, went to Battle Condition II, and prepared to invade Iraq. The order to stand down came 5 hours after the 2nd tower collapsed. [16]

The USS Carl Vinson was in the Persian Gulf with orders to invade Iraq, logic would dictate the invasion would go forward when the buildings collapsed and not be called off.

Hence, if you want the answer to the Most Important Issue in the History of the Universe you better be reading and listening to someone telling you:

• Why the invasion was called off after the second tower collapsed and
• What the dip of the Earth’s magnetic field at the precise moment of the alleged first plane “impact” has to do with “what really happened.”

Robert Singer writes for Pakistan Daily, The Market Oracle and The Peoples Voice

Footnotes:

[1] Many official government stories are so ridiculous that a select group of people some call the puppet masters don’t expect you to believe them. Disinformation is misleading information that is true, deliberately announced publicly or leaked by a government or an intelligence agency to sow confusion and undermine credibility. Misinformation is false or inaccurate information, which is deliberately intended to deceive, 9/11, What’s Wrong With This Picture? http://dprogram.net/2009/03/26/911-whats-wrong-with-this-picture, Robert Singer.

[2] There are three reasons why most Americans are in denial and cling to the official story:

1. I am a Patriot, the US is a great country they wouldn’t kill 3,000 American citizens to pass the Patriot Act, build up the military and invade Afghanistan and Iraq (Kill3000toPassBuild&Invade).
2. I like my life I’m having a good time don’t bother me with the Kill3000toPassBuild&Invade nonsense.
3. I can’t do anything about it anyway, so don’t bother me with the Kill3000toPassBuild&Invade story.

[3] Let me be clear, I agree the US government or some proxy did exploit the events of 9/11 to:

• Demolish Building 7 that wasn’t even hit by a plane, home of the SEC investigation files and Rudy Giuliani’s command center.
• Fire a cruise missile into the newly renovated wing of the Pentagon, killing 189 people, including the five “alleged” hijackers and 34 civilian accountants, bookkeepers and budget analysts working for the Resource Services department. And, in another one of those coincidences that don’t happen very often, the accountants and bookkeepers were investigating, according to Donald Rumsfeld, 2.3 trillion Dollars that “just vanished”, September 10, 2001, Donald Rumsfeld spoke to Congress and confessed the Pentagon is missing 2.3 trillion Dollars. Just vanished.
• Shoot down flight 77 over Pennsylvania and kill the passengers from flight 93 and a second mysterious airplane that made an emergency landing at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Flights 11, 12 (9+3), 13 (1+7+5), 14 (7+7). UAL Flight 93 Landed Safely At Cleveland Hopkins Airport Plane Lands In Cleveland – Bomb Feared Aboard 8-7-4 Reported by 9 News Staff Web produced by: Liz Foreman 9/11/01, At 10 A.M. on 9/11 Cleveland airport was evacuated due to rumors of a bomb scare. People around the airport were told to go home.
• Remove the rubble from the Twin Towers with GPS tracked debris trucks before anyone could perform a forensic analysis. WTC Steel Removal The Expeditious Destruction of the Evidence at Ground Zero http://911research.wtc7.net/wtc/groundzero/cleanup.html#ref2. The authorities apparently considered the rubble quite valuable: New York City officials had every debris truck tracked on GPS and had one truck driver who took an unauthorized 1 ½ hour lunch fired. GPS on the Job in Massive World Trade Center Clean-up, securitysolutions.com, 7/1/2002, http://securitysolutions.com/ar/security_gps_job_massive/

[4] http://www.drjudywood.com

http://www.prlog.org/10048184-scientists-see-wtc-hutchison-effect-parallel.html

http://www.prlog.org/10073301-new-study-by-former-professor-examines-hurricane-erin-on-9-11-01.html

[5] Dip of the Earth’s magnetic field on September 11, 2001 at 8:46:40 http://www.drjudywood.com/articles/erin/erin5.html

http://www.drjudywood.com/articles/erin/mpics/H4.jpg

[6] July 23. Connect Griffin to New World Order on angieon911, http://www.angieon911.com

[7] COINTELPRO is the FBI acronym for a series of covert action programs directed against domestic groups. In these programs, the Bureau went beyond the collection of intelligence to secret action defined to “disrupt” and “neutralize” target groups and individuals. The techniques were adopted wholesale from wartime counterintelligence, and ranged from the trivial (mailing reprints of Reader’s Digest articles to college administrators) to the degrading (sending anonymous poison-pen letters intended to break up marriages) and the dangerous (encouraging gang warfare and falsely labeling members of a violent group as police informers).

[8] Debunking the 9/11 *Anti-No-Plane-Theory* Myths, CB_Brooklyn

[9] 911 Revisited – CNN Video Fakery / Cartoon CGI, ww.freedomdomain.com/911/911revisited.html

[10] The strategy of supporting sides that at first glance appear to be in direct opposition is similar to the way things are staged by the “Secret Team”. L Fletcher Prouty described in great detail how the flow of information is successfully managed by a few hands to produce precisely the reaction the Powers That Be require from their unwitting targets. The Secret Team” and “JFK”, L Fletcher Prouty

[11] 9/11 – The New Hiroshima, http://www.drjudywood.com/videos/Hiroshima_videos.html

[12] The Creepy Sides of the 911 Truth Movement, www.angieon911.com

[13] The World Trade Center (WTC) towers did not “collapse” on 9/11/01, they were pulverized (Blown to Kingdom Come) before a gravity-driven collapse was even a possibility. Pulverized to dust, a paucity of remaining material. Where are the concrete floors? Where is the office furniture? Where is the office machinery? Where are the filing cabinets? Where is the wall board? Where are the bookcases? They were not there, so most of it appears to have turned to dust, as illustrated in Figure 31. Pulverized to dust, http://www.drjudywood.com/articles/DEW/StarWarsBeam3.html

[14] Going back all the way to the Bush administration’s build-up for invading Iraq, there has been much written and said about the reasons for the invasion. Now Paul O’Neill’s revelations that the Bush administration planned to invade Iraq long before September 11, 2001 have been widely publicized. Iraq Was Surviving the Sanctions, Why They Wouldn’t Wait By Tom Jackson

[15] August 20, 2008 John McCain’s Dirt on the Cross Lies, http://greenusa.blogspot.com/2008/08/john-mccains-dirt-on-cross-lies.html

[16] Note: Strategic information about the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) is classified by the U.S. Military. If the Carl Vinson wasn’t ordered to Battle Condition II, let someone from Naval Command come forward and dispute that:

1. Ship control stations were fully manned
2. All lookout stations were fully manned
3. All detection apparatus manned
4. Water-tight Integrity Watch posted

“Chopped” is a naval term used when a ship changes course. I can no longer find this post on the Web. Personal Web sites and blogs come and go, and it’s common knowledge that technology exists to scrub content off the web.

Is Muslim youth ready to face challenge of increasing Radicalisation in UK?

Pakistan Daily

Recent media coverage and ever growing complaints of increase in radicalisation whereby young students aged 18-24 are potential victims at the hands of trained fire brands who are confusing young minds with the disputed foreign policy issues or conflicts is threatening the future and careers of many youth of Asian heritage. Muslim community is confronted with one of its own self denial whether ‘radicalisation’ exist and or on the increase in the Muslim Youth in Great Britain.

We cannot blame them neither. Newspapers and electronic media have left no stone unturned to project Islam4UK, Hizb ul Tahrir or Al-Muhajeroun carrying the flag of Muslim representation in the last decade where the good of community were never projected in the same tone. On top of it series of legislation on the name of terrorism startled them whereby executive eroded civil liberties and only superior courts came to their rescue after naming and shaming has been completed. North West 10 (Operation Pathway), Risen trial, Football stadium trial, Conviction of lyrical terrorist Samina Malik or various other(s) overturned convictions on appeals are a clear example of the agony the Muslim families who have been through a trial and tribulations. The work of organisations, net work of mosques and activities of Muslims in general are peaceful and law abiding in an atmosphere where they feel vulnerable in general due to first 9/11 and then 7/7 tragic incidents.

Trail of terrorism related legislation and finally Government’s untimely discussion over ‘Hijab’, bearded Muslims and forced marriages deprived the opportunity to strengthen the links between ancient civilisations and put emphasis on ‘tolerance’ and curbing militancy jointly. Whilst Govt. is allowing media for selective negative publicity of this minority whilst the other radical groups are carrying on their work to fuel the fire and recruit young minds towards radical and extremist activities, though regrettable but a real threat to de harmonise the bilateral community relations, and unrest. This cornering strategy has portrayed Muslims as a victim in the Great Britain and they lost the drive of self accountability as it was impossible to fight on two fronts. Radicalisation is at increase and ‘yes’, Young Muslims aged 18-24 are the prime targets of the radical groups who used annoyance, attitude and their loneliness as an excuse to incite them towards ‘revenge.’

What are the causes of youth falling prey to such outfits are multiple in number and have different dimensions and here we analyse one by one the core four reasons:

• 1) communication gap: there is a generation gap between dual nationals came in 70′s for economic betterment whose only lust was to make economic betterment in their life style abroad and to make their future here and return in good time. Their children do not have such baggage and their priorities have changed from economic betterment to compete with locals, professionalism, football and integration in English culture. This led to individual development other than that of a group. This communication gap and change of goal post in families have caused the biggest rift where living under the same roof, parents sometimes are clueless about the likes and dislikes of their children and children culturally bound are scared to tell the truth. This situation in a few lead to a situation where forced marriages take place too where consent is missing. Language has also played a big barrier in expressing their views rightly, first generation sticking to their mother tongue whereas British youth preferred to speak English, watch football and hang around with their age group. If those young minds are lonely, feel betrayed or have a tragic episode in their lives and they are disillusioned, they have a potential to fall a prey to gang masters or outfits breeding religious lawlessness.

• 2) Lack of community support: Muslim youth do not have any support network where whilst holding their ideas, and belief they could interact with other age fellows and parents at a network which is sound, fool proof and thoroughly supervised by elders of the community. Mosques could have provided that platform but they are themselves enslaved of their sectarian compulsions and religious order thus community net work on ethnic or nationality basis was the only alternative which is mainly preoccupied by pensioners who are unwilling to retire unnecessarily. Thus Muslim youth remain voiceless, without a platform and without guidance and clear objectives. Funding too could be the real reason of the lack of such infrastructure, but to me political will seems more the cause.

• 3) Lack of governmental support: the main important aspect of young minds to feel neglected is that despite having degrees they are jobless. If they are on the streets they are stopped more, and they are not that obedient as were their predecessors. They know their rights, which are not given easily. Their negative activities are projected more and there is no fund to accommodate young Brits on a forum or a platform where they could express themselves. Young children have NSPCA for protection from cruelty, birds and animals have RSPCA to ensure their welfare but Muslim youth has none, and nowhere to go. Some of the organisations working already in the field need cloned participants and are granted conditional funding which does not help either, as if you do not follow their do’s and don’ts you may not be able to seek membership successfully. I think if Muslims and Pakistani youth is administered as the Jewish community or Indian doctors community or Black African communities have done by their own general public the results would be fantastic, or alternately govt spend some money to provide national outsourcing, a platform where these people can rightly participate as a community. Govt need to support the youth to walk on their feet before they could run on their own.

• 4) Foreign Policy reasons: Wars in Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan are true foreign policy considerations which has forced the young minds to feel neglected at home when their religion sakes are beaten abroad. Commenting on George Bush’s policies is the hobby of Asian or Muslim youth only because of their own treatment, unemployment, lack of preference in jobs in Civil service, judiciary, police force, armed forces and or Parliament at home. Deprivation of young educated minds in the early days of their careers are trapped in red tape polices are devastating and very ambiguous approach of govt on their foreign policy decisions is causing the may hem. This is the very key which is exploited by outfits at places where such commodity is heavy in number(s) such as outside mosques with leaflets, universities, local deprived areas, crime hubs and playgrounds and they are working freely in UK in disguise, they first speak to youth and then invite them to their gigs and initiate from leafleting to a trap which lead the young minds to their own battlefield.

From experience as a lawyers interacting with British youth I am strongly and regrettably of the opinion that young British Muslims who are studying in their early university days, or unemployed after graduating or living in deprived areas without hope for future are vulnerable and all because of lack of community net work, parental neglect and lack of Governmental support. Muslim youth suffers due to lonely life style and cultural and religious compulsions which force them to get attracted to the people in masks who in the name of religion teach the kids something which are not in Quran and of which parents have no knowledge of it. ‘Death of a man is a death of a mankind’ is a true version of humanity as per Quran, therefore responsibility is greater to save the coming generations from underlying increasing problem before it’s too late.

It’s time that British Government takes true Muslim representatives on board unconditionally without the bribe of peerage or seat in the houses of parliament to tackle the problems confronted by Asian and Muslim Youth. It’s all about winning the hearts and minds in the fight which is being fought all around and Britain is losing so far and British Government needs to take concrete measures whilst beefing up security, to ensure public safety and steady multi religious & cultural relations of communities in Great Britain. Muslim community is willing to suggest measures such as restricting non academic and unrelated subjects as well as institutional levels check and balance to restrict uninvolved firebrands and academics entry exit to those institutions where our future is taught. As it is noted that many radical outfits are targeting youth distracting them from studies and entangling their young immature minds towards foreign policy issues and confusing them thus restricting their performance academically.

International as well as British Media must broadcast students genuine views and community support unit and police must hold open days at major universities to equal the efforts that of radical outfits giving them options and other side views too or at least let the students ask questions which irritates them. Universities itself may opt out to take lead to accommodate students anger and frustration giving them ample opportunities to produce one off papers rather than repressing their inner feelings and then later become prey to the unwanted elements. Asian parents have no communication with lecturers about their children therefore young minds are potential victims at the early days of their liberty at the time of transfer from high school to a university, and a collective effort is needed to defeat extremism and increase of radicalisation which is a clear and present danger. Student societies has a lot to offer, creative, productive and humanitarian.

Barrister Amjad Malik, is a Chair APL (Association of Pakistani lawyers)

Indian Diplomatic Defeat

Sajjad Shaukat

After witnessing two world wars, Europe has learnt a positive lesson that political solution of any issue should be resolved through dialogue rather than the traditional conflict. Notably, once the American former Sectary of State, Henry Kissinger had said, the “true diplomacy runs on the barrel of guns.” After itself, entangling in a prolonged war against terrorism on global level, even the US has started preferring political solution in this regard. However, in the modern era of globalisation, diplomatic defeat is worse than the war of the past. It is a defeat without war.

In these terms, some rapidly changing developments have indicated Indian diplomatic defeat. In this regard, on January 29 this year, in their final communique, world leaders of the London Conference agreed on a timetable for the handover of security duties to the Afghan forces in late 2010, while backing Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s plan to reintegrate the willing Taliban to pursue political goals peacefully.

Here it would be appropriate to mention that Raja Mujtaba of Opinion Maker and Gordon Duff of Veterans Today along with their panel of writers like General Mirza Aslam Beg, Brig Asif Haroon Raja etc, have all along been insisting that peace in Afghanistan can not be achieved without talking Taliban on board. For this reason, all head money placed on them must be revoked. Today the London Conference has accepted that when some Taliban leaders were taken off that list. But, we need to be more open and pragmatic and remove all Taliban leaders like Mullah Omar, Mullah Haqqani, Gulbadin Hikmatyar etc from this list.

In this connection, sources suggest that dialogue with the Afghan Taliban has already started through the UN special envoy and some other officials through some backdoor channels.

It is mentionable that by availing the golden opportunity of the 9/11, India left no stone unturned in getting its hold in Afghanistan under the cover of the US-led NATO forces. Under the pretext of Talibinisation of Afghanistan and Pakistan, secret agencies like Indian RAW and Israeli Mossad have well-established networks in Afghanistan. Particularly, India has been running secret operations against Pakistan from its consulates in Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kandhar and other sensitive parts of the Pak-Afghan border. It has spent millions of dollars in Afghanistan to strengthen its grip on the country. New Delhi has not only increased its military troops in the counry, but has also decided to set up cantonments. This foreign unwanted and unwarranted troop buildup after American retreat would never let the wounds to heal. Afghan people would never accept or tolerate such grafting on their national spine.

Emboldened by the tactical support of the US and Israel, Indian RAW-based in Afghanistan has been sending well-trained agents in Pakistan, who have joined the ranks and files of the Taliban. Posing themselves as the Pakistan Taliban, they not only attack the check posts of Pakistan’s security forces, but also target schools and mosques. They are continuously conduct suicide attacks in our country. In this context, India has also arranged some Madrassas in Afghanistan where highly motivated and RAW-paid militants are being trained with the help of Indian so-called Muslims scholars. Now, Indian support to insurgency in the Frontier Province and the Baloch separatism has become a common matter.

Apart from Indian investment in order to achieve secret designs against Pakistan, drug and kidnapping are some other source of Indian income. According to an estimate, world’s 90% heroin is cultivated in Afghanistan. So money earned through drug-smuggling and hostage-takings is utilised in buying weapons, being sent to the foreign agents and the insurgents in Pakistan. Nevertheless, Afghanistan has become a hub of anti-Pakistan activities owing to India influence.

In the past, some American officials had also suggested to engage India in Af-Pak strategy. But while realsing the ground realties, a shift started in the US strategy in the end of last year. In this regard, on September 20, 2009, NATO commander, Gen. McChrystal had clearly revealed: “Indian political and economic influence is increasing in Afghanistan including significant development efforts…is likely to exacerbate regional tensions.”

During his recent visit to India, US Secretary of Defence, Robert Gates, while discussing Afghanistan with Indian leadership, has urged India to be transparent with Pakistan about their activities in Afghanistan. Despite Indian perennial blame game against Islamabad in connection with the Mumbai carnage, Gates rejected Indian stand that Pakistan has officially been sponsoring terrorism.

Frustrated in its diplomatic defeat, while rejecting Pakistan’s effort to make distinction between state and non-state actors, Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram presumed: “Pakistan will be held responsible if there is another Mumbai-type attack.” But Robert Gates pointed out that the non-state actors like Al Qaeda-related militants were seeking to de-stabilise the entire South Asia and could trigger a war between ‘nuclearised’ Pakistan and India.

Meanwhile in the State of the Union address, the US President Obama has repeatedly said that American combat troops will begin a phased withdrawal from Afghanistan from July 2011. Nonetheless, after bearing major losses like cost of war, amounting to more than 6 trillion dollars, financial crisis and domestic pressure, US strongly supports process of reintegration-peace and reconciliation with the Afghan Taliban with the sole aim of leaving that country in accordance with the announced schedule.

If US-led NATO forces pull out of Afghanistan, Indian influence will be eliminated by the Taliban insurgency. As a result New Delhi will have to withdraw from Afghanistan, rolling back its anti-Pakistan agenda.

To what extent, India has been creating lawlessness in Afghanistan by interfering in its internal affairs and by using Afghan soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan as well as Iran could also be judged from the fact that on January 16, three foreign ministers of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan met in Islamabad and signed the joint Islamabad Declaration, focusing on regional cooperation, security and development. The three countries committed to non-interference in the internal affairs of each country and also to ensuring that their territories were not used for activities detrimental to each other’s interests.

Regarding Indian undue incursion, even Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani made it clear to the NATO meeting at Brussels that the NATO countries, which have greater stakes in Afghanistan, should pay heed to the concerns raised by Islamabad particularly regarding Indian interference in Pakistan through Afghanistan. In his response, a Pentagon spokesman also stated that Washington understands Pakistan’s concerns in this respect.

Again, the London Conference agreed for the handover of security responsibilities to the Afghan National Army for “conducting the majority of operations in the insecure areas of Afghanistan within three years. While India was interested in the training of Afghan security forces, and was covertly making strenuous efforts in that regard, but no country in the conference considered New Delhi for that purpose. On the other side, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has remarked that Islamabad was ready to train Afghan forces on is own soil. In fact, Afghanistan and Pakistan share common geographical, historical, religious and cultural relationships. So Islamabad’s case of training the Afghan forces is stronger than that of New Delhi which is only manipulating the phenomenon of regional terrorism against Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Moreover, Pakistan’s successful Swat-Malakand and Waziristan military operations have surprised the international community as our armed forces dismantled the command and control system of the Taliban militants within some months. They did in eight months what the US-led NATO forces could not do in Afghanistan in eight years. In this context, while praising Pakistan’s security forces, western high officials insisted upon New Delhi to observe restraint in connection with its war-mongering style. It is due to these developments that the US and European countries have donated million of dollars for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Besides the above mentioned developments, Indian diplomatic defeat and Pakistan’s diplomatic victory could also be assessed from the fact that Foreign Minister Qureshi had ruled out the likelihood of meeting with his Indian counterpart Krishna during the London Conference, as India is not displaying seriousness for the composite dialogue.

Returning to our earlier discussion, India which had made a web against Pakistan especially from Afghanistan has met a diplomatic defeat owing to rapidly changing scenario.

Sajjad Shaukat is a panelist of Opinion Maker. He writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

Lessons we must learn

By Rahimullah Yusufzai

There are lessons to be learnt from the recent suicide bombing at the secret CIA station in Afghanistan’s Khost province bordering Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region. A Jordanian medical doctor of Palestinian origin with a Turkish wife teamed up with other Arab nationals from Al Qaeda and sought the help of Pakistani, and possibly Afghan, Taliban to carry out this attack and inflict the heaviest loss to the premier US spy agency in 26 years. It showed how widespread the animosity is among Muslims against the US given its policies and explained the way Islamic militants transcending borders are increasingly joining hands to fight what they perceive as a common enemy.

One is sure no lessons will be learnt from this event. In the manner of the 9/11 attacks, the US would embark on another costly mission to hunt down the attackers. The CIA has pledged to avenge the loss of its seven agents who were killed in Khost, and the six others injured and apparently out of action for a long time. There would be more missile strikes by the CIA-operated drones in Pakistan’s tribal areas and greater pressure on the Pakistan military to launch action against the militants in North Waziristan. Already, influential US Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman after recent meetings with top Pakistan government officials are saying that Pakistani security forces are preparing to undertake some action in North Waziristan. In the heat of the moment, no thought would be given to the consequences of such a militaristic approach to the already volatile situation.

Dr Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi, the Jordanian suicide bomber came all the way from Zarqa to Waziristan to attack CIA’s Khost base. It isn’t clear if he came via Afghanistan or Pakistan, but the way he gained unchecked access to the CIA station was evidence enough that he already knew his Jordanian handler, Captain Ali bin Zeid, an operative of his country’s intelligence agency and member of the royal family who was also killed in the suicide attack, and through him the CIA agents. It is possible he had already paid visits to the CIA base in Khost and earned the trust of his handlers. The Jordanian and American spies thought they had someone in their control who could lead them to Al Qaeda leaders, particularly Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri who has figured as the real or imagined target in most US missile strikes in Bajaur and Waziristan in recent years. The more plausible explanation is that he had been infiltrated from Afghanistan into North Waziristan, and from there to South Waziristan where his farewell video tape, while seated beside the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) head Hakimullah Mehsud, was recorded.

It was a properly done tape with Balawi first holding a weapon outside and then shown sitting in a room with Hakimullah and making his statement in Arabic and English. The young bearded man in military fatigues is seen describing the CIA and Jordanian intelligence as enemies of the Muslim nation and arguing that “God’s combatant never exposes his religion to blackmail and never renounces it, even if he is offered the sun in one hand and the moon in the other.” And then he describes late TTP leader Baitullah Mehsud as his amir (head) and tells him that he won’t be forgotten, and his blood would be avenged in and outside America. Balawi then says that Baitullah paid with his life for offering to protect Osama bin Laden if he came to South Waziristan.

From Balawi’s statement, it seems as if he was being offered money to spy on the militants and assist the CIA and Jordanian intelligence in tracking down important Al Qaeda and Taliban figures. Taliban sources are claiming that Abu Dujana al-Khorasani, the name Balawi used as a fighter, rejected Jordanian and American intelligence offers of millions of dollars for spying on the ‘mujahideen.’ They also insist that he shared US and Jordanian state secrets with the militants. Both the CIA and the Jordanian spy agency suffered embarrassment due to the intelligence failures and security lapses in this incident. As if trying to cover up, the CIA Director Leon Panetta claimed in a recent article that Balawi was about to be searched when he detonated his explosives.

By trying to lure or manipulate Balawi and use him to track down Al Qaeda figures, the CIA and its allied spy agencies also revealed their desperation. They haven’t made any major breakthrough despite years of efforts to infiltrate the militant organisations such as Al Qaeda and Taliban. Offers of record rewards for capturing the wanted men are also not making any headway. It was thus a desperate move to trust someone like Balawi with a history of sympathising with Al Qaeda and start believing that he had changed and could be used to get the world’s most wanted man bin Laden, his deputy Dr Zawahiri and others. It shows that all talk of Bin Laden or Zawahiri hiding in this or that place in the Pak-Afghan border areas is mere speculation as there has been no confirmed sighting of these individuals since December 2001 when they reportedly escaped to Tora Bora in eastern Afghanistan and then vanished.

Balawi had to say what he said in his farewell video-taped message, but the statements made by his Turkish wife, Dafne Bayrak, are instructive. The young woman who married Balawi while studying in Istanbul in 2001 holds a degree in journalism and has written articles for Islamic publications and also a book entitled Osama bin Laden: Che Guevara of the East. She expressed pride in her husband’s mission and recalled that he regarded the US as an enemy. Denying that Balawi was an American agent, she argued that he only could have used America and Jordan to reach his goal. However, she declined to call Balawi a martyr and instead prayed to Allah to accept his martyrdom. This is how a highly educated, scarf-wearing woman from secular and westernised Turkey, which is the only Muslim country to be a member of NATO, thinks about the US and admiringly looks at the fight being waged by militants against America and it’s allies.

Balawi’s father Khalil al-Balawi also said he was proud of his son even though his death broke his heart. He appeared satisfied that his son killed some of those in the intelligence agencies who manipulated him. Balawi, he reminded, was a doctor who saved lives, but was sucked into the whirlpool of the intelligence agencies instead of being able to serve his people. This was not only the anguish of a father, but also a strong indictment of the working of intelligence agencies that manipulate and blackmail people into doing unwanted spying work.

Reports in the Arab press explain how Balawi was radicalised by the US occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. His wife said that in particular he was disturbed by the US treatment of Iraqi prisoners in Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison and the destruction of Fallujah city in November 2004. The Israeli war on Palestinian territory of Gaza, often described as the biggest open air jail in the world, also upset him. He reportedly tried to go to Gaza to offer medical care to the Palestinians but was stopped by the Jordanian authorities. This is believable since his family originally belonged to Beershaba in Palestine, from where Israel under its ethnic and religious cleansing policy since 1948 has been uprooting Palestinians and annexing territory with backing from Western countries. It isn’t surprising that Palestinians have been radicalised to no end and many of them have been active in hard-line organisations ranging from Fatah to Hamas and even Al Qaeda.

The Pakistani Taliban as one of their commanders Qari Hussain claimed may have facilitated Balawi in carrying out the suicide bombing at the CIA’s Khost base and the video in which the bomber and Hakimullah are seated together is evidence of their close ties, but it is difficult to believe that they could have accomplished the mission without the support of Afghan Taliban, particularly the powerful Haqqani network dominant in Khost. It could have been a joint operation with Balawi having links to Al Qaeda receiving explosives and some training from the Taliban and then embarking on a mission that was primarily facilitated by the unwary Jordanian and CIA intelligence agents.

It should worry the US and its allies that Muslims the world over find it difficult to trust western nations. This is benefiting the militants and providing justification to their cause. The CIA agents were attacked because they were directing US drone attacks that kill some Al Qaeda and Taliban members and many more civilians in Pakistan’s tribal areas. The fact that Islamic militants from different countries and cultures have been planning and conducting joint operations against western targets should be a matter of concern for the US and its friends. There should be some soul-searching on the part of all sides to the conflict to think of other and preferably peaceful options instead of embarking on revenge and continuing this vicious circle of death and destruction.

The writer is resident editor of The News in Peshawar. Email: rahimyusufzai @yahoo.com

From Mumbai to Kabul, Terror Brotherhood joins hands against Pakistan

-RAW’s SOD Chief operates from Kabul with Brahamdag Bugti’s strategic connivance
-Rajan Gang recruits criminals from Indian prisons, Bugti kidnaps families from Pakistan
-Indian Consulates in Afghanistan emerge as top terror training hubs
-RAW’s Rajan openly confesses variety of terror operations
-Bugti snapped with Indians at Kabul Delhi

RAW’s mafia Don & Special Operations Division Chief Chhota Rajan	The Terror Brotherhood’s main leader Brahamdag Bugti of Balochistan, now in Afghanistan
Recruitment process of criminals by RAW at a prison in India	Chhota Rajan in the custody of Thailand Police after shootout

By Makhdoom Babar (Editor-in-Chief)
(Additional reporting by Christina Palmer in New Delhi, Priyanka Joshi in Mumbai and Jamal Wasifi in Kabul)

Pakistan has emerged as the top anti-terror State in the post 9/11 scenario. Islamic Republic’s army and its top spy agency the Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) have received immense commendations not only by the White House and the Pentagon but from all the elements in the global alliance against terrorism for their achievements to eliminate terrorism and extremism. However, back home, while the country’s top security agency, the ISI is engaged in combating terror and extremism, rival intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of neighboruing India is constantly unleashing terror across the country through unconventional operations and for the purpose, RAW has established a Terror Brotherhood, expanding from India’s Mumbai to Afghanistan’s Kabul the brotherhood operates under the joint command of RAW’s Special Operations Division (SOD) Chief Chhota Rajan and RAW new ally, a former warlord and millitantr leader of Pakistan’s Baluchistan Province, who is absconding in Afghanistan is certified to be staying at Indian Consulate of Kandahar, reveal the latest findings of The Daily Mail

The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that after the 9/11 incident, RAW decided to operate in Pakistan only through its SOD as the SOD comprises the underworld criminals and is otherwise not known to be ‘officially’ associated with RAW as the Indian government wanted to minimize the risks of RAW being exposed for involvement in terror activities in Pakistan through direct operations. The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that for the purpose, the SOD Chief of RAW, Chhota Rajan was sent to be stationed in Afghanistan and was assigned the task of carrying out ‘Special Operations’ across Pakistan. The Daily Mail’s findings reveal that Chhota Rajan, right from the beginning, started establishing close relations with separatist militant leaders of Baluchistan through the RAW funded militant organizations. Rajan later started equipping these organizations and warlords with state-of-the-art military equipment and arms and also brought huge financial packages for them.

The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that RAW enhanced its activities to the maximum by the mid of the 2000 decade which forced the then President and Army Chief of Pakistan to carry out a comprehensive military operation in Baluchistan to flush out the militants and the RAW agents. During this Operation, many militant leaders were either arrested or they managed to escape from the country and landed in the ‘hospitality centers’ of RAW in different parts of the region. During this operation, former Governor and former Chief Minister of Baluchistan and head of the main militant tribe , Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was killed along with some senior army officers of Pakistan army. After the sudden demise of Nawab Bugti, the basic infrastructure of separatists and militants got dismantled while a few, including Brahamdag Bugti, managed to reach in the safe hands of RAW and started a ‘ new life’ in Afghanistan with the blessings of RAW. Bugti, who was much shattered with defeat on the hands of army and ISI, started a new theme to achieve the goals and with the strategic partnership of Chhota Rajan, finally formed a Terror Brotherhood, in 2007, 2008. The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that this Terror Brotherhhod was formed at Kabul with a number of nationalist and separatist militant organizations of Baluchistan, including BLA, BRM BSO etc and certain Hindu extremist organizations, belonging to Sangh Parivar joined hands under the leadership of Chhota Rajan and Brahamdag Bugti. It remains a mystery that despite the fact the Brahamdag Bugti was certified leader of RAW’s Terror Brotherhood and a num,ber criminal cases of heinous nature including the anti-state activities were registered against him, the Pakistani Prime Minsiter Yousaf Reza Gilani announced an unconditional pardon for him but he never returned to Pakistan.

The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that soon after the Terror Brotherhood was formed, two things gained a dramatic turn. In the first move, RAW started recruiting suitable criminals out of the prisoners from different prisons across India for enhancing the strength of SOD in Afghanistan and back in Baluchistan, Bugti’s cronies started kidnapping poor families from different parts of Baluchistan and shifting them ‘safe camps’ in Afghanistan. The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that even the Indian media had pointed out that RAW had suddenly started a quick recruitment project at prisons from amongst the prisoner. New Delhi-based English newspaper Mid Day writes that RAW keep recruiting criminals out of the prisoners but the exercise has touched new horizons for the past couple of years with Chhota Rajan’s goons randomly holding recruitment sessions with the connivance of prison staff.

The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that the increase in suicide bombings and other terror acts in Pakistan touched new heights after the formation of the Terror Brotherhood as Brahamdag and Rajan both jointly evolved a new strategy to target Pakistan under the grab of ongoing wave of terrorism and extremism. Under this new strategy, it was decided that RAW would provide innovative terror plots for Pakistan, with the desires of Brahamdag and Brahamdag would provide human resource or preys to RAW to be used in India to frame Pakistan in different terror dramas.

These findings indicate that Express News, a credible News Channel of Pakistan, in 2009, aired the interview of a “failed suicide bomber”. During the interview, the failed bomber stated that his entire family was kidnapped by the goons of Brahamdag Bugti and taken hostage in some place in Afghanistan. He further stated that he was sent to carry out a suicide bombing in Baluchistan’s capital city under the threat that if he would not carry out the mission , his entire family would be eliminated back in Afghanistan. He said he failed to carry out the mission because a night prior to the mission, the roof of the room where he was staying caved in and he was later arrested along-with suicide jacket. He, on-air confirmed that there were around 3000 people from Baluchistan, being held hostage at the camps of Brahamdag Bugti in Afghanistan for the same purpose while he also confirmed that a lot of Indians would come often to meet Brahamdag Bugti with lot of stuff including weapons and edibles.

The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that Pakistani spy agencies, secretly photographed Brahamdag Bugti meeting the Indian Diplomats at Indian Embassy in Kabul and later him being received and sent off by Indian officials at New Delhi airport and these proofs were handed over to the government.

The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that the terror incidents including attack on Sri Lankan Cricket team at Lahore, attack at Police Training centre at Mannawan (Lahore), attack at Army Headquarters (GHQs), attack on Mosque at military area of Rawalpindi, attack at Moon Market Lahore and sabotage at Karachi’s’ Bolton Market came as part of “innovative” plans of the Terror Brotherhood and the Intelligence agencies have found enough evidences of the involvement of RAW or the Terror Brotherhood. These findings also indicate that Terror Brotherhoods members from Maharashtra-based Indian suicide squads of Aatma Ghataki Pathak are often used in suicide bombings in different parts of Pakistan as many such suicide bomber were later proved being non-Muslims due to circumcision reasons.

The Chhot Rajan Factor

The Daily Mail’s. findings indicate that India’s top Intelligence agency RAW has extended its network of terrorist activities in numerous countries of the region and world through its Organized Crimes Wing code named Special Operations Division (SOD), being headed by agency’s underworld mafia Don Chhota Rajan through whom RAW is carrying out terrorist activities in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, South Africa, Australia, Morocco, Indonesia etc.

Diplomatic sources disclosed to The Daily Mail that the US agencies were constantly monitoring the activities of Indian Intelligence agencies, particularly RAW for quite some time. During this monitoring, these agencies collected the evidences which strongly and clearly indicate that the Indian intelligence agencies had constantly been carrying out terrorist activities in a number of countries of the world while they continue to extend comprehensive support to sponsor the terrorist organizations and extremist groups both within India and across the world. The said reports further highlight that Indian government, a few years back gave RAW the permission to establish a special wing for such activities which was straight away formed with the title of Special Operations Division (SOD). The SOD, according to the said reports, is actually the mafia wing of RAW, which relies on nurturing criminal communities and harbouring underworld Dons and terrorists to run extortion rings, prostitution and gambling rackets, bootlegging operation, drug trafficking, kidnapping for ransom and political activism in many countries. The reports say that the increasing terrorist activities of SOD in the above mentioned countries as well as in Pakistan had now become an issue of a very serious consideration as it is constantly producing specialized terrorist in all parts of the world. The reports say that there were some strong evidences of Indian involvement in the massacre of Nepal’s Royal family when the Nepalese King indicated of minimizing the Indian involvement in Nepal, in 2001. The reports further say that India’s constant support to LTTE militants in Sri Lanka was also something of prime consideration. The reports also indicate presence of terrorist training camps in at least three states of India and recommends an immediate capping of the same as they had become a permanent source of terrorists’ production. These reports also say that SOD has now been commissioning in Afghanistan through Indian diplomatic Missions’ support and there it is operating with an utmost freedom.

Independent investigations by the DMIC disclose that in early 1970s, RAW fell with the late Indian Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi over the issue of financing of the agency’s operations that went well beyond the ambits of the country’s civil law and constitution. Mrs. Gandhi, later, strongly believed that her defeat in the Indian elections of 1970 and coming in power of Murar Ji Desai was orchestrated by RAW. Therefore, when Mrs. Gandhi again took over as Indian Prime Minister in 1980s, she drastically reduced the RAW’s Special Operations’ funds. It was only then that RAW established its shadow division called SOD. As no budgetary provision existed for these sinister designs of RAW, it decided to finance the activities of SOD through underworld operations.

According to The Daily Mail’s investigations RAW’s mafia wing received the real boost after the recruitment of Chhota as the chief of operations. Rajan Nikhalje alis Chhota Rajan’s life began on the streets of Bombay, where he learnt to fight and rob. He entered the world of criminals, black-marketing cinema tickets. After his mentor Barha Rajan’s death, he was handpicked by RAW to become the Barha[big] Rajan’s successor and gang’s don (however, some reports suggest that Barha Rajan had also been working for RAW but under certain limitations). RAW’s patronage gave him virtual immunity from the law enforcing agencies. He aptly expanded the gang’s smuggling gold and narcotics, extortion, gambling, prostitution, contract killings and other racketeering operations. Due to his links with the Shiv Sena’s ideologue Bal Thackeray and his gang’s involvement in anti-Muslim riots in Bombay, Rajan soon came to be known as the Hindu Don in the Bombay’s underworld Rajan later managed to built up a steady business empire around the world acting as front offices for his illegal operations.

The Daily Mail’s investigations reveal that the glamorous world of Bollywood immediately caught Rajan’s attention for easy money extortion from the heroes, heroines, producers, directors and distributors etc., who personify virtues on screen and in real life are an amalgamation of deceit, treachery, conspiracy and temerity. RAW has also always had its eyes on the Indian film industry for various reasons. With Rajan’s coming to the scene Indian film industry soon become RAW’s interest in the Bollywood is the fact that the film media serves as the best possible propaganda tool for the agency not only in India but also abroad including Pakistan. A blatant glorification of Hinduism and an utterly distorted fanatic portrayal of Islam is the common message conveyed through the RAW sponsored movies. Terrorism or “Atankbad” is associated with Muslims even if the main theme is not terrorism the scenes of terrorist are deliberately inserted in the script. These terrorists are mostly dressed in Kashmiri Muslims’ attire. RAW itself produces films under the banner of ZEE Movies and in many other cases extends financial patronage in the making of anti-Pakistan or anti-two-nation theory films like Border, Refugee, Mission Kashmir, Fiza, Zameen, Border Hindustan Kaa, Qayamat etc., According to Pahlaj Nehlani, President of Film Producers Association of India, the underworld lord (Chhota Rajan) demands overseas rights of all good movies without paying a penny. Top movies stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Sharof, Govinda, Mithun Chakaraborty, Johnny Lever, Juhi Chawala, Mundakani, Manesha Koirala and many others have been doing free shows for Chhota Rajan at Dubai, UK, USA and other countries. The entire Bollywood dances to the tunes of Chhota Rajan during the annual funds raising show at Bal Thackeray’s NGO ‘Mukti’ without any charge. Those who dare to resist are left to face the music of Chhota Rajan’s mobsters. Gulshan Kumar of Super Cassettes Industries was assassinated by Chhota Rajan’s ‘enforcers’ because he refused to sell part of his music empire worth Indian rupees 400 crore to the ZEE music Company of RAW. The conspiracy was hatched when a galaxy of Indian movie starts participated in the opening ceremony of Chhota Rajan’s luxury hotel, in Dubai. Rajan’s key man in Dubai Vivekt Goswani conceived the entire plan.

Rakesh Roshan’s car was fired upon in year 2000, for refusing overseas rights of his movie ‘Kaho Na Pyar Hai’ to Chhota Rajan. Roshan made repentance by asking his son Hrithik to sign RAW’s sponsored movie ‘Mission Kashmir’ produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra for less than his usual fee while in many other cases, Indian Showbiz stars were forced to sign anti-Pakistan movies like Zameen, Qayyamat, Border Hindustan Kaa, LOC Kargil,etc., on fairly low rates under threats from Rajan as RAW wanted to minimize its budget for these films but at the same time desired to have leading filmstars in these movies. The Daily Mail’s findings further reveal that for each hit movie, the producers have to pay between rupees 3-5 crore to Chhota Rajan. Cable Operators are also operating with the blessings of Rajan. His brother Deepak runs the company by the name of Cable Cop, which offers film producers protection from Cable Operators who telecast new movies without authorization. According to a senior Bombay police officer Sunil Paraskar, all Deepak does is to give a call to the operators warning them not to telecast the movie for which he has taken protection money, officer Sunil also affirmed that never have the cable operators telecast a new film, produced by ‘ZEE Movies’ (as ZEE Movies enjoys comprehensive RAW protection).

The Daily Mail Investigations reveal that the first assignment abroad given to Rajan by RAW was to develop an underworld network in Nepal. Smuggling had always been a flourishing cottage industry in Nepal, run under the patronage of RAW. The Indian intelligence agency has traditionally relied on the criminal communities in Kathmandu in carrying out its operations in Nepal and using it as a launching pad for subversive activities in other countries of the region and even beyond. Chhota Rajan, a key link in RAW operations, was called to assist RAW in Nepal sometime in the late eighties. Rajan immediately became the linchpin in Nepal’s crime scene. By the early 1990s, Chhota Rajan had put in place a large network of operatives, dealing in materials ranging from gold to narcotics and people smuggling of women from the poor regions of Nepal for sale as prostitutes in Bombay’s brothels and harems of Sheikhs in Middle East.

The DMIC findings reveal that Rajan’s criminal syndicate was, however, challenged by many conscientious Nepalese. One such person was the Nepalese member parliament, Late Mirza Dilshad Beg, belonging to the Muslim minority community. Dilshad Beg’s campaign against rising crime in Nepal at the behest of RAW became a thorn in the latter’s side. Of particular concern to RAW was the private bill to combat organized crime that Mirza Dilshad Beg intended to move in the Nepalese parliament. Rajan was, therefore, instructed by RAW to get rid of Beg immediately, Rohit Verma alias D’Souza, a trusted lieutenant of Rajan, pulled the job of assassinating Beg while the Nepalese parliament was in session. Chhota Rajan took the responsibility of this cold-blooded murder. In his interview with ‘India Today’ and also to another Indian Journal ‘The Week’ the IGP Nepal, Mr. Kharel also confirmed that Chhota Rajan and his gang were behind Dilshad Beg’s murder. DMIC investigations confirm that besides India, Rajan has assets in Nepal, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Kenya, South Africa, Vietnam, Australia, USA and a few European countries. Rajan’s first base outside India and Nepal was Malaysia. Now his associates Babloo Srivastava, Kalia Goga and Guru Satam run the show in Malaysia, while the Singapore circuit has been handed over the Sanjay Khanna by Rajan. Until his assassination in September 2000, Rajan’s right hand Rohit Verma was head of the racket in Thailand. Similarly Ravi Pujari is based in Vietnam and Indonesia to look after the interests over there in yet another direction, The DMIC findings disclose that Pujari works in conjunction with Chhota Rajan in people smuggling of boat people to Australia. His henchman Daya Shetty controls narcotics trafficking from Tangers, Morocco to Spain, France and onwards. His close aide OP Singh runs the New Delhi syndicate whereas none other than Rajan’s own brother Deepak controls the all-important Bombay crime network. Rajan himself until recently was based in Australia where he oversaw the people smuggling operation of illegal immigrants or ‘boat people’ of all nationalities from Indonesia to Australia. The Daily Mail’s Investigations also reveal that Rajan had been exporting Vetch a toxic animal fodder of Australia, exported as Daal Masoor by many Australian exporters to different parts of the world) in association with the Melbourne based Indian exporter Dia Ram Sharma.

The Daily Mail has learnt that Chhota Rjan has been carrying out the RAW mafia operations with remarkable impunity. He always maintained a high profile, giving media interviews boasting his criminal exploit and his gang’s involvement in crime in rosy words. Besides the assassination of Mirza Dilshad Beg, Rajan’s gang carried numerous attacks on their perceived enemies. Chhota Rajan masterminded one such attack in 1995 when he sent four shooters to Dubai and eliminated rival gang members Sawant and Uttam Doifode. Then he sent his top hit men Mangesh Pawar and Vilas Mane to Bangkok and shot dead a rival gang member Anand Panday in his flat. Anand had captured a large chunk of Rajan’s narcotics business in Thailand, which highly offended the fonner. Manesh Pawar was later eliminated by Rajan at Johannesburg (South Africa) as the Thai police had identified and given his photographs to the Interpol. Rajan feared that if arrested Pawar might spill the beans and disclose his trans-national mafia set up in to the Interpol. Then, Rajan’s team attacked Vilas Mane at Amsterdam but he survived.

The Daily Mail’s investigations reveal that Chhota Rajan and Rohit Verma got their retribution when the concerned Vilas Mane joined hands with Satish Jay who had taken over Anand Panday’s gang after the latter’s assassination. Rohit Verma alias D’Souza had established a front office under the cover of a fashionable jeweler shop in Bangkok to provide cover to his illegal operations. Rajan had also established a firm called ‘Daman Import Export Company’ under a fake name of Vijay Daman. The firm gave Rajan a pretext to frequently visit Thailand to monitor his operations in the country. On 15 September 2000, Mane, Jay and their associates attacked Verma’s apartment killing him and severely injuring his wife Sangeeta and Chhota Rajan’s cover and led to the disclosure of his true identity. The Thai police immediately contacted the Indian police authorities through diplomatic channels. Thai police offered to extradite Chhota Rajan to India despite the non-existence of extradition treaty between the two countries as at least 17 cases are registered including 10 for murder against Chhota Rajan in Maharashtra alone and over 100 cases of extortion and murder against Rohit Verma in India. It was Verma’s extortion calls, which helped his assassins, trace him through CLI. However, the Thais were surprised by the lukewarm response of the Indian authorities to get their hands on one of the most proclaimed offenders and one of their other wise most wanted criminal of the country. At first the Indians announced the sending of a four-man police team to Bangkok to establish Chhota Rajan’s credentials. But the Indian Ministry of External Affairs stopped the team at the last moment. Owning to lack of persuasion of the case by the Indians, the Thais left Rajan off with a minor fine for entering the country under a false name and deported him. Contrary to the usual practice of deporting illegal foreigners to the country of their origin, the Thais deported Chhota Rajan to Vietnam at the special request of Indian government. The Thai Immigration Police Chief Lt General Hemraj Theerarhai confirmed in an interview what “Rajan was released because the Indians did not want that the cases against him be pursued”.

According to The Daily Mail’s findings, Rajan has been advised by RAW to keep a low profile for the moment as this assassination attempt on him in Bangkok has brought him to an unwanted international spotlight. There has been also a lot of hue and cry in India over the government’s indifference to bring Chhota Rajan to justice when an opportunity was provided. The CPM India criticized and strongly condemned the Union Ministries of Home and External Affairs for squandering the valuable opportunity of bringing him to India. Meanwhile Rajan’s top aides Satam, OP Singh, Dhia Shetty and Ravi Pujari had been extorting ‘bhaints’ (sacrificial money) from the businessmen in their circuits on the pretext that “Nana Ghayal Hai, Paisa Do” (maternal grandfather [Godfather] is injured give money). The Daily Mail has also learnt that many ASEAN countries and Australia have strongly protested to India for harbouring criminals and mobster like Chhota Rajan and launching them abroad to run mafia rings in their countries. It seems likely that to cover its mafia creations and owing to new developments as well as US attention in this direction, RAW might be contemplating to get rid of Chhota Rajan. It would be of interest as to whom the RAW would select as his successor. However, it is for sure that the said SAARC States are likely ask Delhi to bring an end to these terror patronizing.

Rajan is now in Afghanistan, heading the Terror Brotherhood to unleash terror in Pakistan for the past few years and plans to do the same in China via Xinjiang province. The Pakistan government has been given all the proofs about the RAW involvement in Pakistan through Rajan’s Terror brotherhood but it is yet to be seen when is the government going to take up the matter with new Delhi as well as Washington.