MOSCOW BOMBINGS - FOOTPRINTS IN PAKISTAN

Black Widows from Chechnya were responsible for the Moscow blasts. Hence Islamists in Chechnya were responsible.

That is a Level 1 understanding of the events. As usual, there is more to it than meets the eye.



The ISI, Lashkar e Taiba (LeT), CIA and Chechnya – a short historical tour.



Shamil Basayev, the then “young” Chechen field commander (year = 1994) caught the attention of the Pakistani intelligence stationed in the neighboring oil rich Azerbaijan, where about 1500 Afghan mujahideen under the command of Pakistani officers were fighting Armenians to reclaim for Azeris the rebel Armenian enclave of Nagorno Karabakh. In April 1994, ISI arranged for Basayev and his trusted lieutenants to undergo intensive Islamic indoctrination and training in guerrilla warfare in the Khowst province of Afghanistan at Amir Muawia camp, run by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. In July 1994, Basayev was transferred to LASHKAR e TAIBA (LeT) camp in Muridke to undergo training in advanced guerrilla tactics. In Pakistan, Basayev met the highest ranking Pakistani military and intelligence officers: Minister of Defense Gen. Aftab Shahban Mirani, Minister of Interior Gen. Maseerullah Babbar, and head of ISI branch in charge of supporting Islamic causes, Gen. Javed Ashraf (now all retired).

(NOTE – THE ROLE OF GULBUDDIN HEKMATYAR and LeT and ISI)

That same summer, Pak backed Taliban offensive against the government of Iran backed President of Afghanistan, Burhanuddin Rabbani, threatened to cut the Chenchen drug trade. After personal intervention of Gen Babbar and the ISI, Taliban and government forces allowed shipments of Chechen drugs through their lines while they were slitting each other’s throats.

One of the most prominent Pakistani nationals Abu Abdulla Jafa, along with Basayev and Jordanian born Afghan veteran Khattab organized a terrorist academy in Chechnya. The ISI also deputed 9 trainers of the rank of Captain and subedars (NCO) to train the Chechen guerrillas in urban and mountain warfare.

(NOTE: Role of ISI directly into Chechnya)

Abu Abdulla Jafa was a career officer of Pakistan’s elite Northern Light Infantry Brigade and the tactical mastermind behind Basayev’s invasions into Dagestan.

Fighters from an ISI battalion of Afghan mujahedeen stationed in Peshawar were also dispatched to Chechnya in late 1994 to bolster the Pakistani-Chechnya detachments. In 1997, several hundreds of Chechens were trained in ISI sponsored camps. These training programs continued till 2001. Islamabad continues to support the Chechen rebels.

Basayev formed common cause with ISI and Al-Qaeda – establishing independent Islamic regimes in Muslim majority states of Russian Caucus. Pakistan’s overall strategic goal in Central Asia is intricately linked with the oil / gas resources in the Caspian Sea zone.

And CIA is not averse to the idea. Remember how US tried to broker oil deals through Unocal and Taliban – well, the idea continues in the different context today. Today, it is perhaps the turn of the “Good Taliban” who will grant the US access to the rich Yolotan-Osman gas reserves and beyond and Pakistan the warm water ports.

Cut to present:

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar continues to give 50% of his earnings to Chechen fighters.

In its infinite wisdom Washington has understood that to win in Afghanistan, it has to kill off some of the top echelons of Al – Qaeda and then withdraw after cobbling together a government in Kabul that will be friendly towards USA.

This widom made Washington initiate dialogue with the veteran mujahid, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of the Hezb-i-Islami Afghanistan (HIA), through his longtime lieutenant, Abedi. Abedi is an Afghan-American

(NOTE: Prominent jehadist Hekmatyar’s go between is comfortably based in Los Angeles).

Other than Chenchen terrorists, Central Asia has seen most turmoil unleashed by Hizbut Tahrir members – whose headquarters are based in the UK.

(Note : HuT is based out of UK).

US, UK, ISI, Hekmatyar – any one or in any combination could have used their connections to use Black Widows to bomb the Moscow subway.

There are many reasons to bomb the Russians at this juncture – some are:

1. Russia’s growing clout in Central Asia
2. Oil pipelines through Chechnya . It sits atop Georgia that is seeking an accelerated membership to NATO.
3. Playing spoiler for NATO forces in Afghanistan
4. Russia asking for eradication of poppy in Afghanistan and NATO / US not backing as they are all in the game
5. Russia’s growing proximity to Venezuela
6. Russia and China devouring Central Asian gas at the cost of the Europenas

And many more. This story will unfold its many layers and ultimate backers. That Pakistan had a role to play is without a shred of doubt as will be uncovered in the coming days.

Blame may shift to Al-Qaeda. The world will learn soon that tactical planning for Al-Qaeda comes out of Pakistan Army HQ in Rawalpindi. Two of Pakistan's top commandos are now senior leaders in terrorist outfits:

1. Ilyas Kashmiri is military commander of Lashkar al Zil, the Al Qaeda military wing
2. Zaki ur Rahman Lakhvi is the military commander of Lashkar e Taiba (LeT)

Al Qaeda = Pakistan Army = LeT in various guises.

Syed Shahzad of Asia Times also commented in his article : PAKISTAN ROOTS TO MOSCOW ATTACKS and mentions: Well-placed contacts within jihadi circles confirm to Asia Times Online that the attackers were in all probability from the North Caucasus, but add that they could have been trained in Pakistan as part of a broad plan that al-Qaeda has been working on for many years - to stir unrest across Central Asia.

Mr Shahzad - you and I disagree on the extent of Pakistan military complicity and penetration in Al-Qaeda.

Mr Shahzad you mention in the same article and I quote : "As top al-Qaeda ideologues see it, the map of ancient Khurasan (comprising the present Central Asian republics, parts of Afghanistan, parts of Iran and parts of Pakistan) would be revived. Victory here would then lead to the "end-of-time battles" in the Middle East." Funnily Mr Shahzad, the road to Khurasan as you mention, starts with GHAZWATUL HIND and here the objectives of ISI, LeT, Taliban and Pakistan Army are intertwined. Ergo : Al Qaeda objectives = Pakistan Army objectives. The game of deceit goes on

3 SERVING PAKISTANI OFFICERS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN MUMBAI 26/11

VINOD MEHTA

According to Outlook newsmagazine editor-in-chief Vinod Mehta, the involvement of the Pakistani Army officers proves their “direct link” with the terror carnage in India’s commercial and financial capital in 2008 that left 166 people dead, including foreigners.

“David Headley has confessed to the involvement of serving Pakistani Army officers in 26/11,” Mehta told CNN-IBN news channel.

“Of them, three are serving and one is retired,” he said, adding it showed the “direct link” of the Pakistani Army with the terror strike that shook the country.

“Col. Shah (Pakistani Army officer) was on the other side of the telephone line (keeping in touch with the 26/11 terrorists),” Mehta told the television channel.

According to Outlook, the Pakistani-American terror suspect Headley has reportedly identified Major Sayeed, Major Iqbal, Major Sameer and Colonel Shah as the officers involved in the 26/11 attacks.



The following article © OUTLOOK MAGAZINE and is written by their correspondent SAIKAT DATTA. Article : THE ASSET MANAGERS

What Headley Has Told the Americans

1. Out of the four Pakistani handlers involved in 26/11, identified as A, B, C and D in the court documents relating to Headley’s arrest, three are serving Pakistani army officials—Colonel Shah, Major Sameer and Major Iqbal.

2. Headley has told US investigators that he received training in combat and tactical operations, counter-surveillance methods and weapons-handling from the Lashkar-e-Toiba in Pakistan between 2002-06.

3. Headley has said he carried out a survey of the landing points on the Mumbai coast and collected the GPS coordinates that would be used by Kasab & co to land from the sea for the assault on targets in Mumbai.

4. Headley conducted reconnaissance of all the key targets so that the terrorists could be given location-specific training. His inputs provided intelligence to the LeT, enabling them to prepare a concise attack plan.

5. Intelligence sources say Headley has also revealed that he developed links with Al Qaeda through HuJI operative Ilyas Kashmiri, a former Pakistani army commando, in meetings in Waziristan in 2009.

For 10 years, Daood Sayed Gilani existed only in the shadows, quietly travelling between India, Pakistan and the United States, building his links with the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba. Ideally, Gilani should have shown up on the radar of the Indian or US intelligence communities during his extensive tours in India. That didn’t happen because on February 16, 2006, Gilani virtually ceased to exist. He was now officially David Coleman Headley.

Arrested on October 3 last year, Headley’s journey and his central role in the planning of the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai had initially confounded Indian intelligence. But his plea bargain now in the North district court of Illinois and subsequent confessions have helped Indian investigators piece together a key element of the 26/11 puzzle, adding further credence to the suspicion that it was conducted with the help of the Pakistani intelligence establishment.

While the broad contours of Headley’s confessions have been made public, US intelligence has also shared some sensitive material with their Indian counterparts through official channels, which has proved to be a breakthrough in the 26/11 probe.

Some of the key information the US has shared with India is:

Headley has accepted he had four Pakistani handlers. While one has been identified as retired army officer Major Abdul Rahman Hashim Sayeed, the identity of the others had not been disclosed. Indian investigators told Outlook that Headley has confessed that the other three were serving Pakistani army officers. Headley has identified them as Major Iqbal, Major Sameer and Colonel Shah. While the names could be pseudonyms, it has confirmed that the handlers were serving army officials. This is the first evidence of official Pakistani involvement in the 26/11 attacks. In fact, American prosecutors refer to the handlers as “A, B, C and D”. The person identified as ‘A’ is believed to be Colonel Shah of the Pakistan army.

Headley has also accepted his role in the 26/11 terror strike and has confirmed that he conducted extensive surveillance of the targets. Having attended three LeT training capsules between 2002-06, Headley used his extensive tactical military knowledge to brief the 10 terrorists who attacked Mumbai. He had also visited the Taj Mahal and Trident hotels and mapped both of them from a tactical point of view. His maps and videos helped the LeT in training the terrorists who knew precise locations of hotel rooms, possible entry and exit points that could be used by Indian security forces to launch a counter-offensive and also helped identify the best areas in the hotels where explosives could be detonated to cause maximum casualties and damage.

The landing points and the Mumbai coastline was also surveyed by Headley. Armed with a GPS, Headley hired a boat in the summer of 2008 and, after sailing along the Mumbai coast, fed in the coordinates that would help the terrorists to come ashore. Headley ruled out three landing points and finally settled on the area next to Badhwar Park for the terrorists to come into Mumbai and then spread out. The coordinates supplied by Headley helped the terrorists landing from the sea pinpoint the two hotels, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Nariman House where the Jewish organisation, Chabad, had its headquarters. Armed with the coordinates, the terrorists knew exactly where to head for after they landed at Badhwar Park.

Headley also worked with two key HuJI and LeT operatives—Ilyas Kashmiri and Zaki-ur-Rahman ‘Lakhvi’, both former Pakistani army commandos. Lakhvi became the chief of operations for the LeT and put the final plan together. He also used the extensive footage and tactical details Headley had provided to train the assault team. After the 26/11 attack, Headley met up with Kashmiri again in the summer of 2009 in Waziristan to plan further attacks.

Headley and his handlers were planning another terrorist strike in India, possibly in the latter part of 2009. While popular belief is that the Pune blasts had a Headley hand, Indian investigators have ruled this out. However, the new attack could have been deferred by the LeT in the aftermath of Headley’s arrest.

For Indian intelligence, Headley’s revelations are in many ways a game-changer. This is the first evidence of the spreading global reach of the LeT, which now includes terrorists from western backgrounds using US travel documents. Indian visa rules are very specific that any person of Pakistani origin has to be checked out thoroughly before a visa is granted to visit India.

In Headley’s case, he managed to hide the fact that his father was a Pakistani in the documents submitted to the Indian consulate in Chicago. No surprise then that Headley was granted a multiple-entry business visa enabling him to travel to India several times between 2006-08. What now worries security officials is the possibility of more Americans or Britishers (with or without Pakistani links) visiting India who could be part of the LeT’s global terror network.

However, even with all this shared information, there has been a rift between Indian intelligence and their US counterparts. While India had granted FBI officials full access to Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist caught alive in the 26/11 attack, no such access was given to an Indian security team that travelled to the US earlier this year.

This has raised doubts on whether Headley had also been working for the Americans in some covert capacity before he turned rogue. Indian officials feel that Headley’s name-change was facilitated by US intelligence to help him work with the LeT. “The Americans were probably running Headley as their asset to gather more information about the LeT and its leadership without realising that he had ‘turned’,” a senior Indian security official told Outlook.

Intelligence officials also point out that Headley had lied to the authorities that his father’s name was “William Headley”. The son of a Pakistani diplomat, Sayyid Salim Gilani, Headley had wiped clean his Pakistani links which, say Indian intelligence officials, could have only been done with the help of the Americans. The fact that Headley also managed to return to Pakistan after each visit to India to brief his handlers has also caused consternation in Indian security circles. This is another indication of the Americans probably helping Headley in a bid to infiltrate the LeT’s ranks.

Five Questions India Wants To Ask Headley

1. Are there more terror accomplices of western origin with American or British passports/travel documents working with the Lashkar-e-Toiba or any other homegrown terror outfit in India?

2. Is the LeT planning another attack against India based on the intelligence gathered by Headley during his trips in India? If so, what are the targets?

3. Who are the serving or retired Pakistani officers that Headley dealt with during his visits to Pakistan? What role do they play within the LeT and are they still active?

4. Did Headley work with terror cells in India during his stay here and if so, where are they located and what was the nature of their interface?

5. What are the names of the LeT members who planned the 26/11 assault on Mumbai, and also details of other actionable intelligence?

But the one question which has the Indian security establishment most worried is whether US intelligence knew beforehand about the 26/11 attack. “The Americans did share a few intercepts and intelligence that an attack was coming. But did they know what Headley knew?” an official with the ministry of home affairs asks. Could it be that they had not informed the Indian intelligence agencies in detail so as to save their own man?

(BuA: Or let the operation run to unearth more skeletons in Pakistan Army closet which can then be used by the US to turn the screws on them - and I think this is exactly what is happening. To turn the screws ONLY to benefit the USA and not India or anyone else !)

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), set up after 26/11, conducted a meticulous investigation based on the inputs given by the Americans. They have unearthed details of Headley’s travels in India and also gathered evidence that corroborates the US investigation. However, with the American authorities refusing to share the tapes of Headley’s communications with his Pakistani handlers prior to his arrest—which had been intercepted by the US National Security Agency—the Indian security establishment has been left in a disadvantaged position. “We could have matched them with the voice samples intercepts we have from the 26/11 attack. That would have clinched the case for us,” a security official noted.

In fact, Colonel Shah (or handler “A”) is believed to be one of the four Pakistanis who was calling in tactical instructions to the terrorists during the Mumbai assault. Incidentally, Headley has confessed that the terrorists had been instructed to “fight to the death” and had “remained in telephonic contact with LeT Member A during the attacks”.

While India will continue to use all diplomatic and legal channels available to get access to Headley, security officials note with growing concern the growing evidence of Headley’s links with Al Qaeda through the LeT. This has confirmed a long-standing suspicion within the Indian intelligence community that the LeT and Al Qaeda share a strategic and seamless relationship, waiting to strike again when the time is right.
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BuA endnote: Read my article written in DECEMBER 2009 : HEADLEY IS AN INTELLIGENCE ASSET OF THE US THAT DID NOT (REPEAT NOT) GO ROGUE !!

PAK DAYDREAM - WAKE UP CALL

Shekhar Gupta writes on Pakistan: When policy is left to a tiny soldier-spook cabal, you get the kind of disaster that has followed each such moment in the subcontinent’s history. Pakistan’s larger tragedy, in fact, is that its strategy has often been crafted by purely tactical minds (read Military) . That is not how great nations function: their strategy is devised by strategists and implemented by tacticians.

On Water: The new turn in the Pakistani Establishment, the Kayani speech, the water non-paper and the sudden and brazen re-surfacing of Hafiz Saeed (exhorting Pak military line that India is drying up Pakistan by witholding water) are to be fully understood in this context.

Shekhar Gupta writing elsewhere states if Pakistan were to take over Kashmir, they will not be able to give an extra ounce of water more than what India is sharing with it today. Primary cause is that Punjab region is Pakistan is using up the lion's share of water coming in from Kashmir and they are not distributing it to its other provinces. Blaming India suits its purpose but cant blind the people of Pakistan for long.



Look at this map - the importance of Kashmir, its dams and waters become important. If India were to truly turn the tap off, Pakistan will become a desert as Hamid Gul predicted.

THE FULL ORIGINAL ARTICLE (c) SHEKHAR GUPTA - INDIAN EXPRESS:

There is a phenomenon peculiar to the Pakistani Establishment, that unique combination of its army, intelligence agencies and bureaucracy that constitutes its permanent government, and therefore spelt with a capital “E”. Every 10 or 12 years, it starts believing that it is winning. Winning what, how and to what effect, are not facts it wants to be confused with. It just believes, at that particular moment, that it is “winning” against India. This is when the foundation of an impending disaster is laid. Unfortunately, if you’ve been exasperated at the sudden turn in the Pakistani Establishment’s conduct, you have to understand that they are currently caught in the throes of another such irrational euphoria. They again think they are “winning”.

The first phase of madness was 1947-48, that led to the invasion of Kashmir and ruined our relationship at the very start. The next came along with our war with China which, they thought, was a wonderful time again to seize Kashmir, through negotiated, US/UK-backed blackmail (India was desperately seeking American military aid then) and, when that failed, through war against a recently “defeated” army. That led to the misadventure of 1965. That moment of madness came yet again in 1971, when they misread the significance of their emergence as the link between Nixon’s America and China to mean that they had a superpower shield and could crush the revolt in their eastern half as brutally as they wished. They lost half of Pakistan.


Then, almost exactly 12 years later they saw another “wonderful” opportunity in India’s Punjab, with rising Sikh militancy. This was just the moment to wage a war of a thousand cuts they were perfecting along with the Americans in Afghanistan. That phase of belligerence was put down only after the reality check of the Operation Brasstacks standoff in 1987. But check the IMF/ World Bank figures of annual economic growth. It is around this time that Pakistan permanently lost the sizeable edge it had maintained against India in terms of economic growth. In 1993, again, came the next moment of the same “we are winning” illusion, because of troubles in our Kashmir and the victory of the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. A full-fledged

“Jehad” was launched in Kashmir, the consequences of which we are all facing till today. I would treat Kargil and the Kandahar hijack as part of the same continuing madness and it was all cut short by 9/11. Almost a decade after Kargil now, you see the same Establishment believe that they are “winning”. Our challenge, therefore, is to assess what is causing this “winning” feeling in Islamabad/ Pindi and what disaster, for Pakistan, and collaterally for us, this could lead to.

If you want to put a date to the beginning of this new mood, it would perhaps be Obama’s West Point address when he nearly set a deadline for the US withdrawal. The Pakistani GHQ read it as American acceptance of the unwinnability of the Afghan war. This was the window of critical relevance they were looking for. This lifted for them the shadow of 26/11. If Obama wanted to leave any time next year, it could only be after striking some kind of a deal with a faction of the Taliban. Only Pakistan could bring about that deal, and also guarantee the future conduct of the new regime. In one stroke then, this will give Pakistan a diplomatic indispensability to the Americans while they are here, and strategic depth once they are gone. That new position could then be leveraged by demanding a settlement of basic, “root-causes” issues with India, sidelining the problem of the India-specific Lashkars. The new turn in the Pakistani Establishment, the Kayani speech, the water non-paper and the sudden and brazen re-surfacing of Hafiz Saeed are to be fully understood in this context.

To be fair, most civilian politicians in Pakistan do not share this illusion, but at this point they count for nothing. Similarly the civil society, the free, moderate and modern sections of the media would be seriously concerned by this. But Pakistan’s political class and civil society have been greatly undermined in the past year, and some of the blame for that lies at the doors of its feuding president and prime minister. When policy is left to a tiny soldier-spook cabal, you get the kind of disaster that has followed each such moment in the subcontinent’s history. Pakistan’s larger tragedy, in fact, is that its strategy has often been crafted by purely tactical minds. That is not how great nations function: their strategy is devised by strategists and implemented by tacticians. But that is a problem the people of Pakistan and its civil society will solve, though in the course of time.

So how should we deal with this new situation? First of all, keep engaging with Pakistan. It is a process that would have been much more effective had it been resumed three months earlier, but still, build on that first meeting. Second, look for where your leverage lies in the region’s new reality. This entire new daydream is predicated upon the Americans being able to fight with some degree of effectiveness for another year or so, so they could find a faction of the Taliban willing to settle. Obama cannot leave Afghanistan as Nixon had fled Vietnam. To fight effectively, he needs every platoon of the forces the Pakistanis had re-deployed to the west from their classical eastern, India-facing posture. This has also been made possible by some Indian cooperation. For example, if India had moved even one division towards the border after 26/11, this entire game would have been upset. India now has to let the Americans and the British know that if there is another major terror attack, it may just be constrained to return to its traditional counter-terror gambit, of threatening Pakistan with a conventional response. Just a division, a few squadrons of multi-role aircraft moved westwards would have the Pakistanis rolling back all the divisions from their west to the east. This is the last thing Obama wants, and this is our most important leverage. He cannot be allowed to take our vital interests for granted.

Of course, this has to be accompanied by one more correction: the end of the six-year complacence on modernising our conventional defence. While it is fashionable to credit nuclear weapons with ensuring peace in the region, the fact is, it was the deterrence of a swift and withering conventional response that kept the Pakistani adventurists in check since 1987. In the past six years that edge has been allowed to erode, and when Manmohan Singh looks back he will be honest enough to acknowledge that as his government’s biggest failure on national security. What kind of country living in such a dangerous neighbourhood returns Rs 10,000 crore of its defence acquisition budget unspent? If Manmohan Singh can simply start fixing that and also let the Americans know that another 26/11 may, just may, see a different response from us, it would be a fine strategic response to this new challenge. It may even ensure peace in the region.

INDIA & ISRAEL LOOK ON AS USA WOOS THE ISLAMISTS

With its traditional all weather friendship ties with Israel, the US has courted controversy and ill will in the Islamic world inspite of its close ties with S Arabia, Oman, Kuwait etc. Those were seen by the Arab world as purely a lust for oil.

US’s ties with Pakistan was also a necessity brought about by its proximity to China (Nixon’s famous visit to open up China to US though Pakistan) and then to drive out the Red forces from Afghanistan.

If you read my earlier article on Sir Olaf Caroe, it will become immensely clear the great game strategy has been to never have:

a) Russia come anywhere near Afghanistan
b) India to have any shared borders with Afghanistan

If that were so, Russia would have access to warm waters and oil and gas contracts to not only Europe (which it already does) but to the lucrative markets of India, China and the rest of the world. The Central Asian oil and gas is at stake.

Three important points:

1. Dick Cheney and Rumsfeld wanted to sell US Nuclear Reactors to IRAN in 1976 - and now in 2008 they want to bomb "suspected" nuclear reactors. The greed to give US Nuclear Reactors to Iran - a country flush in natural oil & gas will need a new definition for the word "greed".

2. The then US Assistant Secy of State for South Asian Affairs, ROBIN RAPHAEL went on to state – “The Taliban capture of Kabul is a POSITIVE STEP.” On December 4th 1997, the representatives of Taliban were invited guests at the Texas headquarters of UNOCAL to negotiate support for the pipeline.

3. In Condi and the boys, Russel Baker states: "George Shultz, who was on the board of Chevron, introduced her to Chevron's chairman and CEO, who took her to lunch and, Shultz said, "inside of fifteen minutes concluded that she would make a terrific board member." She was a good choice. Chevron was engaged in a $10 billion oil-field development project with Kazakhstan, and Rice, who happened to know its president, traveled to Kazakhstan for Chevron in 1992. She turned thirty-eight years old that year. In the following year Chevron named a 129,000-ton supertanker the SS Condoleezza Rice."

The US politicians always viewed the world from the narrow context of unipolarity, domination, oil, commerce and ruthless self-interest.

It is these very same principles that it driving its current policies in Asia and the Islamic world. With its superpower status diminishing and loathe to give space to either Russia or China, the US is courting the Islamic world. Also factored in this is the ruthless calculation and a message to the Islamists – this hand of friendship lasts as long as mainland USA is safe from terrorism. Message implicit to Islamic nations is – play your regional games as long as it does not hurt US interests in the region. Which is why LeT is often given a cursory glance by these same US friends of ours.

US is hence, by default, re-setting its ties with Israel and India – its traditional so called allies – democracies in the sea of despotic nations. But democracy means balderdash to the US, as it eyes the globe in its prism.

Hence Pakistan gets pivotal role to Afghanistan, India gets short changed. It tries, a bit late, to talk to Putin and the Iranians to start the old troika support to Northern Alliance elements. India may be a bit late. Pakistan has managed to get a lot of support from many of the erstwhile Northern Alliance groups. Pakistan has managed its relationship with Iran with finesse and its playing the US to the galleries.

India has, by toeing the US line blindly, axed its own feet by supporting Abdullah Abdullah who ran against Hamid Karzai. Karzai was an ardent Indian supporter and India stabbed this good relationship simply to please the US. Our foreign policy is in the hands of politicians who have been bought out by highest bidders and national security is an alien word to them.

Not even bringing to the table discussions on the armaments that US is supplying to Pakistan ostensibly to fight the Taliban, but every security analyst worth his salt knows its ultimate target is INDIA.

So much so that the latest Kabul blasts had US special represenative to Af-Pak Holbrooke commenting : “Indians were not the target of the killing” – when it was anything but so, as later LeT & Pakistan’s role came out (probably with even US blessings).

The US went out of its way to erase the role Pakistan played in 9/11. Read it here: BEFORE THE NEXT 9/11 - PAY THE SENATORS OFF!!

AND THE LATEST - PAKISTAN A NUCLEAR PROLIFERATOR - A Q KHAN A LeT & AL - QAEDA TERRORIST - NOT A PROBLEM SAYS THE USA

US says it is open to nuke deal with Pakistan - The idea that Pakistan deserves its own nuclear deal to overcome a trust deficit with the United States was first proposed by Georgetown University academic Christine Fair. "More so than conventional weapons or large sums of cash, a conditions-based civilian nuclear deal may be able to diminish Pakistani fears of US intentions while allowing Washington to leverage these gains for greater Pakistani cooperation on nuclear proliferation and terrorism," Fair argued in a newspaper article earlier this year.



Israel gets shortchanged just as the bunker busting missiles were being delivered. Debka reports: Shortly after Vice President Joe Biden's Israel visit ended on March 11 in high dudgeon over the approval 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem, US president Barack Obama ordered a consignment of Joint Direct Attack Munition- JDAM already on its way to Israel to be diverted to the US Air Force base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. This step is the pointer to a US arms embargo for preventing Israel attacking Iran's nuclear sites. A lot of US angst is happening publicly over Israel’s policy on resettlements etc.

Israel has to deal with Russian misadventure too – regarding sale of S-300 anti aircraft missiles to Iran. Mossad managed to avert a potential disaster in the making had these missiles managed to land in Iran. Telegraph UK reports: “Russia's Kommersant daily cited a senior Kremlin source. The revelation appeared to support maritime and military experts who have claimed the ship was carrying S-300 anti-aircraft missiles for Iran, that Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, found out, and that the Kremlin was given time and space to stop the delivery and cover it up in order to save face.”

The public posturing and ground realities with two of its closest democratic nations makes it amply clear that US is out to woo the Islamists for its Great Game. And largely India and to a lesser degree Israel will have to fend for themselves in the ensuing tragedy that is yet to unfurl.

When will India learn – US is a mistress that seduces with the promise of a huge orgasm – which never comes and will never in future either!!

US SAVES PLOTTER OF 26/11 - AGAIN

Small article now as details of plea bargain that Headley has entered into is awaited. In the meanwhile read my earlier blog on this article and why this is not a shock to me at all - imagine if we held a 9/11 plotter in India and reduced his sentence and entered into a plea bargain without informing the USA ...

The older article: HEADLEY IS AN INTELLIGENCE ASSET OF THE US THAT DID NOT (REPEAT NOT) GO ROGUE !!

THREE EARLIER ARTICLES - DO READ:

1) MICHAEL VICKERS - A VERY IMPORTANT MAN (Written : Dec 2008)
2) SO, YOU THINK AMERICANS WILL HELP INDIA - WAKE UP !! (Written : Dec 2008)
3) IS PAKISTAN DOUBLE DEALING OR IS IT THE USA ? (Written: June 2009)

PAKHTOON VS PUNJAB (PAK) DEBATE

I came across this rather interesting debate between a Pakhtoon and a Pak Punjabi and was in the blog: VOICE OF THE PASHTUN LAND PART 2 OF THE DEBATE IS ALSO ATTACHED BELOW.

However, before you read the article, I will suggest you read about the guy ZAID HAMID - after all I stumbled upon this interesting blog after reading about him, how Zaid Hamid's butt was kicked by the Pakhtoons in Islamia University in Peshawar. My article : ZAID HAMID OF BRASSTACKS, PAKISTAN - DEFENSE ANALYST OR CHARLATAN OR DELUSIONAL? (Read some comments too !!)

THE ARTICLE:

This is a debate between a Punjabi (PAKISTAN) friend (P) and myself (A).It emcompasses some important points between the Afghans/Pashtuns and Punjabis on various issues. (NOTE A = PAKHTOON PERSON)
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P)When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, India was fully supporting the Russians, and in fact there was Indian intelligence presence in Afghanistan.

A) Indian support for Russia during Afghan war was very justified. India is a respectable member of N.A.M and has been anti imperialists so was the Dr Najib’s govt.While Pakistan’s support of USA was just for US dollars. Every one knows it and admits it. There is so much literature on it. What Pakistan gained from supporting US in Afghan war.Nothing.It was just Chowdry Zia act to strengthen and legitimise his regime. It gave death, destruction and Kalashnikov culture to Pakistan. Ask Punjabi journalists. Even they have admitted it. Ask Nazir Naji about Ojri camp.Ask that stereotype Brig Imam. Even these criminals admit that in the long run Pakistan did not gain anything. Have a heart in addition to a brain.
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P) India was secretly funding, supporting the terrorist organization BLA in Pakistan's Baluchistan province, India was once again playing the same game it played before during the 1971 war, they basically wanted to break away Baluchistan from Pakistan by supporting a separatist insurgency. So this is why we Pakistanis get worried when india comes into Afghanistan.We shouldn't forget that it was india who funded the terrorist group "Mukhti Bahini" in East Pakistan and then finally violated and crossed the international border of East Pakistan with its army.So you tell me, how can we let this same enemy into Afghanistan? Especially when india funded BLA in 1980's?

A) BLA is a freedom fighter organization against the illegal occupation of Punjab. Every man of conscience should support it. Visit ww.Balochwarna.com to read about it so that your wrong assumptions and misconceptions are cleared.Shaikh Mujib was the bone of contention in the eyes of the then military and that is why his Freedom movement which succeeded is disliked by the Punjabis. Bengal is free now.Balochistan, Pakhtunkhwa and Sind are in line.
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P) India funded MQM criminals and thugs.

A) MQM was the product of your beloved ISI and army under Chowdry Zia to counter People's party.
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P) Today BLA has once again been brought back from the dustbin of History ever since America allowed india into Afghanistan. Many sophisticated weaponry and communications devices have been captured from TTP and BLA insurgents, now where are they getting enough cash to buy all this? simple, their indian agents in Afghanistan have got them covered.

A) Why is that Pakistan approves of Taliban in Afghanistan and not in Pakistan? The reason is that Afghan Taliban are their puppets, the puppets of military and ISI,Naseerullah Babar and Colonel Sultan Tarar aka Col Imam. Pakistan hates TTP because one faction among them has turned against the banana state. How much double standards these are. When Pakistan army and agencies make Afghans orphan by their terrorist activities then they are happy and when the families of Punjabis are affected Pakistan start ranting against TTP - who were initially Pakistan's own product. What a shame?
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P) I have no problem with Afghans, your my brothers and sisters, but ever since Afghan governments in the past began to intervene in Indo-Pak conflict we had no choice but to resort to supporting groups such as Taliban.

A) Pakistan has always intervened into the affairs of Afghanistan on the contrary.What a state of denial are you in?
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P) Regarding Iran, once again our problem with Iran is about regional strategic depth. Iran has helped india numerous times before, and even now they are a little doubtful of Pakistan. But Pakistan has been improving its relations with Iran lately, we helped them capture Jundullah leader and both nations are going to finalise the Iran-Pakistan-China oil pipeline.

A) I agree Pakistan has improved relations with Iran and have also committed proliferation as you admitted yourself. This is what exactly world is concerned about. Iran’s theocratic govt is as fanatic as your fundamentalist parties like JUI, JI, Tablighi Jummat which have been the nurseries of extremism and terrorism.
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P) Pakistan is trying its best to stabilize Afghanistan today, we want both Karzai, Northern Alliance, and Taliban to merge together and form a strong and friendly Afghanistan that will stay neutral in Pakistan-india conflict.

A) No one has asked Pakistan to stabilise Afghanistan. It should first stabilise herself then should think about others. Have you established " Khilafata Rashida" of Taliban in Pakistan which you suggest to Afghanistan?.Afghanistan is not the client state of Pakistan.Afghanistan will decide for herself whether to become a party or keep nuetral in conflict according to her national interests.
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P) We can't have a Afghanistan that the indians will use against us because this will force us to fight on two fronts, Afghanistan and on the other front india's million man army. We don't have resources and economy to fight such a war.

A) Afghanistan is a sovereign state established 200 years earlier than Pakistan [revised version 1971].Pakistan has no right to dictate her policies or install their puppets like Taliban and Hikmatyar type of ISI stooges there.
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P) India doesn't care about Afghan blood, they only want to destroy Pakistan, heck while Pakistan was helping to negotiate peace between Taliban and Karzai, india was begging America to stay in Afghanistan for few more years and not negotiate with Taliban.

A) India has helped Afghanistan in Infrastructure and other fields being the world growing economy and a world fastest IT resource hub for the whole world. Pakistan on the contrary is the hub of terrorists and suicide bombers and has been involved in killing and genocide of Pashtuns and Afghans for the last 30 years.
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P) I've grown up in America, so I am western educated (not Pakistani), I have looked and studied Pakistan and its history from a neutral perspective, I don't need some Pakistani hater to tell me what my country is.


A) Well I am not interested in your country.The problem is that you have only studied the Punjabi version which is against academic ethics. I do not have any problem if you love Pakistan, the problem is that you do not call spade a spade. By the way I live in the most dangerous area of your beloved country [near Pakistan Afghan border] and while you would have read about Pakistan, I have seen and experienced it with my own eyes. Love is blind but it does not mean it blinds everyone around too.
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P) Do you mean the same Soviet Russia that slaughtered more than 1 million and a half Afghans?

A) Russia was invited by Dr Najib’s progressive govt, my dear. Please read the historic archives. It was a help by an ideological ally. Just read the steps of Najib’s govt and reforms during that golden era. The reason for the human loss of lives was not that Russia wanted to kill but it was Pakistan idea to involve US and put a stop to revolution. Gen Zia being a dictator wanted to legitimise his regime.

If you don’t understand this basic idea then your blind love will conceal every fact of life around you. Please read “The Bear Trap” by MARK EDKIN and Brig YUSUF of Pakistan Army. WILLIAM CASEY was the CIA chief at that time. I am not fond of refuting your argument for fun, as you are enjoying life over there in US while it is our poor but brave people both in Afghanistan and Pakistan who are getting killed every day due to the power elite who benefits from this type of imperialistic logic which you are trying to advocate.
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P) The same goes for Karzai and the Afghan government, they are only for dollars. Instead of pointing fingers at Pakistan, you might want to fix your own home up first. There is a saying "When you point a finger at others, your own three fingers point back at you".

A) This is immature thinking pattern but to encourage you to continue your so called neutral study, I am sure you know that Karzai is from an Aristocratic and well off family in Afghanistan and was working in Halliburton in US. He is the son of former high official in Afghan politics. Why would he involve himself in the most dangerous geostrategic game that too in a country which is surrounded by enemies and which has been war struck for 3 decades? So while I am not saying he is perfect or his team consists of angels, the points which I raised about Pakistan's crime are admitted by more Pakistanis than others.

Pakistan Army kill innocent people and tell the world that they kill terrorists and get more bucks from the world and from US. Even had they invested this money in the welfare of common man still this would not have been justified by any law of ethics or morality.However the bitter truth is that all the money for Earthquakes, GWOT etc was invested in strengthening the army empire in Pakistan not in the welfare of common man or even low rank army personnel.

Come here to your country [ which you do not prefer despite claiming its blind love as it is a living hell for common people] and see for yourself the empire of Fauji Foundation, Fauji Fertlizer, Army Real Estate schemes, Army welfare Trust and so much. Read Ayesha Siddiqa's Military Incorporated.Poor people even in Punjab sell or kill their kids due to poverty. It is not reasoning for the sake of reasoning.Watch GEO TV channel ,for example. You will know it yourself,what I am talking about.
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P) Yep, these same criminals helped to liberate your country from the Russians.

A) As I told you Pakistani army and ISI did not liberate Afghanistan. Your army was not there in the Anglo Afghan wars, your ISI was not there when Greeks came, your MI was not there when Mongols came ,neither did Pakistani COAS fought in Panipat. Afghans are one invincible people about whom Alexander had written to his mother that "You have given birth to one Alexander while the region [current day Afghanistan] where I am fighting has every kid as brave as Alexander".

Afghans might have lots of limitations and drawbacks but they know how to safeguard their freedom. They, by nature, cannot be subdued. Ghani Khan - the legendry son of the great Baacha Khan says:

Mung pa plar nika dee za marzay karoona karay
Za ba ghulam nasham ka ghulam shee tol jahan

[TRANSLATION: We have lead our lives freely for generations...
I will still refuse to submit even if the whole world bows to imperialism]

About the crimes of Pakistan army against humanity, I agree with you.Pakistan army was there to destroy Afghanistan for US money and legalization of Military regime of Zia at that time.
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P) I have a heart and brain, at least i'm not the racist one using racist remarks such as "Punjabi journalists".

A) What you call racist remarks, my naïve hyper friend, is in political context not in the context of how you use it against Blacks, for example, in US or against Jewish in ME or anti Semitics in German literature. As the elite class is from North Punjab hence any political analyst use this term to point out that particular class which consists of military and civil beaureocracy,media and clergy from Punjab. I am not against a common Punjabi poor man whose life is made hell due to his feudal lord.

Google my id,Pir_Rokhan, I have written more literature for that oppressed class than anyone else.Poeple claim to be Pakistani but serve the malicious designs of the cruel killers of Pakistani military elite.
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P) Just because you said so i should believe? BTW, if Pakistan was committing genocide and human rights violations then this would be no secret event, Indian media would be very quick in picking up this event and defaming Pakistan.

A) Well I gave you the link www.balochwarna.com. You can check it. The case of Baloch is more critical as they do not recognise the state of Pakistan in the first place and have already declared their freedom and are fighting against the illegal occupation of Pakistan.Indian media does give it coverage but not much.

Any freedom fighter would love to be helped by any country or state. India might be Pakistan’s enemy but the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Hence India is their friend and should be their friend. History is replete with such examples. The traitor of one nation is the hero of another.Paksitani leader were the traitors of United India as they divided it. While the same are being adored as heroes of freedom by Pakistani media. How true was Einstein when he said every thing is relative in his thesis on relativity in 1905.

Pakhtuns, on the contrary, are just asking for provincial autonomy ,united Pakhtuns province and their legal rights within Pakistan. They have not yet started the freedom struggle in the real sense of the term. India doesn’t pick up much news from Baloch leaders as most of the Baloch leaders have taken political asylem in UK not in India. They expose the policies of Pakistan army to the First world media instead of telling it to the media of a third world country.
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P) Do you mean the same Mujib who was later killed by his own Bengali countrymen? I hope you know that all those who betrayed and harmed Pakistan in 1971 were killed by their own people: India Ghandi killed by Sikh Indians, Mujib killed by Bengalis, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto executed by General Zia. It doesn't end here: Akbar Bughti of BLA killed by Pakistani commandos, Abdullah Mehsud of TTP killed by Pakistan army, Baithullah Mehsud killed by an unintentional drone strike, Hakeemullah Mehsud killed by unintentional drone strike, etc....

A) He just raised his voice for the rights of his people. East Pakistan had more Population. They had a separate language. They produced Jute. They won the election. So they asked for their due rights which were not acceptable to Punjab. So what were they supposed to do? And see what your army did to the innocent Bengalis. Pakistan army massacred them. Yes massacred them, their kids, women, infants, youngsters, old and patients. They did indiscriminate killing and genocide. General Musharraf even asked for state level formal apology. Bengalis are such a brave nation they lost millions of their lives but got freedom from oppression of their so called “Muslim “brother”.We Pashtuns salute them.

The case of Indira Gandhi and Sikhs was a separate issue. Lets not get into that.You are sounding it like God kills all those who struggle for the rights of their people and raise voice against tyranny and oppression. ZAB was the only genuine leader this soil has produced among the non Pakhtuns.The murder was a judicial and military murder by the “Khaleefa tul Muslimeen” dictator General Zia. Pakistani military being a servant of US never like any leader who has popular support as their chances for dictatorship becomes less and less. Today no one knows Zia but Bhutto will be remembered till Pakistan exists.

Akbar Bugti who was killed by the Pakistan army for raising his voice against the oppression of Pakistan army,had remained on the highest post of Chief minister ship / Governor ship in Balochistan.But as I have explained, as long as a person is satisfied to play the role of peon and slave of Punjabi dominated army, they are okay but the moment one start talking about the rights of their people, one is target killed by the Punjabi dominated army. The same is true for those who raise a voice against the army and Punjab.
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P) Not even in your dreams would you get freedom from Pakistan.Keep dreaming.

A) Well, the same was told to Bengalis too. Dude the laws of history does not work according to your wishful thinking.
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P) Nobody thought the MQM scums would turn out violent.

A) Do you mean ISI had created MQM to propagate Islam among Mahajirs or for the revival of “Shpag Nambaray".[Six points preached by the Tableeghi Jumaat to depoliticise the masses ]?
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P) When did I praise Taliban? They are against Pakistan.

A) By “you” I do not mean the second person singular pronoun in english grammar, I mean Pakistan. Just watch any Pakistani channel.They project Taliban of Afghanistan as the shadows of Sahaba Karam [companions of the prophet Mohammad] and Angels without feathers while those who are dismantling the terrorist network of Pakistan [TTP] as devils. Talk of double standard and hypocrisy of Punjabi military.
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P) TTP was always against us, their first leader who created them was Abdullah Mehsud, and he was against Pakistan.

A) TTP was originally the terrorist wing of ISI.The last meeting of TTP was conducted in F.C camp in FATA [an organ of Pakistani forces] to the media last year [2009]. I am sure you would have seen the program on Pakistani Private TV channel. Now one faction has turned against the state and that’s why now you see bombs in Punjab too now.Previosuly till all TTP was under ISI the blasts were just in Pakhtun and other provinces not in Punjab. Google it, the program is available. Give Imran Khan, Taliban and Afrasiab Khattak as the search in Youtube. Yesterday [15th March 2010] CM Punjab Shabaz Sharif said that “Taliban should not detonate bombs in Punjab”. How clearly this speaks of the fact that Pakistan has a serious ethnic and national issue base with axis as the interest of Punjab only.
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P) We didn't make Afghans orphans, Russia did, after that the Afghan warlords, and now America and NATO.

A) You did not do it.huh? What about the fact that;

Gen Naseerullah Babar formed the Taliban.
Afghan clothes were sewed in Quetta for Pakistani army soldiers in the nineties to send them to Kandahar
Taliban leadership are the trainees of Col. Imam.
A special budget for Afghanistan was approved in Ghulam Ishaq presidency to treat Afghanistan as a fifth province of Pakistan?
FATA was used to execute stategic depth against India and destabilise Afghanisatn as well as democratic govts in Pakistan....the list goes on and on….

Dude you need to know the facts instead of getting expert and well versed in propaganda. Better convey the message to your masters that the count down has begun for Pakistan, they should better revise and revisit their strategies.
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P) My master is Allah.

A) If your master is Allah then do not advocate the devil.
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P) Yes, it was Pakistan who gave Russia the permission to invade Afghanistan. Speaking of intervention, it was Zahir Shah who wanted to break away NWFP and FATA from Pakistan.

A) Russia was anti imperialist ally of Afghanistan and the govt in Afghanistan was also anti imperialist. This is well documented fact. Afghans and Pashtuns both do not accept Durand Line. We were only part of freedom struggle against British not part of Indian Division.Khudai Khidmatgars lead by Baacha Khan had boycotted the election for plebiscite and North and Central Pakhtunkhwa [NWFP and FATA] were by forced merged into Pakistan.There was no third option in plebiscite. We neither wanted to merge with India nor Pakistan.We are separate people and have always have been part of Afghanistan.
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P) Yes we gave nuke tech to Libya, Iran, and North Korea. But America gave nuke tech to Israel and is providing nuke tech to India, why should we let our enemies have the advantage?

A) Well I agree with this. Pakistan has sold nuclear technology to Libya, N.Korea and Iran. Now is the time to face the music. Thanks to the Pakhtun from Bhopal to make Pakistan a nuclear state.
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P) Karzai himself said that Pakistan's stability lies with a peaceful Afghanistan.

A) He meant that if you do not let us stabilise then do not dream of any stability in your country too. This is the meaning of calling Afghanistan and Pakistan as twin brothers too. If one suffers other has to suffer. He has not done a “neutral study” he knows and understands diplomatic language.
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P) Pakistan is concerned about the stability of Afghanistan.

A) Well I meant that Pakistan seems to be concerned about Afghanistan so much as if it has achieved all the benchmarks of stability and indictors of progress and prosperity in its own country. There is a concept called satire in English literature. I am sure you would have heard of it.
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P) Afghanistan does not have the right to let India use its soil against Pakistan.

A) Afghanistan is a sovereign country and will plan according to her national interests not according to the ISPR propaganda disseminated to the 170 million in a variety of styles with versatile colours of lie and flavours of falsehood to deceive the poor masses.
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P) You also forgot to add that India is the only country in the world with the largest number of aids infected people (increasing everyday), India has more than 400,000,000+ people living, sleeping, and shitting on the streets of its cities, also more than half of Indians population (population of India is more than 1 billion people) lives under the global poverty line, most Indians lack toilets in their homes, there are more than 10 million underage prostitutes in India (most of them being Muslim girls forced into sex slavery), India also has ethnic riots and ethnic violence and religious violence (for example Gujarat massacre where 4,000+ Muslims were killed and burned alive). India is not in Afghanistan to build "infrastructure", especially when they have more than enough poverty in their own filthy country! India has one simple reason to be in Afghanistan, and that is to destroy Pakistan.

A) These stats are worst for Pakistan. It is the question of magnitude. You can’t manage 170 million in Pakistan just imagine the problem and issues of India - world’s largest democracy with 1200 million people.

We Afghan across Durand line [lar aw bar] do not intervene into the internal affairs of any country. All these statistics is the problem of India and none of our business. The thing which is related to Afghans is what I mentioned. You can cross check it using any method of applying the falsification principle. Check the Afghanistan official website. Afghanistan is not what is projected in Pakistani media.
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P) Yep, and that is why Pakistan allowed more than 5 million Afghan refuges into Pakistan, and this is also the reason why Pakistan has more Pashtuns than Afghanistan does. After all, Pakistan is killing Pashtuns and this is the reason why Pashtun population is increasing in Pakistan.

A) Pakistan got money for the death and destruction of Afghans during the Afghan war and is now pocketing money from UN for their miserable lives.
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CAN INDIA JOIN HANDS WITH AL QAEDA?

This is a provocative and an out of the box idea. I have my own ideas but I wish this post to be a bit different. I want readers to write for it or against it, giving their own ideas.

Let me write a few points for it:

1. UK has its Islamic terrorists - Hizbut Tahrir headquartered in UK to create mayhem in Central Asia and then some in Afghanistan for their Great Game.

2. USA used Osama bin Laden and mujahiddeen to oust the Russians

3. Pakistan is routinely used by US, UK and China and Pakistan happily sells its mother to the highest bidder

4. Al Qaeda is ideologically linked and not prone to bribes. It is against the infidel Pakistan army elements those who side with the "kafir" Americans.

5. Al Qaeda was never against India - it was sold Kashmir by Pakistan for it to get safe haven in Af-Pak. If India helps Al Qaeda in its fight against Pakistan Army, Kashmir and India will not be in their agenda.

6. Al Qaeda desperately wants India to attack Pakistan so that they are able to use the cracks to come close to nuclear arsenals and power. It already has mass support in lower cadres of the Islamist Pakistan Army and few supporters even in the top echeleons.

7. India tells Al Qaeda, war is a messy affair - we will help you get what you want from sabotage from inside.

8. This will surely ring alarm bells in Israel and US and we can expect them to clean the shit as they are expecting India to clean the shit after US leaves Afghanistan to the mercy of the Taliban. (This time though, its not going to be that easy).

Your comments - ladies and gentlemen :)

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POST COMMENTS:

I think the debate has been v healthy. I will say that it has been good to throw such a provocative idea around.

However, it is just an idea and it is not very practical in the long term perspective.

Yes, there are points which are weak within the LeT to Al-Qaeda system that can be exploited, which I am very sure is being exploited.

However, where India can do much more, is Baloch movement. I really dont think much happening there in military terms!! Time to seriously up the ante :)

M.F. HUSSAIN - Good riddance !!

I am not an apologist and neither am I to pussyfoot around where one is wrong. Mr MF Hussain, by taking Qatari citizenship, a despotic nation, you only showed that sinners who are Islamic do find peace in despotic nations. Idi Amin after literally eating his enemies found refuge in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Hussain you were plain wrong and indulging in fire when you tried to depict our Goddesses in the nude. You should have known what you were trying to do in the name of artistic license. Did you draw your Prophet in the nude too - no you did not? Why when you drew Prophet Mohammad's daughter - nudity was not the theme? Why this selective amnesia when it comes to artistic liberties - gives rise to your ulterior motives.

Those liberal Indians who want MF Hussain back, will you allow a Hindu painter to exercise his artistic license to draw Prohpet Mohammad in the nude? If not, please shut up !!

Look at the hue and cry about Danish cartoons and I dont think they were in the nude at all?

It is not good to play around with religious sentiments of the others which is why I firmly stand against any such portrayal of Gods / Prophets / Messiahs etc in the nude by anyone.