This is just the latest in a string of reports of double-dealing by our Fiend and Ally (mispelling intended). "ISI wants to double aid to militants: Report," from Sify News, June 10:
New Delhi: Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) has very recently proposed to double the financial support to terrorist groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, India's external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has warned in a ‘top secret’ report.
A RAW report sent to the Prime Minister and other authorities stated that in a briefing given to President Pervez Musharraf, the ISI stated that the jihadi groups had lost resoluteness resulting in weakening of the so called `freedom movement' and financial constraints was one of the major factors.
The agency stated that the Indian security forces had wrested the initiative and seemed to have got control over the situation. India's external intelligence wing's warning against Pakistan army intentions to intensify jihadi operations in Jammu and Kashmir has come at a time as the counter-terrorism talks between India and Pakistan are to resume later this month.
The jihadi groups, the Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, had to take defensive measures such as infiltration in small groups. The ISI has also preferred third country launchings via Bangladesh and Nepal in view of the difficulties in LoC infiltration, according to sources in the PMO.
The RAW report also indicated increased activity of the jihadi groups in Pakistan. Banned groups such as Harkat-ul Mujahideen (HuM), Jaish-e Mohammed (JeM) and Al Badr had established new offices in Karachi. It mentioned that HuM had moved its base from Islamabad to Rawalpindi.
In its briefing to President Musharraf, the ISI has stated that it will ensure that no pro-Pakistan organisation or individual from any organisation would participate in the forthcoming state elections and the jihadi groups were told to work out a plan to disrupt the polls.
The RAW report said that the Pakistani agencies had taken advantage of the recent political uncertainties in their country to push the jihadi elements to intensify terrorist activity and to disrupt the elections.
Significantly, the Chief of Pakistan Army Staff, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, had visited the LoC, soon after he took over the mantle of army chief from President Musharraf. His promise of continued support to jihadi groups during that visit is part of that agenda. The recent border violations in Samba sector and other areas are only `testing' salvos.
Both the PPP leader Asif Zardari and PML (N) chief Nawaz Sharif expressed their desire to improve relations with India, but the Pakistan Army and the ISI can still play a spoiler, as was witnessed in the Kargil operation by the then Pakistan army chief Pervez Musharraf in 1999.
As the new political dispensation in Pakistan is positively disposed toward better relations with India and improved economic cooperation, the next Indo-Pak anti-terrorism talks offer an opportunity to the Indian government to convey them the designs of their agencies and the need to rein them in.
"The RAW report said that the Pakistani [intelligence] agencies had taken advantage of the recent political uncertainties in their country to push the jihadi elements to intensify terrorist activity and to disrupt the elections.
Significantly, the Chief of Pakistan Army Staff, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, had visited the LoC, soon after he took over the mantle of army chief from President Musharraf."
Marisol,
Thank you for posting this. I think this is a very informative article about the current situation in Pakistan, and urge Jihad Watchers to read it in full.
This article is especially important because it shows that Pakistani democracy leads to improved relations and less terrorism: "Both the PPP leader Asif Zardari and PML (N) chief Nawaz Sharif expressed their desire to improve relations with India, but the Pakistan Army and the ISI can still play a spoiler", according to the report.
You might want to pass the memo along to Robert and Greg. At various times, each has written that democracy would be disastrous for the region.
A. http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/018676.php
GREG: "Someone needs to explain to Bush, Rice, et al. -- in patient, monosyllables no doubt -- that "democracy" is hardly the panacea they believe it to be. One hardly has to regard General Musharraf a saint in order to appreciate that his removal would more likely usher in an era of Sharia and jihad than New-England-town-meeting-style democracy."
B. http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/019475.php
ROBERT: "Reuters gives this story the headline, "Pakistanis want Islamic democracy, distrust US -poll," and the story itself speaks of Islamic democracy, which for most Americans would be as meaningless a phrase as Methodist democracy or coconut democracy. Few realize that the Sharia institutionalizes discrimination against women and non-Muslims, such that an "Islamic democracy" would involve enough head-counting to satisfy the Dinesh D'Souzas of the world, but would hardly bode well for anyone who was not male and/or not Muslim."
Do they still hold by these positions, in spite of the "latest in a string of reports" that seem to disprove them? Why or why not?
Thanks!
Kudos to the writer and/ or editor of this article from Sify News, for their repeated use of accurate and succinct phrases - 'jihadi group' 'jihadi elements' 'jihadi operations' - within their report.
E.g.: "The jihadi groups, the Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad...".
They're not quite there yet - they do also at times use the vaguely general 'militant' and 'terrorist', and Mr Spencer had to rewrite the headline for clarity, from 'double aid to militants' to 'double aid to Kashmir jihadists' - but they're getting there.
Now, if only our western mainstream media could find the wit to consistently employ terminology such as this - 'jihadi group' 'jihadi elements' 'jihadi operations' - in their reports from the various fronts (Thai, Filipino, Indian, Ethiopian, Israeli, Russian, Balkan and intra-European) of the Third Jihad.
And the entire world (including the never-learner Indians) keep praising Benazir Bhutto as a martyr to democracy, while the new govt. of Pakistan formed largely by her party is increasing financial support to the terrorists....
Terrorists use and are used by various governments...The dispute over land will never be resolved in this way...The celebration of death for their god "Allah" is a tragic feat and an utter shock when those who blow themselves up, find out they were wrong...
Another selfless gift to the world from our Steadfast Friend And Ally In the War On Terror&trade...
Shlomo_Michael
When the article says:
"Both the PPP leader Asif Zardari and PML (N) chief Nawaz Sharif expressed their desire to improve relations with India"
it is like the Treaty with the Jews of Medina. What they tell to the Indians and the World is not the same that they tell to their fellow Muslims.
If they would start to modernize their pro-jihadist school curriculum, then maybe one could start to believe them.
See also from this article:
http://islamicterrorism.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/new-govt-in-pakistan-new-jihadi-offensive-against-india/
Ever since the new People’s Party of Pakistan-led government took power in March, jihadist groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad have become increasingly assertive. They have official backing: Islamists within the armed forces believe the time has come to reverse President Pervez Musharraf’s policy of distancing the institution from its neoconservative clerical allies.
Now, jihadists have become increasingly vocal on their wider ideological agenda. Speaking at a rally in Bahawalpur on April 11, at his first public rally in years, Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar lashed out at General Musharraf and his western allies. If they wished to “save Pakistan from obliteration,” he said, “then we will have to wage jihad.”
Released from an Indian prison in the Kandahar hostages-for-prisoners swap, Azhar was later jailed by General Musharraf but quietly released after the new government in Pakistan took power. “If our rulers followed the injunctions of Allah,” Azhar said at the Bahawalpur rally, in an evident reference to General Musharraf, “then all the problems of Pakistan will be addressed.”
"This article is especially important because it shows that Pakistani democracy leads to improved relations and less terrorism: "Both the PPP leader Asif Zardari and PML (N) chief Nawaz Sharif expressed their desire to improve relations with India, but the Pakistan Army and the ISI can still play a spoiler", according to the report.
You might want to pass the memo along to Robert and Greg. At various times, each has written that democracy would be disastrous for the region."
Posted by: Shlomo_Michael
You think that democracy (as we understand it) exists in pakistan ?
Pak wanted Afghan jihadis to help in Kargil
jihad against india
The US and west needs to get those nukes away from Pakistan while they still can...
1. PROUD HINDU: "And the entire world (including the never-learner Indians) keep praising Benazir Bhutto as a martyr to democracy, while the new govt. of Pakistan formed largely by her party is increasing financial support to the terrorists...."
Um, what? Are you familiar with Pakistani history over the past 40 years? The ISI is behind this new plan. They were also behind the rule of military dictator Zia al-Haq, who created the Taliban and radical madrassas. Every election, they send out their goons to beat up supporters of democracy.
There continue to be Taliban sympathizers at the highest ranks of the ISI, but saying this is the "new government" is an untruth.
2. DEE: "Ever since the new People’s Party of Pakistan-led government took power in March, jihadist groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad have become increasingly assertive. They have official backing: Islamists within the armed forces believe the time has come to reverse President Pervez Musharraf’s policy of distancing the institution from its neoconservative clerical allies.
Now, jihadists have become increasingly vocal on their wider ideological agenda."
In general, groups tend to be more vocal in democracies, for better or worse. That's part of the program. On the other hand, Jihadis have carried out fewer attacks than before the new government took power. Jihadist political parties also will no longer benefit from ISI goons, who try to keep PPP supporters from the polls each election.
Also, note the article mentions "Islamists within the ARMED FORCES". There was no "new government" in the armed forces, so I don't see how this connects to the return of democracy in Pakistan.
ARJUN: In answer to your question, I do think democracy still exists in Pakistan--in spite of the army's best efforts to crush it. Whenever the Pakistanis manage to hold elections, they are generally peaceful--in spite of the Army and Taliban's efforts, mainstream Pakistani political culture still does not work by violence. If elections are not rigged, radical Islamist parties and the Army's political gain at most 20% of the vote. This is lower than the Communist vote total in many European countries after World War Two, and they're doing just fine today with "democracy as we know it".
But I'm still waiting to hear from Robert and Greg, to account for their extraordinary misjudgements of the situation in Pakistan (or for refuting evidence!).
Pakistans ISI has fought in Kashmir, India, Afghanistan, and is currently threatening Europe regarding the cartoons.
And this is a country that we consider allies. And they are already nuclear capable.
Please take note, that the Pakistanis don't mess with China to their north.
From above: ARJUN: In answer to your question, I do think democracy still exists in Pakistan--in spite of the army's best efforts to crush it.
I would suspect that democracy does exist in Pakistan in theory, in some quarters. You wont find it in the Islamic parts unless It's sharia modified democracy. Sharia modified democracy is what Iraq is working under. Whenever secular law, and Sharia law conflict, Sharia trumps. This means in reality, that this is no real democracy at all, no matter how clever it is worded. And it can give way to Sharia completely at any time. Pakistan is unstable,
anything can happen. It would be wise for the US 'Mission impossible' team to remove those nukes.
Duh swami,
Welcome to Western civillization. There's such a thing here known as positivism. This means that if we make an assertion about something, we like to prove it with facts that are readily observable. We don't base things on theology. Some Europeans tried that for a while about 6 centuries ago, and it was not much fun.
Here are facts: An overwhelming majority of Pakistanis elected Benazir Bhutto as prime minister, even though she was a women. When Bhutto was president, there was an extensive network of ABORTION CLINICS, including in Bashtunistan. This did not diminish her popularity.
You simply have not bothered to research. At all. Instead, like a good theological militant, you retreat to the comfort of your own ignorance, grandly clothed in language such as "I would suspect that..." Move beyond your suspicions. Seek out the facts. I challenge you to read a TIMELINE of Pakistan's past three decades (or hell, even the past three months!), then tell me there's no democracy. Your way is not the Western way, or the civilized way. But I heard there's a new army being set up in Sadr City, and if the thought processes you've just used are regular for you, you might want to look into it...
Shlomo_Michael,
duh_swami said it. We must not forget that pakistan is an islamic country and that means that sharia rules over everything else, cosmetic institutions like the judiciary notwithstanding. The population of pakistan is in general rabid muslim and if you ever go through the interviews of "the average pakistani" that the MSM here keeps bombarding us with to prove that "they are just like us" you will find that all of them keep harping upon the "atrocities by the Indian Army in Kashmir". They have been brought up the islamic way, and there can be no peace with the kaffir. Democracy, as we understand it does not exist in pakistan. With all those nukes and the new reactor that the Chinese are building, paki is a disaster about to happen. You think that there is time to see if Democracy will work ? I don't.
Arjun,
Again, let me remind you that this is Jihad Watch you are posting on, a website that prides itself on being a defender of Western civilization. Part of this civilization means we make assertions based on evidence, not theology. Sadly, your comment fails that civilization test. If we boil it down to its essence, it says:
"Pakistan is an Islamic country. Therefore, they are rabid Muslims. Therefore, they will not make peace with non-Muslims. And they have nukes! Therefore, no democracy."
I have a question for you. Given what we know about Zia's Islamist reign of terror, and the Army/ISI's pro-Taliban sympathies, do yo think we have time for one more second of dictatorship? What will be gained by it except more vote rigging for MMA, more weapons caches for Mehsud, and more cross-border excitement into Afghanistan?
Thanks for the information that JW prides itself on being a defender of the West. Mr. Spencer sure had me fooled on "Why JihadWatch." As for your opinion about giving Democracy a chance, are you aware of the latest statement from one of the so - called "democrats" of pakiland ? (He was of the opinion that they should hang mushy). The idea seemed to have found favour with thousands of his supporters since they were cheering him on. I request you to do some more reading on pakiland, including but not limited to, the events of 1947, the genocide in East pakistan (bangladesh), and last but not the lease, the taqqiya masters that write for the MSM in Infidel countries. You will arrive at the same conclusions that Mr. Spencer and Greg did. I agree with them wholeheartedly even though my reasons (and sources as well) for arriving at this may be somewhat different from theirs. I am firmly of the opinion that there is no time left. pakiland must be defanged. Or else. You have stated your opinion and I mine. If nothing else, let us agree to disagree. Time will eventually prove us right or wrong. I hope that you are right, though.
"Why Jihad Watch?
Because non-Muslims in the West, as well as in India, China, Russia, and the world over, are facing a concerted effort by Islamic jihadists, the motives and goals of whom are largely ignored by the Western media, to destroy their societies and bring them forcibly into the Islamic world -- and to commit violence to that end even while their overall goal remains out of reach. That effort goes under the general rubric of jihad.
"
Wrong! General Zia supported Gulbuddin Heqmatyar, who was a jihadi vermin in his own right, but there was no Taliban at the time. Taliban was founded by Benazir's ISI chief Nasrallah Babur. That's why recently, when everybody was gushing over Benazir, very few pointed out how it was her regime that started the Taliban, since she had a (understandable) grudge against Gen Zia, who had hanged her father.
Also, you ignore that there was no terrorism in Pakistan during General Zia's regime, although he did support Khalistan terror in Punjab. However, after Benazir first came to power in an election, she made several incendiary speeches calling for a jihad over Kashmir, and calling for the lynching of then Kashmir governor Jagmohan.