India says Pakistan’s spy agency behind Mumbai attacks

NEW DELHI : India has for the first time directly accused Pakistan’s powerful military intelligence agency — the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) — of involvement in last year’s Mumbai attacks.

“The perpetrators planned, trained and launched their attacks from Pakistan, and the organisers were and remain clients and creations of the ISI,” Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said in a speech in Paris on Thursday that was picked up by the Indian media.

In January, India handed Pakistan what it said was evidence linking “elements” in Pakistan to the November attacks on India’s financial capital, in which 10 gunmen killed 165 people during a 60-hour siege.

New Delhi has blamed the attacks on the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is active in Indian-ruled Kashmir, but the Pakistan-based organisation has denied responsibility.
India had previously blamed the ISI for a suicide attack on its embassy in Kabul last July, in which 60 people including India’s military attache and a diplomat were killed.

Menon said India had long suffered from “terrorist organisations, their support structures, official sponsors and funding mechanisms, which transcend national borders but operate within them.”

He also blasted foreign arms sales to Pakistan in the name of fighting terrorism, saying it was like selling “whisky to an alcoholic.”

Such transactions damage the “internal political balance, making the consolidation of democracy more difficult,” he added.

The United States has been one of Pakistan’s key military backers, providing F-16 fighter jets in return for political support for its operations in Afghanistan.

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Now Pakistan see Bangladesh link in Mumbai terror attacks

By Baqir Sajjad Syed and Mohammad Asghar

ISLAMABAD, Feb 4: Pakistani investigators probing into the Mumbai attacks are closing in on a Bangladeshi connection to the terrorist strike and are said to have evidence of not only the involvement of a banned militant organisation, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami, Bangladesh (HuJI-B), but also of its role in planning the attack and training the terrorists.

A reference in this regard is likely to be made in the report of the country’s premier investigation agency, FIA, that will be shared soon with India as findings of preliminary investigations.

The report is likely to indicate that the Mumbai attack was handiwork of an ‘international network of Muslim fundamentalists’ present in South Asia and spread all the way to Middle East; and may build the case for regional anti-terror cooperation.

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Mumbai attacks planned in Europe’ claims Pakistan

Pakistan’s national investigative body, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) believes that the Mumbai terror attacks were planned in Europe.

The result of a probe into the attacks show the master plan was developed in a European country, a senior FIA official told Press TV.

The official, who was talking on condition of anonymity, said the Pakistani government of Asif Ali Zardari was still undecided over providing the country with evidence.

Declining to name any state, the official added that the report will be presented through a diplomatic channel to the Indian government in the next two days.
However the Pakistani official said their findings rule out the involvement of any Pakistani group or organizations in the Mumbai attacks.

“The report further disclosed that there were no Pakistani group or organization involved in the attacks, however the government is investigating to make the report more transparent,” the official concluded.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced on Sunday that Islamabad has completed its probe into the Mumbai attacks and would soon share this with India.

“The (Indian) dossier (on Mumbai) has been investigated and has been forwarded to the Ministry of Justice and after their approval, I will take you into confidence,” he told reporters upon returning from the World Economic Forum meeting at Davos.

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Thousands of Muslims vow to combat terror

BANGALORE: India’s one of the most prominent Muslim organizations, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind (JUH), organized a massive anti-terrorism convention in Bangalore on Saturday, which strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms.

Attended by thousands Muslims from different walks of life at the historic Palace Grounds the convention was addressed by leading Muslim and Hindu scholars. The Muslims declared their commitment to their faith, solidarity with their leaders and patriotism.

The convention was also addressed by Swami Agnivesh of Arya Samaj, who said Indian Muslims do not need anyone’s certificate to prove their patriotism, contributions to nation building, and allegiance to the tenets of peace and brotherhood.

Sri Ravi Shanker, a Hindu spiritual leader, and Mahesh Bhat, a film director and social activist, also addressed the crowds, praising the efforts of Muslim scholars in decrying terrorism.

The resolution adopted by the convention declared, “Islam is a religion of peace and a blessing for the entire humanity. Islam does not allow the killing of innocent persons.”

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Rehabilitated Saudi Terrorists Return to Jihad

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Eleven Saudis who were released from Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and then passed through a Saudi rehabilitation program for former jihadists are now believed to have fled the country and joined terrorist groups abroad, Saudi officials said Tuesday.

The 11 former detainees include two who were already identified last month as members of a Yemeni terrorist group. Their names were on a list of 85 wanted terrorism suspects made public Tuesday by the Saudi Interior Ministry.

The announcement further underscored the difficulties faced by the Obama administration as it prepares to close the Guantánamo detention center. All told, 14 Saudis now appear to have rejoined terrorist groups after their return from Guantánamo, including the 11 living abroad and 3 who were rearrested in Saudi Arabia after their return.

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Terrorism is a form of Jihad: Daniel Pipes

Since Islamist attack on Mumbai on 26th of November last year the issue of war on terror has again come on centre stage. This attack was different in some way as it attracted the attention of world media more than ever. But still attack on India is a war against India which India has to fight on its own. Few days back editor of Hindi news portal lokmanch conducted an on line interview with known commentator on Middle East politics as well as Islamic politics Dr. Daniel Pipes. Interviewer Amitabh Tripathi asked several questions to Dr. Pipes which readers in India have in mind on the issue of Islamist terrorism and its connection with traditional Islam. Read more

Message Behind Jaipur Blast

On 13th of May when a beautiful and comparatively peaceful city nicknamed Pink city became latest target of terrorists it was no secret to anybody who are perpetrators. Within hours statements from Government of India came out blaming openly to foreign hands. This time niddle of suspicion was not only confined to notorious Pakistani agency ISI but another jihadi Islamist organization from Bangladesh was also under scanner. This organization has its strong base in Bangladesh and this jihadi organization is none other than HUJI. This reaction was very mechanical and there was nothing new in it. We have seen from last three years that after every terrorist attack Government has the same reaction that we will fight to this menace, it is an attempt to disturb communal harmony, we will not bow down to terrorist and it is an act by enemy of our nation . But government of India has not openly declared who are those enemies and what strategy they have to fight against them. Government is not going to answer these questions because our policy against terrorism has several lapses. First of all government is not going to declare the enemy and don’t have any resolve to fight against this enemy. Read more

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