Author: S. Raza Hassan
Publication: Dawn
Date: April 14, 2009
URL: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/sindh/tale-of-militants-motivation-and-reach--za
A former army officer, who was allegedly involved
in the kidnapping of film-maker and distributor Satish Anand, has told his
interrogators that he used his military expertise in favor of militants and
the Taliban fighting government forces in the tribal areas.
Retired army major Haroon Ashique alias Abu
Khattab was arrested by the Islamabad police for his alleged links with extremist
and militant outfits. However, during interrogation he turned out to be the
ringleader of a gang who kidnapped Satish Anand in Karachi and transported
him to the country's lawless tribal areas.
The retired army officer's disclosures sent
a chill of fear down the spine of his interrogators as he told them that different
militant outfits active in the restive tribal areas have reportedly identified
their potential targets in urban localities as part of their fund generation
plans.
The broad daylight kidnapping of the chief
executive of Eveready Pictures, Satish Anand, was an example of their preparedness.
Anand was kidnapped in Karachi on October 20, 2008 and recovered from Bannu
after remaining in captivity for around six months.
An LeT operative
According to officials who had interrogated
the retired major, Haroon Ashique, 43, was commissioned in the Pakistan Army
in 1987 in the 76 PMA long course. However, he sought premature retirement
as a major in 2001.
Hailing from Panjeri in district Bhimbar,
retired major Haroon Ashique was a resident of Taj Bagh Harbanspura, Lahore.
The interrogators said that in 2000 former
soldier Ashique, then an army officer, along with his younger brother (also
an army officer), Captain Khurram, met the chief of now banned Laskhar-e-Taiba,
Hafiz Saeed, and his top operational commander, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
After getting retirement from the army, retired
major Ashique joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba and became an adviser to its operational
commander Lakhvi. He also worked as a trainer and made improvised mortar guns.
However, in December 2003 he developed some
differences with commander Lakhvi and later on he parted ways with the LeT.
Brother dies in Helmand
The retired major told his interrogators that
his younger brother Capt Khurram, who served in the elite Special Services
Group, also left the army in 2003 to join the LeT. However, he also quit the
LeT.
After parting ways with the LeT, the retired
major started rice and garments export business in Karachi but in 2006 he
wound up the business and moved to Lahore where he opened up a generators
business, the interrogators told Dawn.
They said that his younger brother, retired
captain Khurram, also joined him. However, it was in December 2006 when the
retired major went to Wana where he met Taliban commander Mullah Nazir. He
later visited Miramshah where he met another jihadi commander, Ilyas Kashmiri.
In 2007, his brother Khurram went to Afghanistan's
Helmand province to fight against the coalition forces. In March 2007 he was
killed while fighting alongside the Taliban.
The interrogators said that in April 2007, the retired major visited Miramshah
where he met Commander Ilyas Kashmiri again.
During 2007, he met Kashmiri twice and taking
advantage of his military background, he helped him and Mullah Nazir in Wana
in modifying 60mm mortars.
The kidnapping plan
However, when the retired major visited Commander
Kashmiri in September 2008, he was informed that 'mujahideen' were facing
financial problems and were in dire need of funds.
In a bid to ease out financial problems, the
retired major gave a proposal to Commander Kashmiri regarding kidnapping affluent
people living in urban areas for ransom to generate funds.
The interrogators said that at that time the
retired major also suggested that he had a potential target in Lahore. However,
commander Kashmiri asked him to spare the target for a while and concentrate
on another target in Karachi.
The investigators said that film-maker Satish
Anand was the target and Commander Kashmiri was aware all his details and
routine while sitting in the tribal areas.
Commander Kashmiri asked one of his militants,
Nawaz, to give all intelligence including marked maps of Mr Anand's movement
from home to office to retired major Ashique.
The retired major knew Nawaz from 2003, as
he was also an LeT activist. Both Ashique and Nawaz went to Karachi to confirm
the intelligence about Mr Anand and they stayed at a hotel located near the
Cantt Railway Station.
Major Ashique contacted his friend Basit,
another retired army major, and asked him to assist him in kidnapping the
film-maker. Initially retired major Basit was reluctant but later agreed to
help major Ashique for old time's sake, the interrogators added.
They said that unlike retired major Ashique,
Basit did not subscribe to any extremist ideology and in fact he reportedly
agreed to take part in the kidnapping for monetary gains.
Retired major Ashique and Nawaz returned to
Lahore on September 26, 2008 for Eid and they returned to Karachi in October
on a non-custom paid 4X4.
The retired major had bought three new cellphones
and SIM cards and arranged an Alto car on rent. Meanwhile, Nawaz went back
to Miramshah and returned again with two more persons, Irfan and Waheed, along
with some funds for the job.
The role of retired major Basit in the kidnapping
was only limited to providing information to retired major Ashique that Mr
Anand had left his residence along with his driver on the morning of October
20, 2008.
Acting on his information, retired major Ashique
and his three accomplices intercepted Mr Anand's vehicle and the kidnappers
administered sedative injections to both Mr Anand and his driver.
The kidnappers shifted unconscious Mr Anand
to their vehicle and sped away to leave the city without wasting any time.
They reached Miramshah on October 21 via Shikarpur, Sukkur, Kashmore, DG Khan,
DI Khan and Bannu.
Since Commander Kashmiri was not present in
Miramshah, the retired major went to Razmak area where he handed over Mr Anand
to his custody.
Maj-Gen Amir Faisal Alvi's killing
Investigators pointed out that Commander Illyas
Kashmiri was picked up by the Inter-Services Intelligence back in 2003, but
was later released.
The interrogators told Dawn that Illyas Kashmiri
also ordered the execution of sacked Major-General Amir Faisal Alvi, who was
credited with masterminding the Angor Adda operation against militants in
2004. In 2005, he was sacked by former military ruler Pervez Mushrraf.
Maj-Gen Alvi was killed by three unknown gunmen
on November 19, 2008 when he was heading towards his private office in his
car along with his driver in the outskirts of Islamabad.
The interrogators said that Illyas Kashmiri
had paid Rs125,000 to retired major Ashique for killing Maj-Gen Alvi. By killing
General Alvi the militants took revenge for the death of a top Al Qaeda operative,
Abdul Rehman Kennedy, who was killed while fighting alongside the Taliban
in Angor Adda, interrogators said.
