Author: Deepak Sharma
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: June 16, 2002
In a major tactical shift, the sub-continent's
most dominant terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Toiba, has made Kathmandu its
new base to monitor terrorist operations in India. Telephonic conversations
between two LeT commanders intercepted by Intelligence agencies reveal
that from recruitments to logistics, everything is being organised by the
outfit from Nepal.
A classified report of Intelligence
Bureau sent to the Cabinet Secretariat on June 7, says that LeT commander
Saifullah was recently shifted from Pakistan to Kathmandu to personally
guide terrorist operations in India's hinterland areas. The report also
give details about the Karachi-Doha-Kathmandu air-route being used to transport
logistics and recruits to Nepal.
"The Pakistan embassy in Nepal has
been drawn into this arrangement for facilitating inward travel into Nepal
and retention of Pakistani passports of LeT terrorists during their sojourns
in India," the report mentions.
The report says that funds are being
channelised through Middle East countries by hawala, and Kathmandu has,
of late, become a major transaction point.
The conversation between LeT commander
Saifullah (Kathmandu) and Zaki-ur-Rehman (Muree, Pakistan) reveals that
ISI officials transferred huge amounts from Habib Bank to a local bank
in Nepal. The money was meant to be distributed among 13 nodal ISI agents
based in Nepal, who are coordinating with Lashkar.
The Intelligence agencies recently
had a major breakthrough in investigating ISI-operated hawala chains, when
sleuths eavesdropped on a conversation between UK- based Kashmiri expatriate
Dr Ayub Thokar and a senior Hurriyar leader. Dr Thokar, now wanted in the
Geelani case, was also speaking to a few persons in the Pakistani embassy
in Nepal.
Top sources said that India would
now provide these tapes as 'evidence' to UK for the extradition of Dr Thokar,
who was a key hawala agent for the ISI.
In fact, LeT commander Saifullah
also tried to establish contact with underworld elements in UP and Bihar,
so that money and small arms could be transported to Delhi, and later to
Srinagar. "The interrogation of two gangsters in Bihar alarmed every one.
We came to know that LeT wanted to contact underworld elements so that
funds could be indigenously raised through abduction and bank robberies.
The respective State police have been asked to activate their Intelligence
in order to foil such nefarious designs," an official said.
Hinting at the Lashkar's plan in
the hinterland areas, the report says that besides targeting important
defence installations, LeT aims to spread its tentacles in the North Eastern
region.
The report says that Saifullah,
who was shifted to the Himalayan Kingdom, was also assigned to regroup
North East rebels and to arrange arms and ammunition for specific operations.
LeT already has several nodal agents in Nepal and plans to smuggle out
small calibre weapons with ammunition for militant outfits active in Assam
and Manipur.
There have been Intelligence inputs
that the ISI tried to bring the Lashkar leadership closer to Muslim fundamentalist
organisations in Bangladesh.
There had been meetings in Kathmandu
as well as Dhaka in connection with initiating terrorists campaigns in
Assam and other parts of the North East.
Sources said that New Delhi would
provide Intelligence to Nepal regarding LeT's increasing activities in
the Himalayan Kingdom and would discuss the issue in the forthcoming visit
of King Gyanendra to India.
