Author: Special SAT Report
Publication: South Asia Tribune
Date: Feb 29-Mar 6, 2004
URL: http://www.satribune.com/archives/feb29_mar6_04/P1_isi.htm
Pakistan notoriously famous spy
agency, ISI, has 60 centers in India employing as many as 10,000 spies,
a detailed study by a Mumbai-based think tank has revealed.
The study report, "Cost of Conflict
between India and Pakistan", released in a book form by the Strategic Foresight
Group of the International Center for Peace Initiatives, carries details
of ISI's reach inside India on Page 78 under the title 'Interference in
Internal Problems.' It is for the first time that any Indian institution
has tried to measure and disclose ISI inroads into India. http:// www.strategicforesight.com
"India identified enhanced ISI activities
in nine states and an active network of ISI sponsored illegal madrassas
throughout the country," the report reveals giving exact numbers of these
illegal madrassas .
The figures show close to 10,000,
the highest number of these madrassas , in Kerala and 6,000 in Madhya Pradesh.
Five states, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat and Rajasthan have
around 2,000 madrassas each, close to 1,000 each in Delhi, Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh and on Indo- Bangladesh border while the lowest number, 122, is
in Jammu and Kashmir.
It said the ISI spends Rs 600 million
each year on funding these madrassas in India, noting that "India's fragile
communal fabric is quickly becoming the primary target of Pakistan-sponsored
terrorism. In addition to its Jihad-e-Kashmir operation, Lashkar-e-Taiba
launched Jihad-e-Hind operation in early 2003 signifying the shift of LeT
focus from Kashmir alone to the rest of India."
In 2003, India identified enhanced
ISI activities in nine states, namely Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra,
Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Jharkhand, and
an active network of ISI sponsored illegal madrassas through out the country.
There are 150 million Muslims in India as per 2003 estimates.
The report quotes Pakistani scholars
as saying, if ISI manages to persuade even one per cent of the Muslim population
(1.5 million) to take up arms, these 1.5 million is a large enough number
to create internal turmoil in India. With such an extensive network, it
could become relatively easy for ISI to scheme Godhra-like incidents to
foment large-scale communal violence in India.
Four Pakistanis have been named
in the report who were associated with the study including former Foreign
Secretary of Pakistan Niaz A. Naik, eminent writer and scholar Dr. S. Akbar
Zaidi, Editor of newspaper 'Awam' Nazir Ahmed Leghari and a political analyst
Zafarullah Khan.
The section on the ISI activities,
reporting these statistics, also gives its analysis of how things could
play out in future. The following is the full text on Page 78 of the report:
"India's fragile communal fabric
is quickly becoming the primary target of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
In addition to its Jihad-e-Kashmir operation, Lashkar-e-Taiba launched
Jihad-e-Hind operation in early 2003 signifying the shift of LeT focus
from Kashmir alone to the rest of India.
"In 2003, India identified enhanced
ISI activities in nine states, namely Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra,
Bihar,Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Jharkhand, and
an active network of ISI sponsored illegal madrassas throughout the country.
There are 150 million Muslims in India as per 2003 estimates. See Graph
"According to Pakistani scholars,
if ISI manages to persuade even one per cent of them (1.5 million) to take
up arms, these 1.5 million is a large enough number to create internal
turmoil in India. With such an extensive network, it could become relatively
easy for SI to scheme Godhra-like incidents to foment large-scale communal
violence in India.
"On the other hand, India would
find the task of containing the communal conflagration increasingly difficult.
The high communal tensions in India would provide further incentives to
the jihadi groups in Pakistan to fight for the cause of Indian Muslims.
It can also result in the deterioration of India's relations with Bangladesh
and other Muslim nations.
"In 2003, the Pakistan army started
military operations coupled with development projects in the tribal belt
of NWFP bordering Afghanistan with the aim to track Al Qaeda and Taliban
persons hiding there and to improve the connectivity with the area. Tribal
leaders are unhappy with the increased involvement of Pakistan army along
with US troops in the tribal areas.
"There is an under current demand
for the formation of Pashtunistan, carved from parts of Pakistan as well
as Afghanistan. Tribals, incensed by the military operations, could reject
the dominion of the federal government. With industrial focus shifting
from Sindh to Punjab, water levels reaching their threshold, and disparities
in financial allocation of National Finance Commission, inter-provincial
rivalries between Punjab and Sindh over the issues of allocation of development
funds and water are at an all time high. India can get tempted to take
advantage of the existing internal disputes in Pakistan."
