Author: Percy Fernandez
Publication: The Times of India
Date: December 8, 2005
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1324562,curpg-4.cms
At least 15 members in the senate, national
and state assemblies of Pakistan have not only met Osama bin Laden, but had
a close relationship with him.
No Indian propaganda this. Mohammed Amir Rana,
a journalist with Pakistani newspaper 'The Friday Times' has made this and
several other startling revelations in his new book "Seeds of Terrorism".
Rana quotes the example of Maulana Samiul
Haq of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) who is supposed to have sworn allegiance
on the hands of Osama along with Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
The author digs deep into the origins, assesses
the strengths and importantly trails the sources of funding of the jihadi
movement in his latest book, which was launched here by Jaipal Reddy, Union
Minister for Urban Development and Culture. ,The book is a sequel to 'Gateway
to Terrorism' released in 2003 that looked at the origin of Taliban, Lashkar
and Jaish-e-Muhammad among a host of other organizations who are headquartered
in Pakistan.
Claims made by the Pakistani in the book would
make it more difficult for Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf to
defend himself and deny Pakistan's hand in beefing up of Laskhar-e-Tayyaba
squads in northern Kashmir and activation of new Laskhar cells in Jammu that
has triggered new terror in the state.
More than 100 cadres have crossed the Line
of Control since the October 8 earthquake. But whenever India has shown evidence
on infiltration and successive violence, Pakistan has always denied it. Now,
one of its own citizens has made an expose on the terror arteries that run
through the length and breadth of the country.
The author was not present at the Delhi launch
of his book. "Rana couldn't make it to the book launch in Delhi for obvious
reasons", said a spokesperson of the publishers. The obvious reasons
- denial of visa to India.
Retired Gen. R.C. Chopra, former military
Intelligence chief, who was present at the launch said: "This is a great
development. Here is a book by a Pakistani who has written on terrorism and
is being launched in New Delhi. There should be more developments like this".
The General said that the whole world knows
that the fount of terrorism is in Pakistan and added that India and Pakistan
should jointly fight terrorism at their level.
Amir Rana shocked his readers with his first
book in 2003 when he said Pakistan was the gateway to terrorism. He says:
"The rugged terrain of the Hindukush (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Occupied
Kashmir) has been the stage of a heinous plot-a plot between Islamic jihadis,
Pakistani Intelligence and limitless American interests."
In the book Amir Rana makes some very interesting
remarks based on extensive interviews, intensive research and his ability
to "infiltrate" into every dreaded terrorist organization that operates
inside Pakistan.
"It is possible that jihadi organizations
are infiltrated by RAW agents. However, a Jaish-e Muhammad recruit from Muzaffarabad
says that when a mujahid shifts loyalty to another organization or opposes
the decision of the leadership he is promptly accused of being a RAW agent,
" the author says.
'Seeds of Terrorism' deals extensively with
incidents and events in Pakistan after the attack on the Indian Parliament
in December 2001, describes the difficulties faced by Musharraf's government
when he tried to curb the activities of hundreds of jihadi groups.
Rana records the divisions that emerged in
Pakistan's political and military hierarchy. He also lays bare the conflict
of interest in the mujahideen.
Speaking about the book, former Indian Ambassador
KP Fabian said, "Terrorism has generated a cottage industry across the
globe. "Seeds of terrorism" does not feed into this industry, rather
is a valuable contribution to the debate on terrorism and understand its pathology
and morphology."
Amir Rana's book comes in the wake of one
of Laskhar's top operative Shabbir Bukhari's recent narrative that gives an
inside story of the structure, organization, the recruiting rationale and
most importantly the stealthy intelligence in which these operatives work
and weave their network both underground and overground.
"While hard core evidences of rising
infiltration and terrorists' handiwork in perpetrating violence in Jammu &
Kashmir are available, it will be quite difficult for Musharraf to convince
Manmohan Singh and of course Goerge Bush that he is serious in working out
a solution. He has to shed his defiant posture.
It will need some radical measures and hard
thinking from the Pakistan President to make this period of détente
bear fruit", says Ashutosh Mishra, an expert on Pakistan Affairs and
a Research Fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA),
the country's strategic think tank.
