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Emerging Networks of Terrorists in Pakistan

Dynamic of militancy has changed: It's not just about Waziristan anymore. How the country's various militias are joining forces - and what it could mean for attacks within the United States. On May 28, several mercenaries invaded two mosques of the Ahmadi community in Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city, and ended up mowing down nearly 100 worshippers. Ahmadis are members of a breakaway sect that was officially declared to be non-Muslim in 1974 under the 'progressive' rule of Pakistan People Party with Chairman Bhutto as the Prime Minister. The killing was one of the boldest and deadliest in a year of bold and deadly attacks in Pakistan. And it pointed to a frightening development in Pakistani terrorism. The militants had a typical profile for jihadists in Pakistan, having trained in North Waziristan in camps connected to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). But it also seems likely that they were connected to local Punjabi terrorist groups. In a sign of Pakistan's increasing chaos, the groups that were formerly barricaded in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the Afghanistan border are now joining forces with groups around the country -- and the result is a networked terrorism outfit with an ever-growing capacity to produce pain and mayhem. Same old suspects but with new tactics: At the center of the current frenzy are Sunni outfits such as the Punjab-based Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, and the Kashmir-focused Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. These groups were born out of the vicious proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran that began in the immediate aftermath of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Concerned that Iran's revolutionary message would inspire Shiites and weaken Sunni dominance, the Saudis, whose Wahhabi brand of Islam is virulently anti-Shiite, funded and equipped Sunni militias in Punjab tasked with intimidating and eliminating prominent Pakistani Shiites. These terrorist outfits are essentially the byproduct of decade...

Pakistan: Violence in the name of Religion

Attack on Ahmadis ´ a reminder of the religious violence in Pakistan: On May 28th, terrorists attached two Ahmadi community mosques in Lahore, Pakistan second largest city, and ended up mowing down nearly a 100 Ahmedis, members of a sect that was officially declared to be non-Muslim in the mid 1970s. Religious leaders in Pakistan accuse Ahmadis of defying Islam basic tenet that Muhammad is the final prophet. Ahmadis argue that their leader was the savior rather than a prophet. While this endless debate continues inside Pakistan, it took an ugly turn on May 28th that shook up the whole nation. The gun battle, which lasted several hours, reminded the people of Lahore of similar attacks in 2009 on the visiting Sri Lankan Cricket team and a police training school in Munawan. It also revived memories around the country of frequent assaults on the minority Shia sect, reported to be between 15-20 percent of the population. For years, Shia Muslims have borne the brunt of suicide bombings and targeted killings at the hands of radical Sunni groups with links to Al Qaeda in Saudi Arabian, Iraq, Sudan and Somalia. Roots and actors of the violence: At the centre of the current frenzy are Sunni outfits such as Lashkare Jhangvi, Sipahe Sahaba Pakistan, Jaishe Mohammad, and Lashkare Taiba. They simply outnumber the ranks of the Shia militant groups - Tehrike Jafria Pakistan and Siphahe Mohammad. Additionally these groups serve as a cover for organized crime and have been found involved in many bank robberies across the country. These groups have been battling each other for decades, as foot soldiers in the vicious proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran that began in the immediate aftermath of the Iranian revolution in January 1979. Concerned that Iran revolutionary message would inspire Shias and weaken Sunni dominance, the Saudis, whose Wahabi brand of Islam is virulently anti-Shia, funded and equipped Sunni militias tasked with intimidating and eliminating prominent Shias. The...

Pakistani Government’s Incompetent Financial Planning FY 2009-10

Pakistani government has a history of misrepresenting the economic facts: Successive Pakistani governments, unfortunately, have a history of misrepresenting the financial facts and figures to both the domestic and international organizations. The worst ever and most recent example popped up during Pakistan erstwhile military dictator, General Musharraf regime when his 'Mr. Clean' Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz grossly exaggerated about the GDP as well as production of the wheat crop. When both were out of their respective offices, this 'secret' came to the fore and the Pakistani State credibility both at home and abroad was seriously challenged. Democracy, no matter how weak, has its own merits and demerits for nation and the government respectively. Many observers believe that the PPP-led government coalition is still groping to understand the changed political and intellectual environment which it has to operate in. Now the trouble comes from the free Pakistani media that closely monitors and scrutinizes nearly all issues from the government drive on the Rental Power Plants to awarding dubious contract to a French gas company to import LNG for Pakistan. It was a media person that got the deal quashed that was agreed in the grey quarters of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources. Budget preparation is not paid much attention: Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) conducted a thorough research by using both the open source and various professionals on the issue of Pakistan fiscal planning FY 2009-10 and if the government has succeeded in achieving it targets. The finding is dismal and the Pakistani government apparently seems preparing to play with words and figures to show that 'all is well.' An officer in Pakistan Ministry of Finance, in an interview to the CRSS, noted that: 'we are going to be struck again by the tragedy of lapsed targets.' It is pivotal for any country economy to have exact facts and figures about the state of its...

Pakistani Government's Incompetent Financial Planning FY 2009-10

Pakistani government has a history of misrepresenting the economic facts: Successive Pakistani governments, unfortunately, have a history of misrepresenting the financial facts and figures to both the domestic and international organizations. The worst ever and most recent example popped up during Pakistan erstwhile military dictator, General Musharraf regime when his 'Mr. Clean' Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz grossly exaggerated about the GDP as well as production of the wheat crop. When both were out of their respective offices, this 'secret' came to the fore and the Pakistani State credibility both at home and abroad was seriously challenged. Democracy, no matter how weak, has its own merits and demerits for nation and the government respectively. Many observers believe that the PPP-led government coalition is still groping to understand the changed political and intellectual environment which it has to operate in. Now the trouble comes from the free Pakistani media that closely monitors and scrutinizes nearly all issues from the government drive on the Rental Power Plants to awarding dubious contract to a French gas company to import LNG for Pakistan. It was a media person that got the deal quashed that was agreed in the grey quarters of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources. Budget preparation is not paid much attention: Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) conducted a thorough research by using both the open source and various professionals on the issue of Pakistan fiscal planning FY 2009-10 and if the government has succeeded in achieving it targets. The finding is dismal and the Pakistani government apparently seems preparing to play with words and figures to show that 'all is well.' An officer in Pakistan Ministry of Finance, in an interview to the CRSS, noted that: 'we are going to be struck again by the tragedy of lapsed targets.' It is pivotal for any country economy to have exact facts and figures about the state of its...

Pakistani Government's Incompetent Financial Planning FY 2009-10

Pakistani government has a history of misrepresenting the economic facts: Successive Pakistani governments, unfortunately, have a history of misrepresenting the financial facts and figures to both the domestic and international organizations. The worst ever and most recent example popped up during Pakistan erstwhile military dictator, General Musharraf regime when his 'Mr. Clean' Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz grossly exaggerated about the GDP as well as production of the wheat crop. When both were out of their respective offices, this 'secret' came to the fore and the Pakistani State credibility both at home and abroad was seriously challenged. Democracy, no matter how weak, has its own merits and demerits for nation and the government respectively. Many observers believe that the PPP-led government coalition is still groping to understand the changed political and intellectual environment which it has to operate in. Now the trouble comes from the free Pakistani media that closely monitors and scrutinizes nearly all issues from the government drive on the Rental Power Plants to awarding dubious contract to a French gas company to import LNG for Pakistan. It was a media person that got the deal quashed that was agreed in the grey quarters of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources. Budget preparation is not paid much attention: Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) conducted a thorough research by using both the open source and various professionals on the issue of Pakistan fiscal planning FY 2009-10 and if the government has succeeded in achieving it targets. The finding is dismal and the Pakistani government apparently seems preparing to play with words and figures to show that 'all is well.' An officer in Pakistan Ministry of Finance, in an interview to the CRSS, noted that: 'we are going to be struck again by the tragedy of lapsed targets.' It is pivotal for any country economy to have exact facts and figures about the state of its...

Pakistan’s Struggle with Narratives on War against Terror

Pakistanis at large are currently struggling with, and reeling under various narratives about the genesis and causes of the simmering socio-political radicalization. They also differ on the way out. While almost all agree that the decline largely began with the Soviet Union intervention in Afghanistan and the world reaction to it i.e. USA-led Jihad [holy war], the analysis of course of events thus far varies from party to party. This narrative is split between components of former Muttahidda Majlis-e Amal (MMA) on the one hand, Awami National Party [ANP], Pakistan Muslim League [PML] (almost all factions) and the civil society, on the other. The military establishment has its own narrative. The Religio-political narrative: Let us examine them one by one; the cracked MMA brands the USA-led counter-insurgency as 'an unjust war against Muslims,' and keeps ranting about the need for stopping it. They are also the main apologists for various shades of the militants i.e. Taliban including the TTP [Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan], and those based in North Waziristan led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur. None is vocal in condemning the suicide bombings and other forms of violence, usually claimed by the TTP. With their skewed version of jihad and their self-serving views on the West, these religio-political operatives easily mislead ignorant, illiterate people as well, by creating a romance around the terms such as jihad, Taliban and mujahideen [holy fighters]. These parties also play on the common sentiment by taking a dig on the US drone strikes on targets in the Waziristan region [a semi-controlled tribal area which is stronghold of Taliban]. This, they say, is an assault on Pakistan sovereignty. Rightly so, there is little disagreement. But what these apologists of religious militancy shy away from is the infringement on Pakistan sovereignty by organizations such as Al-Qaeda, or the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan [IMU]. By turning Pakistani territories into their sanctuaries and...

Pakistan's Struggle with Narratives on War against Terror

Pakistanis at large are currently struggling with, and reeling under various narratives about the genesis and causes of the simmering socio-political radicalization. They also differ on the way out. While almost all agree that the decline largely began with the Soviet Union intervention in Afghanistan and the world reaction to it i.e. USA-led Jihad [holy war], the analysis of course of events thus far varies from party to party. This narrative is split between components of former Muttahidda Majlis-e Amal (MMA) on the one hand, Awami National Party [ANP], Pakistan Muslim League [PML] (almost all factions) and the civil society, on the other. The military establishment has its own narrative. The Religio-political narrative: Let us examine them one by one; the cracked MMA brands the USA-led counter-insurgency as 'an unjust war against Muslims,' and keeps ranting about the need for stopping it. They are also the main apologists for various shades of the militants i.e. Taliban including the TTP [Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan], and those based in North Waziristan led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur. None is vocal in condemning the suicide bombings and other forms of violence, usually claimed by the TTP. With their skewed version of jihad and their self-serving views on the West, these religio-political operatives easily mislead ignorant, illiterate people as well, by creating a romance around the terms such as jihad, Taliban and mujahideen [holy fighters]. These parties also play on the common sentiment by taking a dig on the US drone strikes on targets in the Waziristan region [a semi-controlled tribal area which is stronghold of Taliban]. This, they say, is an assault on Pakistan sovereignty. Rightly so, there is little disagreement. But what these apologists of religious militancy shy away from is the infringement on Pakistan sovereignty by organizations such as Al-Qaeda, or the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan [IMU]. By turning Pakistani territories into their sanctuaries and...

North Waziristan: Focus of the World in War on Terror

World Renewed Focus on Pakistan: Besides triggering a strong-worded warning of 'severe consequences' from Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, the Faisal Shahzad episode also brings Pakistan wild Waziristan region under international spotlight, prompting many to wonder as to what is so special about Waziristan? Let us examine why North Waziristan in particular remains a special focus for the United States, which says success against insurgents nestled in North Waziristan is crucial for the counter-insurgency in neighbouring Afghanistan. What is Waziristan? The Waziristan region occupies roughly 11,000 of the 27,200 square kilometres of Pakistan semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Divided in south and north, the largely mountainous region borders eastern Afghan provinces Khost, Paktia, Paktika, with a combined population of a little less than a million. Ethnic Pashtoons tribes - Wazirs, Mehsuds, and Dawars being the major tribes - inhabit Waziristan. Both Mehsud and Wazir tribes take pride in their reputation as warriors and are known for their frequent blood feuds. According to historian Sir Olaf Caroe, Mehsuds would never consider submitting to a foreign power that has entered their land. The prevailing conditions¶the insurgency led by the TTP bears testimony to the almost prophetic assessment Caroe had made of the Mehsud tribes. For its proximity to eastern Afghanistan, Waziristan has been at the centre of the Islamist militancy, particularly since the mid 1980s, when the Pakistani ISI, funded by the American CIA, began hosting and facilitating jihadists from all over the world to fight the Soviet occupation forces in Afghanistan. Waziristan served as one of the staging posts for the ISI-CIA-led Jihad inside Afghanistan. Even after the Soviet pullout of Afghanistan in Feb 1989, North Waziristan in particular remained an important outpost, a transit point as well as a refuge for all Afghan and non-Afghan radical Islamists, including Osama...

Swat Crying for Peace, Trust and Stability

SPECIAL REPORT In a conscious move to express solidarity with the militancy-hit residents of the Swat Valley, only about 130 kilometers northwest of capital Islamabad , the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) on April 15th convened a meeting of government, non-government and media representatives at the Press Club in Mingora, the administrative headquarter of Swat. Another objective was also to figure out what problems and challenges the locals have been facing almost ten months after the military declared control over the scenic valley. The seminar, attended by a cross section of the society ´ government officials, local aid workers, school teachers, lawyers, and farmers ´ turned out to be an indictment of the provincial government for a multitude of reasons. This gathering, by coincidence happened to be the first of its kind in almost three years as the brutal Taliban-led militancy had gradually silences almost everybody and forced state institutions into retreat. Threat of suicide attacks held government and non-governmental organization from holding public meetings until recently. And that is why the CRSS seminar on the 'Challenges of Reconstruction' was well attended and widely appreciated. Background: The military operation with the help of almost 20,000 army that formally began on May 7, 2009, had resulted in one of the largest ever internal displacements ´ over two million ´ into the hot plains of districts such as Dargai, Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda and Peshawar. But after the army claimed control of major areas in Swat, the bulk of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) headed back home in the last quarter of 2009. An all-out campaign against militants had become imminent after they flouted a peace deal they had struck with the government in February 2009, by imposing their will on people and challenging state institutions in Malakand with the help of their armed gangs. Additionally, one of the Taliban mentors, the ageing Maulana Sufi Mohammad,...

Motives behind the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar

The Monday attack on the U.S. consulate in Peshawar marked the first most-coordinated and well-planned direct strike on a U.S. interest in Pakistan. The combination of a suicide attack and the storming of the "heavily fortified" building by attackers reportedly disguised as members of a paramilitary force -- the Frontier Constabulary -- involved two vehicles and at least 100 kilograms of high-grade explosives. When the paramilitary, deployed to protect the consulate, tried to stop the attacking vehicles, the terrorists inside detonated the explosives , shattering windows of houses all around, and rocking homes as far as one kilometer away. The commando-style raid and the rocket fire made it abundantly clear that the U.S. consulate was the obvious target in a city that is located closest to the militants' main strongholds such as the Orakzai, Khyber, Mohmand, and Kurram tribal regions that surround Peshawar, and thus turning the city into a volatile nerve centre. In the last quarter of the last year, this city experienced a suicide bombing every 36 hours, according to the police chief Naveed Malik, triggering fears the Taliban might sweep it. The latest attack has led to many questions such as: What was the driving motivation behind this kind of terrorist attack? Was it an act of despair or an expression of strength? Analysts and Pakistani intelligence officials believe there could be several motives behind this strike which the militants used to: To distract the army from its operation in the neighboring Orakzai tribal region, where the army and the air force have been chasing militants with several self-casualties in recent weeks. Underscore their opposition to the United States and its allies because they believe Peshawar is being used as the staging post for the anti-terror campaign in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan Project the militant power and disprove the government claims that the back of the militant network has been broken as a result of last...