Homeland Security

How Pakistan's Proxy War Began - VI
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By B Raman

“Pakistan’s military government, headed by General Pervez Musharraf, continued previous Pakistan Government support of the Kashmir insurgency, and Kashmiri militant groups continued to operate in Pakistan, raising funds and recruiting new cadre. Several of these groups were responsible for attacks against civilians in Indian-held Kashmir, and the largest of the groups, the LET claimed responsibility for a suicide car-bomb attack against an Indian garrison in Sri nagar in April.

The United States remains concerned about reports of continued Pakistani support for the Talibans military operations in Afghanistan. Credible reporting indicates that Pakistan is providing the Taliban with materiel, fuel, funding, technical assistance, and military advisers.

“In addition, the HUM, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation, continues to be active in Pakistan without discouragement by the Government of Pakistan. Members of the group were associated with the hijacking in December 1999 of an Air India flight (Author’s comment: It was actually an Indian Airlines flight) that resulted in the release from an Indian jail of former HUM leader Maulana Masood Azhar. Azhar has since founded his own Kashmiri militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and has publicly threatened the United States.

“The United States remains concerned about reports of continued Pakistani support for the Taliban’s military operations in Afghanistan. Credible reporting indicates that Pakistan is providing the Taliban with materiel, fuel, funding, technical assistance, and military advisers. Pakistan has not prevented large numbers of Pakistani nationals from moving into Afghanistan to fight for the Taliban. Islamabad also failed to take effective steps to curb the activities of certain madrasas, or religious schools, that serve as recruiting grounds for terrorism. Pakistan publicly and privately said it intends to comply fully with UNSCR 1333, which imposes an arms embargo on the Taliban.

“The attack on the USS Cole in Yemen in October prompted fears of US retaliatory strikes against bin Laden’s organisation and targets in Afghanistan if the investigation pointed in that direction. Pakistani religious party leaders and militant groups threatened US citizens and facilities if such an action were to occur, much as they did after the US attacks on training camps in Afghanistan in August 1998 and following the US diplomatic intervention in the Kargil conflict between Pakistan and India in 1999. The Government of Pakistan generally has cooperated with US requests to enhance security for ‘US facilities and personnel.

“The designation of state sponsors of terrorism by the United States – and the imposition of sanctions – is a mechanism for isolating nations that use terrorism as a means of political expression. US policy seeks to pressure and isolate state sponsors so they will renounce the use of terrorism, end support to terrorists, and bring terrorists to justice for past crimes. The United States is committed to holding terrorists and those who harbour them accountable for past attacks, regardless of when the acts occurred.

The US Government has a long memory and will not simply expunge a terrorists record because time has passed.

“The US Government has a long memory and will not simply expunge a terrorist’s record because time has passed. The states that choose to harbour terrorists are like accomplices who provide shelter for criminals. They will be held accountable for their ‘guests’ actions. International terrorists should know, before they contemplate a crime, that they cannot hunker down in a safe haven for a period of time and be absolved of their crimes.

“The United States is firmly committed to removing countries from the list once they have taken necessary steps to end their link to terrorism. In fact, the Department of State is engaged in ongoing discussions with North Korea and Sudan with the object of getting those governments completely out of the terrorism business and off the terrorism list. Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Cuba, North Korea, and Sudan continue to be the seven governments that the US Secretary of State has designated as state sponsors of international terrorism.

“State sponsorship has decreased over the past several decades. As it decreases, it becomes increasingly important for all countries to adopt a ‘zero tolerance’ for terrorist activity within their borders. Terrorists will seek a safe haven in those areas where they are able to avoid the rule of law and to travel, prepare, raise funds, and operate. The United States continued actively researching and gathering intelligence on other states that will be considered for designation as state sponsors. If the United States deems a country to ‘repeatedly provide support for acts of international terrorism,’ the US Government is required by law to add it to the list. In South Asia, the United States has been increasingly concerned about reports of Pakistani support to terrorist groups and elements active in Kashmir, as well as Pakistani support, especially military support, to the Taliban, which continues to harbour terrorist groups, including Al-Qaida, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya, and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

Book_a_terrorist_state“We also consider as acts of terrorism attacks on military installations or on armed military personnel when a state of military hostilities does not exist at the site, such as bombings against US bases in Europe, the Philippines, or elsewhere.”

Continued…: How Pakistan’s Proxy War Began – VII

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The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Indian Defence Review.

About the Author

B Raman

Former, Director, Institute for Topical Studies, Chennai & Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat. He is the author of The Kaoboys of R&AW, A Terrorist State as a Frontline Ally,  INTELLIGENCE, PAST, PRESENT & FUTUREMumbai 26/11: A Day of Infamy and Terrorism: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

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