Muslims ordered to avoid Avoid Ramdev’s yoga camp; it begins with ‘Vande Mataram’

Avoid Ramdev’s yoga camp, it begins with ‘Vande Mataram’: Darool to Muslims

PTI 7 November 2009

MUZAFFARNAGAR: Four days after Ramdev demonstrated ‘pranayam’ and a Hindu priest recited Vedic hymns at a meet of Muslim clerics at Deoband, Islamic seminary Darul Uloom issued a directive asking Muslims to avoid a camp run by the yoga guru as it begins with the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’.

“Singing of Vande Mataram is a prayer and against Islamic law as Muslims cannot offer prayers to anyone except Allah. Muslims should not sing Vande Mataram,” said Mufti Ehsan Kazmi, deputy-in-charge of Darul Uloom’s fatwa department.

He, however, said yoga can be practised as an exercise.

Another cleric Mufti Ehsan also said Muslims should refrain from singing ‘Vande Mataram’ during the yoga camp.

Darul Uloom had issued an edict which opposed any prayer involving ‘Vande Mataram’ and it was supported by top Muslim body Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind at its 30th general assembly at Deoband.

More than two lakh clerics and students watched Ramdev’s demonstration.

Incidentally, the 143-year-old influential seminary Darool had in the past issued a fatwa in favour of yoga after some clerics banned Muslims from practising it.

Jamait-e-Ulema Hind issues fatwa against Vande Mataram

Fatwa issued against ‘Vande Mataram’

Times Now 3 November 2009

Jamait-e-Ulema Hind or the JEU on Tuesday issued a fatwa against singing national song ‘Vande Mataram’.

According to a resolution, Muslims should not sing ‘Vande Mataram’ as its reciting is against the Islam.

The resolution, which was passed at the Deoband national convention meet, says that Muslims should not sing ‘Vande Mataram’ as some verses of the patriotic song are against the tenets of Islam. The JEU leader said that the some of the line in the song is against Islam.

Meanwhile, home minister P Chidambaram addressed a Jamait-e-Ulema Hind conference in Deoband today.

Meanwhile, the Muslim Law Board justified the decision saying that (Muslims) can’t offer prayers to anyone but Allah. Kamal Farooqui, a prominent leader of the Board said, “We love the nation but can’t worship it.”


Dreaded Islamic terrorist Ilyas Kashmiri’s massive plans to spread terror in India: Ghazwa-e-Hind

Ilyas Kashmiri’s Ghazwa-e-Hind plans to spread terror in India
October 16, 2009

Dreaded terrorist Ilyas Kashmiri runs Al Qaeda’s 313 Brigade. A few weeks ago the United States declared that Kashmiri had been killed in a drone attack. However, Kashmiri resurfaced with an interview to Asia Times this week, declaring he had survived the attack.

In the interview Kashmiri said the 26/11 Mumbai attacks were nothing compared to what was really planned. While India has maintained that the attacks were masterminded by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba Kashmiri’s statement has come as a surprise.

Syed Saleem Shahzad, chief of Asia Times’s Pakistan bureau who interviewed Kashmiri, told rediff.com that the 313 Brigade is Al Qaeda’s commando force which trains youth for terrorist operations.

Indian Intelligence Bureau sources suspect Kashmiri is planning terror strikes on the lines of the Mumbai attacks, but much larger in scope.

Kashmiri’s statements indicates that the 313 Brigade was involved in the Mumbai attacks. Indian intelligence sources believe that while the Lashkar undertook a major part of the operation, including identifying the terrorists who participated in the attack, the 313 Brigade was also involved.

Shahzad believes Kashmiri was in the know about the Mumbai attacks. The journalist feels the plan for the Mumbai attacks was originally conceived by a Pakistani security agency.

As a run-up to the Mumbai attacks several low profile attacks were carried out in India. Under the direction of General Ashfaq Kayani — then the Inter Services Intelligence director general; now the Pakistan army chief — low key attacks were initially planned in India. This plan continued when General Nadeem Taj took over as ISI chief after Kayani was promoted to his present position.

A few dozen terrorists were trained at the Mangla dam near Islamabad [ Images ] to be later sent to Gujarat from where they were to travel to Kashmir [ Images ] and give the militancy in that state a terror fillip. Lashkar leader Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhwi, who faces a trial for his role in the 26/11 attacks, was part of this plan.

After Al Qaeda representatives stepped in, they suggested that instead of carrying out a low-profile attack on Kashmir, Mumbai be targeted instead. Lakhwi and his ISI minders disassociated with the original plan of attacking Kashmir and decided to go ahead with the Mumbai attacks.

Ilyas Kashmiri’s 313 Brigade is believed to be one of the organisations that trained the ten men who attacked Mumbai. IB sources say although Kashmiri and his terrorists are currently fighting American and NATO troops in Afghanistan, his primary interest remains India. Kashmiri, a former Pakistan army commando, fought the Indian military in Kashmir before moving on to Pakistan’s western front after 9/11.

Intelligence sources say Kashmiri is building a team to spread terror in India, the Ghazwa-e-Hind.

Shahzad points out that Kashmiri believes India will soon involve itself militarily in Afghanistan. And when that happens the Ghazwa-e-Hind will be launched with a massive terror operation across India. Although Kashmiri has fallen out with the Pakistan security establishment, Shahzad says he continues to be a bigger threat to India than to Pakistan.

Pakistani security agencies, Shahzad adds, believe that without the 313 Brigade’s expertise neither Al Qaeda nor the Pakistani Taliban can successfully operate in Pakistan or in Afghanistan.

20 million illegal Bangladesh migrants form 2 per cent of India’s population

Two crore illegal Bangla migrants, 600 deported last year: states report
Amitabh Sinha 
 Oct 04, 2009

New Delhi: Estimates sent by the state governments have given an official number to
what has been known informally for a very long time – that illegal
migrants from Bangladesh now comprise at least two per cent of India’s
population.

According to “very conservative estimates” of the state governments, the
total number of Bangladeshi citizens residing in India without proper
documents or permits would be in excess of 2 crore, government sources
have told The Sunday Express.

The state governments had been asked to send estimates of the number of
Bangladeshi migrants living in their states and also the number of such
people who had been deported back to their country. Most states have now
responded.

According to these figures, not more than 600 Bangladeshi migrants had
been deported to their country in the last one year and the possibility
of many of them finding their way back isn’t being ruled out.

Migrants from Bangladesh now live in every part of the country. Besides
West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and other North-Eastern states – the known
places where these illegal migrants have been able to settle down –
Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka are
new regions having large concentrations of Bangladeshi citizens. Sources
said these were also areas witnessing rapid urbanization and
development, and therefore, offering job opportunities to these
migrants.

Though it had asked for the data from the states, the Centre was still
undecided on what use to put this data to.

“This was mostly an academic exercise, not aimed at any particular
objective. The figures that have come out are only estimates, but they
are reliable estimates,” a senior government official said. He said as
of now there was no clarity on how to deal with this migrant population.

“That is something that the political leadership will have to take a
call on, probably after obtaining a consensus on the issue. Migration
from Bangladesh has huge social and economic aspects apart from having
security implications. There is no easy way to tackle this issue,” he
said.

The Seeds Of Partition Were Sown 80 Years Before 1947

At Meerut, on March 16, 1888, Sir Syed referred to Hindus and Muslims as two nations, in fact as two warring nations who could not lead a common political life if ever the British left India.

So who was really responsible for Partition?
September 17, 2009

Sanjeev Nayyar

Jaswant Singh’s book has raised a fresh controversy on who was responsible for the Partition of India. Some think it was Mohammed Ali Jinnah; others say Jawharlal Nehru/Sardar Patel. The truth is that the seeds for Partition were sown at least 80 years before Partition actually happened.

Dr B R Ambedkar wrote in 1941, ‘The curious may examine the history of the 1857 mutiny, if he does, he will find that in part at any rate it was actually a jihad proclaimed by the Muslims against the British that owing to the occupation of India by the British the country had become Dar-ul-Harb’ (See Thoughts on Pakistan). This is substantiated by Professor Sheshrao More in The 1857 Jihad (Manas Publications). It is because Muslims took an active part in the 1857 mutiny that the British were anti-Muslim in the early post-mutiny period.

With the advent of British rule Muslim insecurity leapfrogged.

The condition of Muslims was best stated by a liberal, R M Sayani, in his presidential address at the 12th session of the Congress in 1896: ‘Before the advent of the British in India, the Muslims were the rulers of the country. The rulers and their chiefs were Muslims, so were the great landlords and officials. The court language was their own (Persian was the official language of India till 1842)… The Hindus were in awe of them. By a stroke of misfortune, the Muslims had to abdicate their position and descend to the level of their Hindu fellow-countrymen. The Muslims resented the treatment.’

Sayani argued that when the British introduced English education in the country, the Hindus embraced it, but Muslims resented competing with the Hindus, whom they once regarded as their inferiors. Hence Muslims were gradually ousted from their lands and offices, while Hindus rose under the Raj [History and Culture of Indian People, Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Vol. X: 295]

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan came at a critical juncture in the 1870s, and worked for a political rapprochement with the British. They were swayed in 1857, but a little tact and generous forgiveness could change Muslims into loyal supporters. Sir Syed conceived the idea of a Muslim college like Oxford and Cambridge — the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh. At Meerut, on March 16, 1888, Sir Syed referred to Hindus and Muslims as two nations, in fact as two warring nations who could not lead a common political life if ever the British left India.

For the British, Sir Syed’s overtures came at a very opportune moment. After two generations of English education, Hindus showed signs of political development. The British seized the opportunity offered by Sir Syed of enlisting the support of the politically undeveloped Muslims as a counterpoise to the progressive Hindu community.

Differences were accentuated in connection with the legislation for local self-government on an elective basis, and for the first time a demand was made for separate representation for Muslims. Said Muhammad Yusuf on May 3, 1883, “But it would be an advantage and more fit recognition of the claims of the Muslim population if provision could be made in the bill for the election of Muslims by reserving a certain number of membership for that community.”

The divide was visible in the number and frequency of Hindu-Muslim riots thereafter.

The British role in India’s division is best summed up by Sardar Patel. He said on August 9, 1945, “The British talk of Hindu-Muslim quarrels, but who has thrust the burden on their shoulders? Give me just a week’s rule over Britain; I will create such disagreements that England, Wales and Scotland will fight one another for ever” (Patel — A Life by Rajmohan Gandhi).

So when was Pakistan conceived? Dr Ambedkar wrote in 1941, “There is evidence that some of them knew this to be the ultimate destiny of the Muslims as early as 1923. In support of this reference may be made to the evidence of Khan Saheb Sardar M Gulkhan (who was president, Islamic Anjuman, Dera Ismail Khan) who appeared as witness before the NWF Committee to report upon the administrative relationship between the settled area of NWFP and the tribal area and upon the amalgamation of the settled districts with Punjab [ Images ].

“Many believe the Khilafat Movement (1919), a protest by Indian Muslims against Turkey’s abolition of the Caliph, religious leader of the Arab world, to be the first step towards India’s Partition. Gandhi spearheaded this movement but failed to realise that the Pan-Islamic idea cut at the very root of Indian nationality. What did the movement achieve?

“First, Muslim fanaticism secured a position of prestige in Indian politics; thereafter their religious loyalty took precedence over national loyalty. Two, the Muslim population hitherto divided among various groups and political pulls now became a solid force. Three, a new fanatic leadership riding on the crest of the Khilafat wave came to wield the reigns of the Muslim leadership.”

Could the Hindus have avoided Partition? Not if you believe the above-quoted words of Dr Ambedkar.

The British had ensured that the armed forces consisted primarily of Muslim soldiers from the area that is modern day Pakistan. They sought to justify this predominance by saying that men of the north-west belonged to the martial classes.

Some studies show that the predominance of the men of the north-west took place as early as the mutiny of 1857, some 20 years before the theory of martial and non-martial classes were projected in a distinct form in 1879. Their predominance was due to the fact that they had helped the British suppress the mutiny in which the Bengal army was completely involved. The British changed the composition of the Indian army [ Images ] between 1914 and 1930.

After 1930 there is no information available on the communal composition of the Indian Army. Some believed that Muslims constituted 60-70 percent. Obviously it was high enough to cause alarm to the Hindus. Veer Savarkar was probably one of the few leaders who kept exhorting Hindus to join the Indian Army in large numbers.

My conclusion, hence, is that:

It is a myth that Nehru, Jinnah or Patel were responsible for Partition. They were merely implementing a partition plan scripted in the 19th century.

Hindus were apprehensive that Muslims wanted to rule India again. Muslims feared that under the principal of one man one vote, it would be a government for and by the Hindus.

Separate electorates for Muslims, reservations, caste and religion-based divisions are some of the tactics used by the British to divide India

All those who wish to know the underlying thoughts behind Partition should read Dr B R Ambedkar’s book Thoughts on Pakistan back to back.

Sanjeev Nayyar is the founder of http://www.esamskriti.com

Past and Present Muslim Leaders on India

What Muslim Leaders have said
Rashtriya Chetna,  August 2006

Syed Shahabuddin: Syed Shahabuddin, MP, the leader of Samata Party, once expressed his venomous views: Muslims should have ruled India after the departure of the British, and not the Hindus. Population growth helped Muslims to annex a large part of India for creating a separate Islamic State of Pakistan. Such efforts on the part of the Muslims should be continued to gradually convert the rest of India into Dar-ul-Islam (land of the Muslims).

Syed Abdullah Bukhari: Syed Abdullah Bukahri, the Imam of Jama Masjid Delhi, poured out a poisonous statement in December 1986: Secularism has no place in Islam. Propagation of Islam is the first duty of Muslim. Muslim youths will propagate Islam with swords in their hands.

On another occasion in 1987, he openly uttered: I consider Islam greater than the country. I am first a Muslim, then everything else…. For me there is no meaning to Independence Day (of India)….. I have told Muslims thousands of time and telling them again to burn down bungalows of Muslim ministers of the Congress Party, cut off their legs and throw them away. Islam is first, nation afterwards.

Azam Khan: Azam Khan, the then MLA of UP Legislative Assembly burst into vile words against the motherland, Bharat Mata, at a public meeting in Kanpur on March 23, 1987: Is this our motherland? This is a blood-thirsty mother. This is not mother, this is a witch.

Salahuddin Oweisi: Salahuddin Oweisi, a member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, publicly suggested: There should be a separate Muslim state within each state of India.
Abul Kalam Azad: Abul Kalam Azad, while addressing his students, said A country like India, which has once been under Mohammedan rule, must never be given up, and it was incumbent on them to strive to regain their lost contol.

On another occassion, Maulana Azad, who held the responsible position of the president of All India Congress, burst out venomously in an irresponsible manner: Against the non-Muslim Government, Islam prescribes only sword, protracted battle and the cutting of throats.

Liaqat Ali Khan: Liaqat Ali Khan was the secretary of the Muslim League. He was the right hand of Jinnah. It was Liaqat Ali, who, during the election campaign in 1946, boasted in Delhi. The Muslim is a born fighter. He may hesitate to cast a vote for Pakistan, but he would not hesitate to shed his blood. After the partition, he became the first prime minister of Pakistan. Nature is too strict and stern to spare anybody. Liaqat Ali, who got Pakistan through artifical riots, did not die a natural death. He was assassinated.

H.S. Suhrawardy: Hassan Shahid Suhrawardy was political disciple of Jinnah. He is notoriously known in history as the great killer of Hindus in the Calcutta massacre. While addressing the Muslim League Legislators Convention held in Delhi on April 9, 1946, Suhrawardy declared like Hitler that Pakistan was the Muslims latest, but not the last demand, and that if the British rulers entrusted the destiny of India to the Congress, the Muslim League would not allow the Central Government to function even for a day. On another occasion he, in his capacity as chief minister of Bengal, threatened: If the Congress was entrusted with power at the Centre, I would declare Bengal independent.

Feroz Khan Noon: Feroz Khan Noon, a fanatic leader of the Muslim League, while addressing the Muslim League legislators meeting, said: The havoc, that the Muslims would play, would put to shame what Changez Khan and Halaku did.

Ghaznafar Ali Khan: Ghaznafar Ali Khan, who was the health minister in the Viceroys Interim Government, headed by Pandit Nehru, spoke at Lahore: If Mohammed-Bin-Kasim and Mahmood Ghaznavi could invade India with armies composed of a few thousands, and yet were able to overpower lakhs of Hindus, God willing a few lakhs of Muslims will yet overwhelm crores of Hindus. It was he, who openly advised Hindus to embrace Islam to save themselves from the holocaust.

Dr. Ali Mohammed Naqvi: Dr. Ali Mohammed Naqvi was a follower of the Deoband School of Islamic ideology, which totally thwarted the concept of nationalism and democracy. He authored a book, Islam and Nationalism, in which he unequivocally stated: Nationalism is incompatible with Islam… The concept of a nationalist Muslim is as absurd as that of a religious Communist or capitalist Marxist. ….. When the ideology of Islam expands, nationalism is destroyed, and when nationalism grows, Islam is annihilated.

Hamid Dalwai: Hamid Dalwai, a nationlist Muslim and true son of Hindusthan, rightly reveals the attitude of fanatic Muslims in his book, Muslim Politics in India. He unambiguously states: In sum, Muslims cannot reconcile themselves with the nationalism of any country, where they are in a minority.

F.K. Khan Durrani: In the preface to his book. The Meaning of Pakistan, Mr. Durrani boastfully brags: There is not an inch of the soil of India which our forefathers did not once purchase with their blood. We cannot be false to the blood of our fathers. India, the whole of it, is therefore our heritage, and it must be reconquered for Islam…. Our ultimate ideal should be the unification of India, spiritually as well as politically under the banner of Islam. The final political salvation of India is not otherwise possible.

Attaullah Suhrawardy: Attaullah Suhrawardy, a senior leader of the National Conference of Kashmir, and former minister and deputy speaker of Kashmir, unquivocally asserted in his speech in the state legislative council: I am first a Muslim and then an Indian. Islam does not need the support of anyone for its spread. It is spreading on its own. At the time of partition, there were only four and a half crore Muslims in the country. However, in spite of the bloody communal riots in Bhiwandi, Moradabad, Aligarh and other areas, killing thousands of Muslims, the population of Muslims has increased to 14 crores, …..As for the question of conversion of all to Islam, it is the fundamental duty of a Muslim to strive for conversion and any Muslim who does not remember this duty, does not deserve to be called a Muslim.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani: Syed Ali Shah Geelani, a leader of Jamaat-i-islami categorically expresses his political ideology: The politics of socialism and secularism is totally unsound. I do not like any Muslim to adopt socialsim and secularism as his political ideal.

Dr. Mushir-ul-Haq: Dr. Mushir-ul-Haq honestly unfolds the inner psyche of the Muslims of India in his book, Islam in Secular India. He candidly states: The Muslim community of India also welcomed the idea of a secular state, because they feared the alternative would be a Hindu State. Many of them seem to believe that the state must remain secular, but the Muslims should be saved from secularism.

Syed Ahmad Hussain: Syed Ahmad Hussain, another leader of Jamaat-i-Islami addressed the Muslims in a mosque in Aurangabad on February 7, 1961: Shall the Muslims with all their ideology merge into sweeping current of secularism or change the current itself and establish the sovreignty of Islam? That is the serious question which confronts the Mussalmans of India today. Islam has been born to turn the whole world into Islamic. We have to change this secular rule in Bharat and establish Islamic rule in its place. The idea of secular rule is itself a contradiction of Islam. We have, therefore, to slowly work for the establishment of the sovereignty of Islam here.

In sharp contrast to all this, Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Sringeri, in his interview with me, said that Muslims are our brothers as our forefathers were common. Hence I wish them prosperity and happiness.

Thousands of Hindus flee Pakistan, shocking tales of fear and torture

Fearing Taliban, Pak Hindus take Thar Express to India

Vimal Bhatia , TNN 10 September 2009

JAISALMER: In the past four years, some 5,000 Hindus may have crossed over from Pakistan, never to return. It has not been easy abandoning their homes, sometimes even their families, but they say they had no choice: they had to flee the Taliban.

It started as a trickle in 2006, the year the Thar Express was flagged off. The weekly train starts from Karachi, enters India at Munabao, a border town in Barmer, and runs up to Jodhpur. In the first year, 392 Hindus crossed over.

This grew to 880 in 2007. The next year, the number was 1,240, and this year, till August, over 1,000 have crossed over. They just keep extending their visas and hope to become Indian citizens.

Incidentally, these are official figures. Sources say there are many more who cross over and melt in the local milieu. And officials have a soft corner for these people, most of whom have harrowing stories to tell.

Ranaram, who used to live in the Rahimyar district of Pakistan’s Punjab, says he fell prey to the Taliban. His wife was kidnapped, raped and forcibly converted to Islam. His two daughters were also forcibly converted. Ranaram, too, had to accept Islam for fear of his life. He thought it best to flee with his two daughters; his wife was untraceable.

Dungaram, another migrant, says atrocities against Hindus in Pakistan have increased in the past two years after the ouster of Musharraf. “We won’t get permanent jobs unless we convert to Islam.”

Hindu Singh Sodha, president of Seemant Lok Sangathan, a group working for the refugees in Barmer and Jaisalmer, says there’s unfortunately no proper refugee policy in India even though people from Pakistan reach here in large numbers.

He said in 2004-05, over 135 families were given Indian citizenship but the rest are still living illegally in the country and are often tortured by police because they don’t have proper citizenship certificates. “In December 2008, over 200 Hindus were converted to Islam in Mirpur Khas town of Pakistan. But there are several others who want to stick to their religion but there’s no safety for them in Pakistan.”

Immigration officer at Munabao railway station, Hetudan Charan, says the arrival of Hindu migrants had suddenly increased as over 15 to 16 families were reaching India every week. “None of them admit they are to settle here but seeing their baggage, we easily understand,’’ he said.

Ravi Kumar, who was Barmer collector till his transfer two days back, said the government in 2007 had given permanent citizenship to a few Pakistani immigrants.

Four Muslims arrested for hoisting Pakistan flags over dargah in Anand, Gujarat

The five people arrested for hoisting the flag include dargah’s trustee Misri Khan Hussain Pathan, Habib Khan Rahim Khan Pathan, Sajid Khan Bismilakhan Pathan, Ismail Khan Sikandar Khan Pathan and Altaf Khan Sikandar Khan Pathan. Tailor Alpesh Vora of Navjeevan Khadi Bhandar was arrested late in the night.  link

Pakistani flag found hoisted in Gujarat’s Anand district

07, 2009, Zeenews Bureau

Anand (Gujarat): In a shocking incident, a Pakistani flag was found hoisted in Gujarat’s Anand district.

According to reports, a Pakistani flag was found hoisted in a graveyard in Amreth in Gujarat’s Anand district. The preliminary investigations have revealed that the flag had been there for the last two months.

The incident came to light when a Sub-Inspector informed his superiors about the flag following which he was asked to take action.

When asked about the incident, Executive Magistrate of Anand, A Jha said that the area has a huge neem tree as a result of which the flag could not be sighted earlier. Further, there was a cemetery in the vicinity which made it difficult to distinguish the flag. She, however, said that the flag has now been removed.

Talking about the investigations into the incident, Dy SP of Anand informed that four persons have been arrested and interrogation is on. He added that the flag was hoisted with the knowledge and permission of graveyard’s trustee, who is also among the arrested.

Locals say that they had earlier complained to the police about the incident but no action was taken.

The Union Home Ministry has been appraised of the situation.

Four arrested for hoisting Pak flag over dargah in Gujarat
PTI 7 September 2009, 08:35pm IST

ANAND (Gujarat): Four persons have been arrested for allegedly hoisting a Pakistani flag over a shrine in Umreth town of the district in Gujarat
here today.

Two Pakistani flags were seen tied to a neem tree above a ‘dargah’ by locals, who informed the police.

According to police, a complaint has been filed against five persons including two ‘trustees’ and three workers of the shrine for promoting enmity between different groups under IPC 153A.

Four people including one trustee of the shrine have been arrested, while another trustee has not been arrested due to poor health, the police said.

On preliminary investigation it was found that the flag was similar to Pakistan’s national flag but not an original one as it was printed on only on one side, the police said.

India a terribly soft state: US experts

India a terribly soft state: US experts
TNN 30 January 2009

NEW DELHI: India will be vulnerable to more terrorist attacks along the lines of Mumbai, terrorism analyst Brian Jenkins from RAND and Ashley Tellis  have told the US Senate’s committee on homeland security.

“India will continue to face a serious jihadi terrorist threat from Pakistan-based terrorist groups. However, India lacks military options that have strategic-level effects without a significant risk of a military response by Pakistan. Neither Indian nor US policy is likely to be able to reduce that threat significantly in the short to medium term,” they said.

Tellis said, “LeT represents a threat to regional and global security second only to al-Qaida. Although LeT is linked in popular perceptions mainly to the terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir, the operations and ideology of this group transcend the violence directed at India.” He cautioned that US should work with India to deal with terrorism from Pakistan, otherwise India would be tempted to take steps that could endanger regional security.

“To the chagrin of its citizens, India has also turned out to be a terribly soft state neither able to prevent many of the terrorist acts that have confronted it over the years nor capable of retaliating effectively against either its terrorist adversaries or their state sponsors in Pakistan,” the two experts said. Jenkins added that the poor quality of India’s response to the terror attacks, intelligence failure and inadequate counter-terrorist training and equipment added to India’s misery.

11,500 Pakistani terrorists had died in the jihad against India: Study

NDA govt’s hurry led to Kandahar fiasco: Former IB boss
S Balakrishnan, TNN 1 September 2009

MUMBAI: Back in December 1999, the NDA government unnecessarily asked the team negotiating with the Taliban during the Kandahar hijack to hurry up. Had it displayed some patience, the consequence could have been different.

This was stated by former director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) Ajit Doval, who was a part of the Indian negotiating team at Kandahar.

Doval told reporters at the sidelines of a seminar on terrorism organised by the SIES College and the US consulate on Monday, that the negotiating team was trying to buy time from the Taliban which had custody of a planeload of passengers. But the NDA government insisted on early resolution. He was also critical of the media for hyping up protests by the families of the kidnapped passengers in Delhi, but the NDA should not have succumbed to the pressure tactics. “If a surgery is being performed then doctors should not be influenced by the hysterics of the patients’ relatives outside the operation theatre,” he observed.

In his keynote address, Doval he has spearheaded several counter-intellience operations in J&K, Punjab and the north-east said there was lack of political will to counter terrorism. He said India had the capacity to deal with terrorists, but the political leadership did not muster up the necessary will to take on anti-national elements.

He quoted a study by Belgium-based institute which revealed that 11,500 Pakistani infiltrators had died in the “jihad” against India. Over 95,000 weapons and 7,000 quintals of RDX were seized from them. “If this not war, what is? This is Pakistan’s fourth generation war against India over the past several years,” he said, adding that unless the source of terrorism located in Pakistan was busted, the problem would remain. The ISI was not getting any recruits anymore from Kashmir, but it was getting other people to do its job.

Doval said in the past, 368 terrorist movements worldwide had failed. And 90% of these were because their leaders had been neutralised. This aspect needs to be kept in mind when we talk of dealing with terrorism in India. “If you do not surprise the terrorists, then they will surprise you,” he said.