In Pakistan, the army and the ISI are known to be firm patrons of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), both wedded to Jihadi terrorism directed against India. Pakistan’s tolerance, if not patronage of the two drew sharp comments from Hillary Clinton. In a recent interview to NDTV, Hillary Clinton said that Pakistan’s use of Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa against India whenever it opted to do so was like keeping poisonous snakes in the backyard hoping that they would bite only the neighbour. The clear warning that Pakistan’s state patronage to Jihadi elements was dangerous to Pakistan itself was forthright and timely. Hopefully, sooner or later Pakistan will deal with these Jihadi organisations with a firm hand. <br />
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It is now reported that the Jihadi army of Iraq, the ISIS, has issued a Ramzan message online calling on its followers for a worldwide Jihad. The insurgent group headed by Ibrahim Awwad al-Badri has now assumed the new name of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. He has declared the formation of the Caliphate with himself as the Caliph. To go back into the history of the Caliphate, Kemal Ataturk of Turkey had moved for the abolition of the Caliphate and the national assembly accordingly abolished it in 1924. The ISIS has also emerged as a staunch ally of Saudi Arabia which supports Al Qaida. The Gulf Arabs and Saudi Arabia continue to finance the Jihadi elements in Syria and the neighbouring countries. Osama Bin Laden had proceeded from Saudi Arabia to Afghanistan to mastermind the fight against all foreign elements. The objective of the new Jihadi organisation and its leader is to extend its influence to all the countries where there are Muslim populations, including India. <br />
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While there is no information about the linkage between the ISIS and the established Jihadi terror groups of Pakistan like LeT and the JuD, it is bound to happen sooner or later. India should be prepared to face this new onslaught. In Pakistan there are reports that large sections of people are being trained by Islamic extremists and clerics, who breathe fire against India in their sermons. The exploits of the Canada-based rabble-rousing cleric, Tahir-ud-Qadri, and his open declaration of war against the established state of Pakistan in the name of revolution leading to the installation of an Islamic State have unnerved the Government of Pakistan. <br />
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The LeT attack on Mumbai on November 26, 2008, is still fresh in India’s memory. In spite of all the evidence given to the Pakistan authorities, the case is dragging without any certainty of conviction of the accused persons. The activities of Indian Mujahideen terrorists are being dealt with at various levels. Among the Indian Mujahideens arrested, there are some dangerous Jihadis like Tehseen Akhtar/ Haider Ali. They are known to be involved in the train bombings of Mumbai in 2006, the Delhi bombing in 2008 and the bomb blast during Modi’s election rally in Patna in May 2013. The Intelligence authorities in all the states have been alerted to take special precautions against the activities of these dangerous Jihadis. <br />
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There are also reports of some committed Jihadi young men emerging from within the country itself. Two or three of them are from Jharkhand and three of them are from Bihar. There are also some reports that a few students from Tamil Nadu had been to Syria and later to Pakistan, and were being trained in the Jihadi scheme of things. One of them was suspected to be involved in the Chennai-Bangalore train bomb blast in the month of May, which resulted in the death of a girl student. <br />
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It may be recalled that Yasin Bhatkal, a top Indian Mujahideen operative who was trained in Saudi Arabia and who later migrated to Nepal, was arrested by the Indian authorities on the Indo-Nepal border with the co-operation of the Nepalese authorities. <br />
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There are also some reports of Muslims of Nepal having been radicalised to become Jihadis and willing to join the fight against India. This radicalisation was reportedly done by Yasin Bhatkal of the Indian Mujahideen who has since been arrested from the Indo-Nepal border and is now facing prosecution for his anti-national activities. Yasin Bhatkal and one of his accompalices Karan Thapa were said to be planning to set up an arms factory in Delhi and that they were scouting for the purchase of lathe machines etc. Since the traffic across the Indo-Nepal border is not under strict vigilance, the possibility of radicalised Nepali Muslims moving to India for Jihadi activities cannot be ruled out. <br />
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After witnessing the PSLV launch at Sriharikota in the southern Andhra Pradesh state on June 30, Prime Minster Modi wanted the Sriharikota technocrats to devise a satellite to serve the interests of the SAARC countries. It is felt by the security agencies that it is high time that India operated its own satellite which would alert India about emanating hostile activities from Pakistan such as the one which emanated from Karachi when Jihadis of Lashkar-e-Toiba carried out the attack on Mumbai on November 26, 2008. All the recent reports and developments point to international Jihadi terror passing through Pakistan posing a danger to India. <br />
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There is a case for a dedicated intelligence satellite over the Arabian sea overlooking the Pakistan coast. It may be recalled that the recent PSLV launch put in orbit five satellites belonging to Canada, France, Germany and Singapore. Putting into space over the Arabian sea a dedicated satellite to alert India about threats emanating from Jihadi elements in Pakistan will go a long way in building up India’s counter-insurgance efforts. <br />
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<em>(The writer is an Advisor to Observer Research Foundation, Delhi)</em> <br />
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<strong>Courtesy:</strong> The Tribune<br />
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