Al-Qaeda steps up its battle in Pakistan
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
PESHAWAR, North-West Frontier Province - Al-Qaeda masterminded the deadly
suicide attacks in Lahore this week at the offices of the Federal Investigation
Agency (FIA), Asia Times Online has learned. The attacks are part of al-Qaeda's
broader plan to undermine recent Pakistan-United States joint efforts to
eradicate al-Qaeda's growing influence in Pakistan society.
Two massive car bombs ripped through the regional headquarters of the FIA and
an office of an advertising agency in Lahore on
Tuesday, killing at least 30 people, including 16 FIA officials, and injuring
more than 200.
However, according to Asia Times Online's investigations, the real target, an
undercover office of the Special Investigation Authority (SIA), was missed as
the suicide attacker hit the advertising agency.
The SIA is a joint initiative of US and Pakistani planners set up to eliminate
the strong roots of radicalization in Punjab province which could easily be
transformed into very strong al-Qaeda connections. The SIA will remain a target
in Lahore as well as other parts of Punjab, including Multan.
Al-Qaeda's plan
At the root of al-Qaeda's strategy is the belief in the powerful ideology of
Takfir, which deems all non-practicing Muslims infidels. This, al-Qaeda
believes, fuels anti-Western forces in Muslim societies.
From Pakistan's perspective, the tribal insurgencies in North-West Frontier
Province are a thorn in the side of coalition troops in Afghanistan as the area
is used as a staging ground for Taliban attacks into that country. But
Islamabad believes these can at least be controlled, even if not tamed.
The real concern is the radicalization of Punjab, the largest Pakistani
province and comprising more than half the country's population, through banned
militant organizations.
Thousands of activists are known to be affiliated with banned militant
organizations in Punjab. Many were initially trained by Pakistani security
agencies to fuel the insurgency in Indian-administered Kashmir.
However, after September 11, 2001, Pakistan, as a new partner in the "war on
terror", was forced by the Americans to shelve its support of the Kashmiri
insurgency. As a result, militant training camps were shut down and militants
left their parent organizations in the thousands.
These young jihadis are obviously committed fighters and have been kicking
their heels for several years now. The fear is that if they fall into the hands
of al-Qaeda, they could significantly escalate unrest in Pakistan, Afghanistan
and even Iraq. Segments of these Punjab-based militant organizations have
already been cultivated by the Takfiris, resulting in a new source of suicide
bombers.
It was specifically to confront this threat that the SIA was formed. A retired
colonel who had served in the Pakistani Special Services Group and President
Pervez Musharraf head the organization.
In the first phase, the SIA coordinated with banned militant organizations such
as the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and the Jaish-i-Mohammed (JM) to compile a list of
people who had broken away. Although these organizations are officially banned
in Pakistan, they operate under various names and are still to a large extent
under the influence of Pakistani security agencies.
In the second phase, the authorities established separate desks to exclusively
deal with the mindset of each particular sect.
Under this program, dozens of former members of LeT and JM were arrested,
mainly from Bawalpur and Multan, on the information provided by their former
organizations. They were taken to security facilities in Lahore and presented
with the following questionnaire.
1. Reasons why you consider Musharraf an infidel.
2. Have you read Sheikh Essa's book Al-Wala Wal Wabara (Enmity and
Friendship). (Egyptian Essa is a hardline al-Qaeda ideologue.)
3. Are you familiar with the ideology of Takfir?
Through these questions, interrogators tried to get inside the mindset of the
militants. The process of detention was two-pronged: it aimed first to
re-educate the militants, and then to learn their networks.
The SIA officers engaged in lengthy debate with the detainees, all the time
questioning their loyalties, whether they were Salafis or whether they belonged
to the Deobandi school of thought, and contradictions that might arise as a
result if they supported the Taliban or Osama Bin Laden.
However, according to Asia Times Online contacts, the detainees are also
tortured, and at least one is said to have died as a result.
Tuesday's attacks are significant, therefore, in that the establishment's most
secret underground offices are now on the militants' radar, and more attacks
are anticipated.
Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. He can
be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
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