Pak.-Taliban nexus still active?

By Vinay Kumar

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 28. As the situation changes rapidly in Afghanistan in the face of an imminent U.S. attack and the declaration of ``jehad'' by the Taliban militia against America, reports have hinted at a strong Pakistan-Taliban nexus and the support of Pakistani students of various `madrassas' to fight alongside the Taliban against the Northern Alliance.

Reports from Pakistan have indicated that within a day of the terrorist strikes in New York and Washington, the military regime in Islamabad ordered the pull-out of all the Government officials, cadres of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, the Lashkar-e- Taiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Al Badr. Estimates are that nearly 70 per cent of the evacuation has been completed.

About 2,000 Afridis - many from the Islami Jamaat-e- Tuiba, student wing of the Pakistan-based Jamaat-e-Islami - are fighting alongside the Taliban in Takhar province where 250 cadres of the Sipah-e-Sahaba have also been deployed.

Pakistan and Afghan-watchers have pointed out that Pakistani students of various `madrassas,' many belonging to Maulana Fazl- ur-Rahman's Jamaat-ul-Ulema Islam, have been fighting the forces of the Northern Alliance. And, in violation of the United Nations resolution 1333 of December 2000, Islamabad has continued to support the Taliban militia.

A five-member U.N. expert group, set up to monitor the sanctions against Kabul, pointed out recently that Pakistan ``could do more to help enforce an arms embargo and other sanctions'' against the Taliban regime. Its report observed that Pakistan had failed to ``regulate'' its `madrassas' which were an important source of recruitment.

The deployment of U.N. monitors had also evoked a strong reaction in Pakistan, especially among the religious and fundamentalist parties. At a meeting of the Afghan Defence Council, chaired by Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, in Islamabad in August, all the participants opposed the proposal of deploying monitors. The former ISI chief, Lt. Gen. (retd.) Hamid Gul, had even warned that the objective behind the move was to put an end to the ongoing ``jehad'' by depriving the ``jehadis'' of their weapons. And Maulana Masood Azhar of the Indian Airlines hijack fame and founder, Jaish-e- Mohammad, urged Islamabad to reject the UNSC decision to deploy the monitors.

It has also come to light that the ISI had opened two offices in Kandahar and Kabul, to ``liaise with the Taliban authorities'' for tracing the Pakistanis who had fled to Afghanistan after committing crimes. But, analysts pointed out that the real motive was for greater and effective coordination between the ISI and the Taliban. While the Kandahar office was headed by Major Ashraf, Brig. Pervez handled the affairs of the Kabul office. The ISI had also made its presence felt in the Mazar-e-Sharif to facilitate coordination with the Islamic forces in Uzbekistan.

Reports and intercepts also point to the involvement of Pakistanis with the Taliban. Some of them occupy high posts in the Taliban army. Mullah Israil, who heads an intelligence wing, and Mullah Abdullah, a field commander are from Chaman. Mullah Akhtar

Mohammad commands the Rishkor seventh division and Mullah Abdur Razak of Quetta looks after the security in Kabul. Besides, a Pakistani special regiment is stationed to the west of Shar-e-Nau park in Kabul and a parachute regiment is located in the barracks of the 11th Nangarhar division.

Pakistani commando sub-units are stationed in the building of the artillery headquarters in the area of the former 110 division in Nangarhar province. Faizan, military adviser in the south-west group and Mohammad Gul, military adviser in Kandahar, are from the ISI. About 200 Sipah-e-Sahaba activists, headed by Riaz Basra, are housed in a centre at Rishkor and 300 Harkat-ul- Mujahideen activists are living in the Naglu settlement, according to reports.

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