The Hindu : ISI planning more attacks in Kashmir?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 26, 2002

International

International

ISI planning more attacks in Kashmir?

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON MAY 25. In a report, which despite its speculative nature will cause alarm in New Delhi, a leading British newspaper today claimed that extremists "backed by a powerful wing of the Pakistan army'' were preparing new attacks on Kashmir. It quoted a British Government source as saying that the "ISI is up to its old tricks'', but a Foreign Office spokesman declined to comment.

``We don't comment on what unofficial sources say,'' he told The Hindu but reiterated the British Government's "deep concern'' over the tension in the region and stressed the "absolute need'' for an end to terrorism.

The Guardian pegged its report from Islamabad on what it described as "mounting evidence'' of continuing Pakistani involvement in cross-border terrorism despite President Pervez Musharraf's assurances to the contrary. Claiming that it had "uncovered evidence that Pakistani militants are still openly raising funds and training young fighters to cross into Kashmir to fight the Indian army,'' it said: "Militants backed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) have described how they are acquiring funds and training for guerrilla conflict in Kashmir in violation of a Government ban.''

Though in recent weeks, the British media has constantly spoken of Gen. Musharraf's "limited'' hold over the hardline elements in the Government, The Guardian report purports to be the most explicit expose of the ISI's continuing support to the "jehadis''. It says that "several hundred ISI officers'', opposed to Gen. Musharrraf's crackdown on militants, have survived a recent purge of hardliners and weeding them out is proving to be difficult. "It's hard to tell who are the renegades,'' a source close to the military leadership is quoted as saying.

The report is littered with quotes attributed to anonymous "sources'', "officials'', "diplomats'' and unnamed Laskhar-e-Taiba activists. One Laskhar "fundraiser'' says: "Training is underway in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and we are not under pressure from any Government agency to stop. When this training is going on do you think these agencies are not aware? Of course they are.''

Elsewhere a ''military source'' claims: "Every jehadi has links with the ISI. You cannot be a jehadi without having links with the ISI.''

The newspaper said that many in the ISI saw their role in Kashmir as "supporting their own citizens recovering their own homeland, not terrorists

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