Introduction
In the wake of the 11/26 Mumbai terror attacks, there is a growing fear in Pakistan that the Indian Air Force may attack militant hideouts inside Pakistan, in a manner similar to the U.S. missile attacks on Taliban and Al-Qaeda safe havens within Pakistan’s tribal districts on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
On December 2, 2008, the mass-circulation Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Jang reported that the Indian Air Force may attack the town of Muridke, the headquarters of banned militant organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET)[1]. In Muridke, which is near Lahore, Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is operating his organization under the new name of Jamaatud Dawa.
On the other hand, the Taliban commanders, who are currently fending off U.S. missile attacks and who have been bogged down in bloody fighting with Pakistani security forces for the past several months, are seeking a new opportunity for a ceasefire with the Pakistani Army following the Mumbai attacks.
Roznama Jang: Pakistani Army Calls Taliban Commanders "Pakistani Patriots"
The Taliban’s ceasefire offer has been welcomed by hard-line Pakistani Army officers who oppose the U.S.-led War on Terror. On December 1, 2008, Roznama Jang reported that several key Taliban commanders have offered to support the Pakistani Army in the event of any likely Indian attack on Pakistan. In return, Pakistani Army officials have called the Taliban commanders "Pakistani patriots."
The Roznama Jang report added: "As a positive sign that this ceasefire offer [from the Taliban] may be accepted, the Pakistani Army has, as a first step, declared to the media some notorious militant commanders, including Baitullah Mehsud and Maulvi Fazlullah, as 'patriotic' Pakistanis."[2]
Baitullah Mehsud and Maulvi Fazlullah are the key leaders of the Taliban movement in Pakistan. Baitullah Mehsud has also been accused of plotting the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
The report further noted: "These two militant commanders... have invariably been accused of terrorism against Pakistan, but the aftermath of the Mumbai carnage has suddenly turned terrorists into patriots."
Over the past few days, a number of Taliban commanders and spokesmen have contacted different Pakistani media organizations to offer their support to the Pakistani Army in its stand against India. On November 30, 2008, Wali Muhammad, a spokesman for the Taliban (Mullah Nazir group) in Pakistan’s tribal district of South Waziristan, warned of suicide attacks in India in the case of an attack on Pakistan.
Muhammad, who is also known as Shaheen, added: "Our differences with the [Pakistani] government notwithstanding, if the issue is the national security, we have 500 suicide bombers who will enter India[3]."
Urging religious and political parties to end their differences and to unite to defend the Pakistani nation, the Taliban spokesman stated that 15,000 armed Taliban fighters would fight alongside the Pakistani Army against India.
Taliban Spokesman: "[The Taliban] Understand How To Defend The Line Of Control [In Kashmir]."
On December 1, 2008, Maulvi Omar, the main spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also warned India that the Taliban fighters will stand side by side with the Pakistani Army and the security forces in the event of a war.
Omar added that the Indian threats following the Mumbai attacks are aimed not at the Pakistani army and security forces, but at Pakistan as a Muslim country.
Maulvi Omar also threatened that the Taliban fighters could join the Pakistani soldiers on the Line of Control in Kashmir. He added: "The Taliban have been defending the Durand Line [Pakistan-Afghanistan border] with our own weapons, and [we] understand how to defend the Line of Control [dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan]."[4]
Another Taliban commander, Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, who is senior deputy head of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, called the Pashtu-language newspaper Wrazpanra Wahdat from an undisclosed location to say that the fighters loyal to him are ready to defend Pakistan against any likely Indian attack on Pakistan[5]. Accusing Indian intelligence agencies of planning the Mumbai terror attacks, Maulvi Faqir Mohammad added that the Mumbai attacks were an attempt to defame Pakistan, and denied any Taliban involvement in them.
Khyber Agency: Ansarul Islam, Lashkar-e-Islam Offer Support To Pakistan
In Pakistan’s tribal district of Khyber Agency, there are two dominant militant organizations: Lashkar-e-Islam and Ansarul Islam. Both the groups have offered to fight alongside the Pakistan Army against India.
On November 30, 2008, Misri Khan, a spokesman for Lashkar-e-Islam, warned that in the event of an Indian attack, hundreds of thousands of Lashkar-e-Islam fighters will give an appropriate reply to the enemies of Pakistan.
Misri Khan added: "Our ancestors offered sacrifices for the defense of Pakistan’s borders, and Lashkar-e-Islam will not hesitate to make any sacrifice for the security of the nation."[6]
Similarly, Ansarul Islam, the second dominant group in the Khyber Agency, also announced that its fighters would defend Pakistan's borders against India.
On December 1, 2008, Ansarul Islam spokesman Mubin Afridi warned that thousands of their fighters are waiting for the Pakistani government's order to wage a war against India. He urged other militant groups to end their differences and join hands against India[7].
Jamaatud Dawa: The Time Has Come for the Infidels’ Atrocities Against The Muslim Ummah to End
Yahya Mujahid, a close aide to Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and a spokesman for the Jamaatud Dawa, told Roznama Jang that any aerial Indian attack on any of the Dawa-run religious seminaries and offices across Pakistan would be treated as an assault on Pakistani sovereignty.[8]
Hafiz Abdur Rahman Makki, another official with the Jamaatud Dawa, likewise warned that the Pakistani nation would not permit external conspiracies aimed at breaking up Pakistan to succeed. Addressing a gathering in Karachi, Makki accused international powers of trying to tighten the noose around Pakistan, and added: "The Ummah should unite; the time has come for the infidels’ atrocities against the Muslim Ummah to end."[9]
He also asked his followers not to run away from jihad if they did not have the capability to wage it, adding: "Acquiring capability and power is necessary to fight against the enemy. However, it is not correct to run away from jihad on this pretext [of lacking the necessary capability to wage it.]"
*Tufail Ahmad is Director of Urdu-Pashtu Media Project at the Middle East Media Research Institute (www.memri.org ).
Endnotes:
[1] Roznama Jang (Pakistan), December 2, 2008.
[2] Roznama Jang (Pakistan), December 1, 2008.
[3] Roznama Jasarat (Pakistan), December 1, 2008.
[4] Roznama Jasarat (Pakistan), December 2, 2008.
[5] Wrazpanra Wahdat (Pakistan), December 2, 2008.
[6] Roznama Express (Pakistan), December 1, 2008.
[7] Wrazpanra Wahdat (Pakistan), December 2, 2008.
[8] Roznama Jang (Pakistan), December 2, 2008.
[9] Roznama Express (Pakistan), December 1, 2008.
