Low level ISI personnel may have been involved in Mumbai attacks

[KALKI]

ISI might have been involved in 26/11 strikes: Khan​

NEW DELHI: Pakistan's former foreign secretary Shaharyar Khan has acknowledged that ISI might have been involved in the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai — in the first-ever confession of its kind by a member of Pakistani establishment.

In an interview to an Indian TV channel on Saturday, Khan said that "low-level" ISI personnel may have been involved in the terrorist attack on Mumbai. Speaking against the backdrop of the disclosures made by David Coleman Headley about serving ISI officers — Major Iqbal and Major Sameer — Khan told the Indian channel, "I think there is no doubt that whosoever is this Major Iqbal is, was in touch with this man (David Headley)," he said. "I think I would certainly accept that," he added.

This is the first-ever admission of ISI's involvement in terrorism by a senior functionary, if retired, of Pakistan. Though Khan suggested that Major Iqbal could be acting on his own, his statement can only reinforce the growing global conviction about the state-run spy agency's involvement in terrorist activities.

So far, Pakistan has been in denial about the existence of the two serving ISI officers, who were crucial to the terror plot against India.

The statement comes at a time when Chicago trial of 26/11 co-accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana and Headley's testimony in the same court has trained the spotlight on the use of terror by ISI to promote Pakistan's strategic objectives. This is sure to add to the embarrassment that Pakistan has been reeling under since Osama bin Laden was found to be hiding in plain sight in the garrison town of Abbotabad.

In his interview to CNN-IBN, Khan tried to backtrack soon after admitting ISI's involvement in the Mumbai attack. "But the crucial question is that did Major Iqbal act under instruction from ISI hierarchy or is he one of these people who are operating on their own at lower levels,'' he said.

Seeking to retreat, he further said he had doubts over ISI and army institutions taking part in something like Mumbai attacks as that would be "counter-productive".

According to Headley, it was Major Iqbal who took the decision on the list of targets and also facilitated training of terrorists by Pakistan navy. Headley admitted himself being trained by Iqbal in a safehouse near the Lahore airport.

Khan was Pakistan's foreign secretary for fours years from 1990-94. After his retirement, he was involved in Track II diplomacy to improve India-Pakistan ties. He is also a former chief of Pakistan Cricket Board.

On the possibility of Pakistan's nuclear assets falling into hands of jihadis, Khan said he was confident something like that was not going to happen. When asked to elaborate further on the threat and that if he could completely rule out possibility of jihadi sympathizers infiltrating into Pakistani forces to acquire weapons or fissile material, Khan said, ``I will not be 100% sure but 99% sure that this will not be allowed to happen."

On the notion that Pakistan Army is not taking a hard enough position against anti-India groups, he said there is a feeling in Pakistan that this attitude has to change. "Now after bin Laden, Karachi, they must think that terrorism, not India is the major concern...This feeling is surely going to be accepted by the army," he said.

ISI might have been involved in 26/11 strikes: Khan - The Times of India

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At least somebody in Pakistan is not lying.

 

[53fd]

How would the foreign secretary have inside knowledge of the ISI, a intelligence gathering organization that has nothing to do with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

 

[KALKI]

How would the foreign secretary have inside knowledge of the ISI, a domestic intelligence gathering organization that has nothing to do with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

Are you implying that the right hand doesn't know what the left hand does?

BTW, ISI is an external intellingence gathering agency as claimed by some Pakistanis in the past. That explains why it should have a close collaboration with the foreign ministry.

 

[RoYaL~GuJJaR]

How would the foreign secretary have inside knowledge of the ISI, a domestic intelligence gathering organization that has nothing to do with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

What?? ISI a domestic intelligence gathering organization??? Btw! Do you know the functioning of foreign secretary and there links withing the Gov organisations and all?

And yeah ask him why he is saying all this......................

 

[53fd]

Are you implying that the right hand doesn't know what the left hand does?

BTW, ISI is an external intellingence gathering agency as claimed by some Pakistanis in the past. That explains why it should have a close collaboration with the foreign ministry.

Yes, I didn't realize what I typed quickly enough, & I made the appropriate changes in my post. You're right, the ISI is a foreign intelligence gathering organization, the local one that gathers domestic intelligence is the Intelligence Bureau (IB). The IB gathers domestic civilian intelligence. Both the IB & the ISI are under the jurisdiction of the government of Pakistan, not the Pakistan Armed Forces. Then the third organization is the Military Intelligence (MI), which gathers domestic military intelligence. It does not fall under the jurisdiction of the government of Pakistan, but the Pakistan Armed Forces. The people that claim that the Pakistan Army uses the ISI for god knows what really have no clue what they are talking about.

 

[53fd]

Stop lying Bilal and that too in our face.

Neither are we 3 year olds nor is this a kindergarten class.

One body formulates foreign relations, the other gathers intelligence. They have completely different roles. How can you say they collaborate with one another? The government of Pakistan acts as a buffer for these two bodies that fall into its jurisdiction, & is the link between these two organizations. I don't know what you are arguing about anyways. It's not like the Army is involved with the ISI.

 

[53fd]

Now your own minister have claimed something so you are hell bent to prove that there is no connection!

Duh! Try Hard next time....

The Foreign Secretary has no inside knowledge of the ISI. Mahmood Shah Qureshi, the Foreign Minister (a higher position than the Foreign Secretary, as the Foreign Secretary works under the Minister of Foreign Affairs, & the Minister of Foreign Affairs works under the Foreign Minister) had no inside knowledge of the ISI for heaven's sake.

 

[53fd]

Let me break it down for you, those who do not understand the workings of governance of Pakistan:

1. Foreign Minister of Pakistan - heads the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (for example: Shah Mahmood Qureshi)
2. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs - works under the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, & reports directly to him/her. (for example: Hina Rabbani)
3. Foreign Secretary of Pakistan - works under the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. (for example: Shehryar Khan)

Now, Shehryar Khan is three levels below the Foreign Minister of Pakistan. The Foreign Minister of Pakistan does collaborate with the Director of the ISI, but the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan does not collaborate with the Director of the ISI. In other words, the words of Shah Mahmood Qureshi about the ISI would be more believable than the words of Shehryar Khan, because Shehryar Khan works with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, not the Director of the ISI. I hope I have cleared your misconceptions. If you still want to be misinformed, you are welcome to live in your delusions.

 

[53fd]

Now your own minister have claimed something so you are hell bent to prove that there is no connection!

Duh! Try Hard next time....

He's not the Foreign Minister, he's the Foreign Secretary for heaven's sake. Learn the difference between the two. I've explained it clearly enough in Post # 19.

 

[nForce]

India may approach NY court to prove ISI as terror group​

​

India may approach a New York court to be a party to a lawsuit, filed by the family of 26/11 victims Rabbi Gavriel Noah Holtzberg and his wife Rivka, to declare Pakistan's spy agency ISI as a terrorist group. Armed with many documents, which prove the ISI's links with terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba,India may implead itself in the lawsuit filed in the federal court to help the petitioners as well as declaring ISI as a terrorist outfit.

"Our main purpose is to help the family of the Rabbi to get justice as well as to prove in the New York court ISI's direct link with terror outfits like LeT which carried out the Mumbai attack," a government official said.

If the New York court is convinced about ISI's role in 26/11 attack, it will strengthen the case of declaring ISI as terrorist outfit by the US and the UN.

In the lawsuit, ISI chief Shuja Pasha and LeT are being sued for the Mumbai attack. It was filed by the close family members of Rabbi Holtzberg and Rivka, who were killed by the terrorists at the Chabad House in Mumbai during the 26/11 attack.

The disclosure of LeT operative David Headley in a Chicago court that he was in constant contact with ISI officials and he received espionage training from ISI is also likely to strengthen the lawsuit.

Headley's testimony in the trial of Pakistani-Canadian Tahawwur Rana in a Chicago court that the Pakistani spy agency and its operatives like Major Iqbal and LeT founder Hafiz Saeed had helped him in laying the groundwork for the Mumbai attacks has exposed Islamabad's role in 26/11, the government official said.

Through records of several emails exhibited in the court, federal prosecutors established beyond doubt that Headley was in constant contact with ISI officials, in particular Major Iqbal, and his handlers in Pakistan.

In one of the emails to his ISI handler Major Iqbal, Headley writes about the latest spying gadgets.

Headley told the court that Iqbal made key decisions and was indeed the mastermind of the 26/11 plot.

"Major Iqbal told me the Chabad House would be added on whatever list (of targets) there was because it was a front office for the Mossad" - Israel's intelligence agency, Headley said, adding that Major Iqbal "seemed upset the (Mumbai) airport was not included" as a target.

"If we become party to the law suit, all these will come as great help in proving our point that ISI is nothing but a global terrorist organisation," the official said.

 

[EagleEyes]

Nobody cares about Mumbai attacks anymore.

 

[53fd]

Bilal, before explaining to us what you're saying, it'll be better if you yourself understand the gravity of the lie you are trying to propagate.

You're saying that the left hand does not know what the right hand does.

Bilal, I consider you a quite sensible and knowledgeable person so I earnestly implore you to stop embarrassing yourself, insulting our intelligence and diverting the thread.

I have said that the Foreign Secretary does not collaborate with the Director of the ISI, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan does on some levels. So Shehryar Khan has no knowledge of the ISI, as he is just the Foreign Secretary, who reports to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, who then reports to the Foreign Minister of Pakistan. Which is why I said that the Foreign Minister would know more than the Foreign Secretary would. Seriously, doesn't the word 'Secretary' ring any bells for you?

Tell me, who exactly does the Foreign Secretary collaborate with inside the Inter-Service Intelligence Agency? Can you answer me that question?

 

[mughaljee]

ISI not involved,
News is Topi Drama.

 

[53fd]

iRobot, I'm waiting for a response from you on this question:

Tell me, who exactly does the Foreign Secretary collaborate with inside the Inter-Service Intelligence Agency? Can you answer me that question?

 

[KALKI]

iRobot, I'm waiting for a response from you on this question:

Bilal, you need to understand a few things about how people work in jobs, first.

A foreign secretary is not born a foreign secretary. He used to be a diplomat once.

He used to have intensive interactions with senior people in intelligence agencies.

He knows the agency and its functioning inside out.

It's like saying your teacher doesn't know what goes on on the back benches since he never sits there.

The teacher might not sit on the back benches but the teacher very well knows what's going on at the back of the class. This is called EXPERIENCE.

...and a foreign secretary's experience has got to count for something.

...but of course, you may keep lying and living in denial. The truth, though, will one day come out in front of everybody no matter how much you try to hide it.