Mumbai Attacks

[dr.umer]

The Investigation: India's nightmare: were the killers home-grown?​

28 Nov 2008

PM blames 'external' forces, but experts play down al-Qa'ida link​

By Anne Penketh, Diplomatic Editor

Two questions hang over the massacres, for which Indian security forces appear to have been completely unprepared: who did it, and why?

Security analysts said yesterday that, while the involvement of al-Qa'ida could not be ruled out after foreigners were targeted for the first time in a major Indian attack, initial suspicions focus on home-grown Islamic militant groups which have become a major concern for authorities.

Although the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, blamed "external linkages" and appeared to point the finger of blame at Pakistan, it was not clear last night whether he was repeating India's familiar accusations against its neighbour in the wake of every major terror attack or if he had firm evidence following the arrest of nine suspects involved in the shootings.

The festering sore of Kashmir, over which Pakistan and India have fought two wars, is ever present. One of the militants holed up in the Jewish centre in Mumbai contacted Indian television to ask: "Are you aware how many people have been killed in Kashmir? Are you aware how your army has killed Muslims? Are you aware how many of them have been killed in Kashmir this week?" He was said to be speaking Urdu with a Kashmiri accent.

Proof of a Kashmiri connection is likely to lead to rising tension in the subcontinent as these groups not only have ties with groups such as al-Qa'ida but also the Pakistani intelligence service, ISI. "There are serious concerns in India about the support of the ISI for militant Islamic groups," said a security analyst, Garry Hindle.

The Mumbai attacks were claimed by a previously unknown group, the Deccan Mujahedin, which is calling for the release of jailed Islamic militants. "At first glance, it looks like an offshoot of the Indian Mujahedin which itself arose out of the student Islamic movement," said Nigel Inkster, a senior analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies who is a former assistant director of MI6.

"We've been worried about the indigenisation of Islamist extremism in India," Mr Inkster added, referring to the new splinter groups springing up inside the country which are distinct from militant organisations imported from outside and accused of being sponsored by Pakistan.

Security specialists pointed out that targeting of foreigners and co-ordinated plans could be an indication of external activity. But they remained cautious about linking the shootings to the core al-Qa'ida leadership. "It can't be ruled out," said Mr Inkster. "There had been expectations of an al-Qa'ida 'spectacular' during the transition period in America, which has not happened. The CIA has been putting pressure on the core al-Qai'da leadership in Pakistan." US drones have been used there to bomb suspected militant leaders in tribal areas. But why would Islamic militants target Westerners in India? "Because it would be easier than in the US or Europe," he said.

The latest attack seems to be part of a pattern in which militants focus on cities powering the country's growth, such as Mumbai – where almost 200 people were killed in train bombings in 2006 – Bangalore and Delhi.

Following an unprecedented nuclear deal struck between Washington and Delhi, "Obviously India is a de facto ally of the US," said Mr Inkster. The attack "was designed to knock the government off balance and disrupt progress."

Mr Hindle, an analyst with the Royal United Services Institute, said the shootings may have been intended to disrupt the US-Indian relationship. Judging by the security response, Indian intelligence had no warning of the arrival of the militants by sea.

It remains a mystery why the head of India's counter-terrorism squad, Hemant Karkare, led the response on the ground. Although he was wearing a bullet-proof vest, the 54-year-old officer, one of the leading lights in the security forces who took over as counter-terrorism chief less than a year ago, was shot dead in a firefight.

Before his death, Mr Karkare was praised for a breakthrough in an investigation into a blast outside a mosque in Malegaon which led to the arrest of a serving army officer linked to Hindu extremists. Only last weekend Prime Minister Singh called for the creation of a special task force to come up with a 100-day plan to fight terrorism. Three days later, the terrorists struck.

Survivor's story: Businessman, Gulam Noon

"I looked through the peephole and saw a man with an AK47 in the corridor. Amaz-ingly when I called the front desk, the duty manager answered. He told me to jam the door. After several hours a fireman took us down in a crane. The general manager of the hotel was waiting with a bottle of water. The staff were amazing, they stayed all night, risking their lives."

In the frame: The main suspects

Deccan Mujahedin

Previously unknown group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but this is almost certainly a name of convenience for another organisation with the capacity to carry out such a deadly and well co-ordinated assault. Security analysts dismiss the notion that a new and unnoticed batch of militants would have been responsible.

Indian Mujahedin

Formed from the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (Simi). Members have received training and funding in Pakistan and have close contacts with Kashmiri militants. Claimed responsibility for a wave of bombings in Uttar Pradesh in November 2007. Indian authorities blame the group for the train bombings two years ago that killed 187 people. In May, the group made a specific threat to attack tourist sites in India unless the government stopped supporting the US.

Lashkar-e-Taiba

Kashmiri separatist group which has denied involvement but remains a suspect. Elements of Pakistani security forces have links with the organisation, which is also believed to have links with al-Qa'ida. Thought to be responsible for bomb attacks on markets in Delhi that killed more than 60 people in 2005, as well as an assault on India's parliament in 2001 that brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

Al-Qa'ida

All the recent indications point to the fact that al-Qa'ida does not have a structured command and control and that most of these attacks have been carried out by local groups, some of whom say they had been inspired by al-Qa'ida.

 

[Skywalker]

you are excatly right su, This incedent is going to have a ripple affect that will change the future.

You are not USA and we are not Afghanistan, thats the best for the time being I can answer you. Whoever planned this must have contacts with the insiders.

Only a non professional and stupid can leave traces just like when they found a passport in US after WTC collapse. What a joke. The synergy of RAW/Mossad/CIA is exposing its sinister plans against Pakistan.

A so called mighty Navy couldnt stop these terrorists entering via sea and then suddenly they found everything. Wow I dunno wether I should start laughing or crying. Yes unfortunatly I will cry for those innocent people killed for nothing but would also laugh as future super power(must be in dreams) have so many loop holes.

 

[dr.umer]

Clues suggest homegrown terrorists in India attack - Associated Press​

LONDON (AP) — The attack on India's financial capital bears all the trademarks of al-Qaida — simultaneous assaults meant to kill scores of Westerners in iconic buildings — but clues so far point to homegrown Indian terrorists, global intelligence officials said Thursday.

Spy agencies around the world were caught off guard by the deadly attack, in which gunmen sprayed crowds with bullets, torched landmark hotels and took dozens of hostages.

"We have been actively monitoring plots in Britain and abroad and there was nothing to indicate something like this was about to happen," a British security official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of his work.

Britain is the former colonial power in India and Pakistan and closely monitors terrorist suspects in those countries.

In some ways, the attack illustrated just how fluid terror tactics have become since Sept. 11 — and how the threat has become more global. Al-Qaida's leaders on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border still provide inspiration but groups are becoming increasingly local.

The group that claimed responsibility, Deccan Mujahideen, was unknown to global security officials. The name suggested the group was Indian.

One of the suspects reportedly called an Indian television station, speaking the main Pakistani language of Urdu, to demand the return of Muslim lands. That was a reference to Kashmir, territory claimed by both India and Pakistan.

But Ajai Sahni, head of the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management who has close ties to India's police and intelligence, said the attack was a departure from past assaults waged over Kashmir. Other such attacks had targeted Indian legislators, not Westerners.

Security officials said it was too soon to make a connection to Pakistan.

"It would be premature ... to reach any hard-and-fast conclusions on who may be responsible for the attacks, but some of what we're seeing is reminiscent of past terrorist operations undertaken by groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed," a U.S. counterterrorism official said on condition of anonymity, referring to Pakistani militant groups linked to al-Qaida who have fought Indian troops in Kashmir.

Another British security official told the AP on condition of anonymity that the attack doesn't look to have been directed by al-Qaida's core leadership, which has been weakened by the deaths of several leaders and key operatives in recent months.

Al-Qaida's core leadership is believed to be fewer than 100 people now, said Rohan Gunaratna, author of "Inside Al-Qaida" and a terrorism expert at the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore.

The British security official said it appeared the attack was inspired by Islamic extremist ideology and al-Qaida propaganda popular among radicalized youths. Many of the attackers in the Mumbai assault were young.

Gunaratna said he believed the group that carried out Wednesday's attack was the Indian Mujahideen, responsible for past attacks in Mumbai.

The word "Deccan" refers to a plateau in southern India. "Mujahideen" refers to holy warriors.

"The earlier generation of terrorist groups in India were mostly linked to Pakistan," Gunaratna told the AP. "But today we are seeing a dramatic change. They are almost all homegrown groups. ... They are very angry and firmly believe that India is killing Muslims and attacking Islam."

British-based Jane's Information Group said it thought the attackers could be Indian but that taking hostages suggested a wider anti-Western agenda.

"Until now, terrorist attacks in India have targeted civilians, often in busy market or commercial areas, and in communally sensitive areas with the intention to foment unrest between Hindu and Muslim communities," said Urmila Venugopalan, Jane's South Asia analyst.

"This stands in contrast to the national issues that appeared to motivate Indian Mujahideen," Venugopalan said.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh blamed "external forces" but stopped short of blaming Pakistan. Both are nuclear-armed countries.

In September, a massive suicide truck bomb devastated the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, killing at least 54 people, including three Americans and the Czech ambassador.

"This type of terrorism is spreading, through Pakistan and now India, but we were all surprised by such a large-scale attack like this," said Wajid Hassan, Pakistan's High Commissioner in London. "This is no coincidence that this type of attack happened so soon after the bombing of the Marriott Hotel. People from all countries are being paid to fight this al-Qaida war. This is a war that goes beyond any nationality."

Sahni, however, said "very preliminary investigations and intelligence information would suggest that some groups based in Pakistan are the most likely.

"If there is Indian participation, it's most likely to be Students' Islamic Movement of India," he said, referring to a radical student group banned in India in 2001.

Indian intelligence officials were also investigating whether Mumbai's criminal underworld could be involved.

"It's a possibility," Sahni said. "When we say Mumbai underworld we're talking of Dawood Ibrahim."

Ibrahim is one of India's most wanted men and also the alleged mastermind behind bombings in Mumbai in 1993 that killed 257 people. He has reportedly fled Mumbai, and police now believe he lives in Pakistan. Pakistani officials have denied this.

 

[haviZsultan]

Canadian hostage freed from Mumbai hotel

MUMBAI -- A Canadian woman freed from a Mumbai hotel said she was "fine" and on her way to the airport after Indian commandos seized the building from armed Islamic terrorists Friday.

Alison Nankivell was among five Canadians freed from the Oberoi-Trident Hotel after it had been stormed by terrorists 36 hours earlier as part of co-ordinated and bloody attacks against several targets in India's financial capital that left as many as 140 dead, including one Canadian. The name of the dead Canadian has not been released.

Nankivell, speaking by cellphone with Canwest News Service, praised the work of Canadian officials and asked for privacy.

"I really don't have any comment. I am trying to get back to my home. Everything is fine. We all went through it," said Nankivell, who said she was on the way to the airport. "Everything is fine. We had a good experience working with the (Canadian) consulate."

Nankivell said she was originally from Toronto, with a home in Ottawa, and that she was currently posted overseas.

The prefix of her cellphone number is used in Beijing, China.

According to an August news release from Export Development Canada, an Alison Nankivell was named to the posting of senior equity manager in Beijing.

Nankivell's name was on a list of freed hostages from the Oberoi-Trident hotel given to local Indian media by authorities. Indian reporter Heena Kumawat, with television station IBN 7, read the list over the telephone to Canwest News Service.

Jennifer Dean Brooy, from eastern Ontario, was also on the list and her cellphone number had an Ottawa prefix. It rang through to voice mail.

On Friday, Global News obtained a partial list of Canadians who were either currently being held hostage, or had been held in recent days.

Included in that were Damon Sawchuk and Marsha Maxwell, both from the Toronto area, and Vernon Lyle Simonson of De Winton, Alta.

A fourth person, Karim Sharif, was identified as a Canadian, but was in India on an American passport. His address was listed as New York City.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon issued separate statements Friday morning saying that one Canadian had been killed, while five trapped in hotels had been freed. Twenty registered Canadians were known to be in Mumbai at the time of the terrorist attacks. Cannon said Friday all have been accounted for.

Friday, Indian commandos stormed a Jewish centre in Mumbai killing two terrorists, but failed to save five hostages after two days of bloodshed that have created fresh tensions with old foe Pakistan.

And a lone terrorist continued to hold out at the luxury Taj hotel in Mumbai, as explosions and gunfire erupting regularly while he avoided commandos through the maze of corridors and rooms. The head of one commando unit flushing out terrorists at the five-star Taj said he had seen 12 to 15 bodies in one room in the hotel.

Commandos took control of the Trident-Oberoi hotel on Friday, killing the last two terrorists at the site. Mumbai police chief Hassan Ghafoor said 24 bodies were found in the building. More than 140 guests were freed earlier in the day.

The commandos found money, ammunition and an identity card from Mauritius that they suspected belonged to the terrorists, the commander -- his face disguised by a black scarf and sunglasses -- told a news conference.

One of the terrorists arrested in Mumbai was a Pakistani national, the interior minister of Maharashtra state, R.R. Patil, told reporters.

At least two Canadians were injured in the attacks. Cannon said in a statement that one of the Canadians had suffered serious injuries and was in stable condition in intensive care. The other Canadian had been released from the hospital. Consular officials visited the seriously injured Canadian and were in contact with his family, said Cannon.

Michael Rudder, of Montreal, was shot three times while in the restaurant area of Mumbai's luxury Oberoi-Trident Hotel, said Bobbie Garvey, vice-president of the Synchronicity Foundation, a U.S. based meditation group.

"He's had surgery and he's doing well," Garvey said Thursday. "He's stable - not enough to fly home yet -- but he's stable."

Helen Connolly, a Toronto-based yoga instructor, was also grazed by a bullet in the attack, but Garvey said she was quickly released from hospital, is staying with a host family and is doing well.

The two Canadians were travelling in the area with the meditation group and were among the victims shot by terrorists in Mumbai as explosions continued to rock the embattled city Thursday.

"They went with our spiritual director on a pilgrimage to India, and wound up in the middle of this terrorist attack," said Garvey from his organization's base in Faber, Va.

Indian commandos fought room-to-room battles with the Islamic terrorists inside the two luxury hotels Thursday to save people trapped or taken hostage during the bloody siege.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper condemned what he called "the despicable and cowardly attacks in Mumbai, India."

"The government of Canada is working closely with Indian authorities to find and assist any Canadians and their families who might be affected by these attacks," Harper said in a statement released Thursday. "Our consular staff in Ottawa and on the ground in Mumbai are working tirelessly to this end."

The Department of Foreign Affairs also issued a travel warning for Mumbai, saying Canadians should avoid non-essential travel.

A previously little-known terror organization calling itself the Deccan Mujahedeen has sent an e-mail to news organizations claiming responsibility for the attacks.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the terrorists had come from "outside the country," while the military official leading the operation to flush them out, Maj.-Gen. R.K. Hooda, said they were from archrival Pakistan.

The Press Trust of India said one Pakistani man had been detained, although Pakistan's government fiercely denied any involvement.

Three of the terrorists have confessed they are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, an Indian newspaper reported.

Lashkar-e-Taiba, one of the largest Islamist terror groups in South Asia, denied on Thursday that it had any role in the attacks.

One of the terrorists was a resident of Faridkot in Pakistan's Punjab province, the Hindu said, citing unidentified police investigators.

"Based on the interrogation of the suspects, the investigators believe that one or more groups of Lashkar operatives left Karachi in a merchant ship early on Wednesday," the newspaper said.

It said the group came ashore at Mumbai on a small boat and then split up into small teams to attack multiple locations.

The Mumbai attacks bear some hallmarks of al-Qaida but it is too early to say if the network was behind the deadly assaults, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Thursday.

Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is a major metropolitan centre on the west coast of India near the Arabian Sea.

- With files from Global National and Reuters

Deccan mujahideen has taken responsibility for the attack. Will you still keep blaming us? Aur kuch bhi kar liya karo yaar...

I think muslims are about to rise up in absolute rebellion against India... :p
Dont you think? Indians are actually trying to hide this truth that the Indians are murdering and butchering innocent muslims all across India because of which local militant groups many of them who lose their families rise up and fight Indian rule.

 

[dr.umer]

Arrested Mumbai gunmen 'of British descent'​

28 Nov 2008
The Independent UK

Two gunmen arrested after the Mumbai massacre were of British descent, the country's chief minister said today.

UK authorities played down reports that the terrorists included Britons as violence in the city continued for a third day.

Gordon Brown said there was no mention of any of the terrorists being linked with Britain during a conversation with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

He said: "At no point has the Prime Minister of India suggested to me that there is evidence at this stage of any terrorist of British origins but obviously these are huge investigations that are being done and I think it will be premature to draw any conclusions at all.

"We remain steadfast and firm standing with India and all other countries against any form of terrorist activity and we will be vigilant in both helping the Indian authorities and in making sure that in every part of the world we support those who are fighting terrorism."

But Indian Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh claims two British-born Pakistanis were among eight gunmen arrested by Indian authorities, according to Associated Press reports.

Indian authorities said Mumbai would soon be back under their full control but confirmed the number of foreigners known to be killed in the attacks had risen to eight.

At least 143 people - including a wealthy British businessman - were left dead in the wave of terror that swept India's financial capital.

Earlier a German MEP caught up in the attacks said she had heard that British nationals were among the terrorists, as reports of the death toll hit 143, including eight foreign nationals.

Erika Mann was part of a trade delegation of MEPs from Brussels staying at the Taj Hotel.

Before leaving the city on a flight to London, she said she had escaped through an underground passage in the hotel.

She added: "The attacks appear to have a European dimension. We have heard from journalists and other people we were with that English citizens took part in the attacks and were killed in the hotel.

"This information is not confirmed, however. We were told that they came in by boat."

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said UK authorities had "no knowledge" of any British links with the massacre.

She told reporters: "We will do anything we can to help Indian authorities through what is obviously a very difficult time."

Ms Smith added: "We will do what is necessary. At the moment the priority is to support the immediate needs.

"We will work with the Indians to see what we can learn from the events."

Ms Mann, a member of the Socialist group in the European Parliament, said hotel staff helped steer her towards a route away from the hotel as gunmen burst in and began firing.

"The terrorists started shooting behind us. When we got to the street I stopped a car and by luck it belonged to some Indian journalists. The Indian people were wonderful in their support."

She said a new approach was now needed to tackle global terrorism: "These attacks have taught us all a difficult lesson," she said.

"We cannot continue just with local and regional structures to fight terrorism when we face an enemy that is organised on a global scale. Global terrorism of the sort we experienced in Mumbai involves a wide range of people, from young people influenced by fundamentalism to business people.

"This cannot be left as a problem for India alone. The ordinary people are as fed up as anyone else."

Meanwhile, a top Indian official says eight foreigners are known to have been killed so far in the Mumbai attacks and 22 more have been injured.

Top security official M.L. Kumawat says the dead include three Germans, and one person each from Japan, Canada and Australia. The nationalities of two more are unknown.

The injured include five from Britain, three Germans, two Americans, two from Oman and one each from Norway, Spain, Canada, Finland, Philippines, Australia, Italy and China. Two more were unknown.

24 more bodies were found today, taking the death toll to 143.

Even after claims by Indian authorities that the situation was under control, explosions were still being heard in central Mumbai.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that as far as the Government was aware, there were no British hostages still being held in the Indian financial capital.

And he said ministers were determined to do what they could to help the Indian authorities dealing with the attacks.

"It is clear that we have got to help the Indian government deal with this terrorist incident and we have sent people from the Metropolitan Police to help," he said.

"This is an atrocious outbreak of violence planned in advance and I think we have got to look at how international action against terrorism can be improved over the next period of time."

Mr Brown said the British High Commissioner to India, Sir Richard Stagg, was trying to establish how many UK nationals had been injured in the attacks.

He said his thoughts were with those who had died, including the British businessman Andreas Liveras.

"Of course, we are mourning the death of a British citizen who died and there are a number of British citizens who are injured," he said.

"As the High Commissioner visits different hospitals in the Mumbai area, he is trying to discover the degree to which people are ill and injured."

Mr Liveras, the founder of a luxury yacht business who was in his 70s, was pronounced dead on arrival at St George's Hospital in the city.

External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee said "elements in Pakistan" were behind the Mumbai terror attacks.

He said: "According to preliminary information, some elements in Pakistan are responsible for Mumbai terror attacks.

"Proof cannot be disclosed at this time."

Hundreds were injured when the suspected Islamic militants attacked 10 sites in Mumbai.

Briton Mark Abell, whose home town was not known, was rescued at the Oberoi today.

He said: "I'm going home, I'm going to see my wife."

Mr Abell said he locked himself in his room during the siege.

He added: "These people here have been fantastic, the Indian authorities, the hotel staff. I think they are a great advertisement for their country."

Another man, who said he was British but would not give his name, said: "I didn't see anything. I just heard loud blasts.

"I was in my room. I didn't get out until an hour ago."

Gunmen launched co-ordinated attacks on targets in central Mumbai, including the two hotels and the city's packed railway station, on Wednesday.

Heavy gunfire continued today as commandos were dropped by helicopter on to the roof of a Jewish centre where at least 10 hostages were being held.

The commando attack on the centre run by the ultra-orthodox Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch was punctuated by gunshots and explosions from within the building as forces cleared it floor by floor.

Security officials insisted their operations were almost over.

But within an hour of the statement two loud explosions were heard at the luxury Taj Mahal hotel, which authorities insisted last night was cleared of gunmen.

British citizen Nicole Griffen said she was rescued by Indian special forces from the Taj Mahal.

She told the BBC's Radio 5 Live: "They entered and looked through our passports and scouted around to see if there were (anyone) harbouring terrorists or attackers and then we were promptly told where to go by the central stairway and again we were asked to wait with other guests while they checked other floors and checked other rooms and we all congregated into one space where they could protect us centrally."

More than seven other Britons were among the injured, it was believed.

Retired teachers Diane and Michael Murphy, who live near Hexham, Northumberland, were on holiday in India and had only been in Mumbai for one day when the terrorists struck.

A group calling itself Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

But experts said they had never heard of the organisation and suggested that the radical Students Islamic Movement of India (Simi) might have been behind the massacre.

Prime Minister Singh blamed "external forces" for the violence - a phrase sometimes used to refer to Pakistani militants, whom Indian authorities often blame for attacks.

 

[haviZsultan]

You are not USA and we are not Afghanistan, thats the best for the time being I can answer you. Whoever planned this must have contacts with the insiders.

Only a non professional and stupid can leave traces just like when they found a passport in US after WTC collapse. What a joke. The synergy of RAW/Mossad/CIA is exposing its sinister plans against Pakistan.

A so called mighty Navy couldnt stop these terrorists entering via sea and then suddenly they found everything. Wow I dunno wether I should start laughing or crying. Yes unfortunatly I will cry for those innocent people killed for nothing but would also laugh as future super power(must be in dreams) have so many loop holes.

There was no boat... Its all a game. They just arrested innocent Pakistani who went for mumbai to visit thats all.

Indian muslims are just rising up to attrocities committed by the Indian nation. ;0

 

[Awesome]

Still someone is holed up at the Taj!

Atankvaadi nahi, jese khatmal ho. Confirm hokay nikaltay hi nahi

 

[Awesome]

I hope BJP wins, the congress govt. is too inept to deal with this situation............

Yeah but 6 months from now, situation can be different.

 

[dr.umer]

Is India reaping a harvest of hatred sown by Indians? We have seen it all before-a Sri Lankan perspective​

November 28, 2008

As I write this, Indian security forces are still fighting terrorists in Mumbai, the financial capital of India and centre of its glamorous film industry. Over a hundred people are dead, gunned down by young men in a crazed Columbine style shooting of unarmed civilians. A previously unknown group called the Deccan Mujahedeen have claimed responsibility. With the choice of this name-the Deccan valley being a large plateau in India-these guys are sending a clear signal: they are sons of Mother India. And they are not alone: a string of bomb blasts over the last year in Delhi, Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, and Uttar Pradesh was claimed by another home-grown group calling themselves the Indian Mujahedeen.

India is the largest democracy in the world. They’ve got several hundred languages, they’ve got every major world religion in residence and originated four of them; they are multi-cultural and multi-ethnic, with a male Prime Minister of the minority Sikh religion and a female President. This is a kaleidoscope of people, all very proud of their individual cultures, and yet also very proud that they are one nation under one flag. This is the land held up as proof that no matter how large, how populated, and how diverse a country may be, democracy works for everyone; democracy protects everyone. So what the hell is going wrong now?

One of the terrorists spreading carnage at the Oberoi Hotel told Indian television via telephone: “Muslims in India should not be persecuted. We love this as our country but when our mothers and sisters were being killed, where was everybody? Release all the mujahedeens, and Muslims living in India should not be troubled.” What is he going on about?

In 2002, over two thousand Muslims were massacred in the state of Gujarat. It was called a spontaneous communal riot, but the weight of evidence suggests that it was a premeditated attack against the Muslims organized by local authorities and politicians. The attack was particularly severe against women, with organized rape and mutilation of women and female children-”when our mothers and sisters were being killed, where was everybody?”

The violence in Gujarat bares many resemblances to the landmark event in our own battle against terrorism: the 1983 anti-Tamil riot. It too was called a spontaneous communal riot, but as with Gujarat the weight of evidence suggested premeditated action by the then government. It is alleged that the government minister Mr Cyril Matthew organized gangs made up of the Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya to systematically target Tamil houses and businesses using voter lists which they had conveniently got access to. In Gujarat too, voter lists identified the Muslims and the chief minister Narendra Modi was accused of instigating and encouraging the attacks, and of being wilfully negligent in providing relief to the victims. The 1983 anti-Tamil riot swelled the ranks of militant groups in Sri Lanka with youth determined to exact revenge, and evidently the Gujarat riot has had the same effect in India.

Our response to 1983 was to ignore it and pretend that it was an isolated and spontaneous incident, rather than accept that there were deep-seated injustices perpetrated against the minority even prior to 1983. India did the same: investigations were sabotaged, no one was held accountable. Few saw the broader context of the problem: the ever-simmering violence in Kashmir, and the fact that the Indian economy-laudable though it is-had left out many Indians, many of whom felt that they had been systematically neglected because of their minority status.

To see what is happening in India today is to look in the rear view mirror of what we did wrong in Sri Lanka. When we suffered terrorist attacks, we blamed it on foreign interference, namely India. India does the same today: the Prime Minister in a televised message blamed a “group based outside the country”. Both countries have failed to realize that the root of the problem is not outside our shores; the problem lies within. Messages from the Indian public are scrolled continuously on NDTV, most of them blaming the government for inadequate security and calling for a severe crackdown on terrorism (as if they weren’t already trying all this time). Not one message asked the question: “what drove these Indians to do this to other Indians?”

In the interests of combating terrorism, it won’t be long before anti-terrorist squads ask Indians with Muslim names questions like: what are you doing out so late? Do you have a legitimate reason for walking near that hotel? How can you prove that you live in this city? If you’re not from here, what reason do you have for being in this city? It won’t be long before Indian Muslims are arrested simply for being Muslims, and asked to prove that they are not terrorists. As for the public, the great majority will applaud these actions. They’ll say it is unfortunate, but it is necessary. We know this because we have seen it all before.

One of the police officers killed by the terrorists in Mumbai was an ‘encounter specialist.’ This is a euphemism for government assassins who shoot dead alleged gangsters and terrorists without bothering to collect evidence. Our equivalent would be the ubiquitous white vans that make ‘suspected terrorists’ mysteriously disappear and keeps adding to the tally of bodies that wash ashore or turn up in ditches. How does the public know they really are terrorists? We know, and that’s all that matters-who needs evidence anyway? In India these ‘encounter specialists’ are glorified by the media and cinema as heroes. Murderer equals hero. Isn’t that the same logic used by terrorists?

So here’s a word of advice from a Sri Lankan to our big neighbour. Don’t go down the path we have taken. Don’t be tempted to sacrifice the freedom of another for your own safety. Be smarter than us. Look within and find the disease that is causing this fever called terrorism. For now, your terrorists seem to be ad hoc groups of lethal young men. With every attack in your country a new terrorist group with a new label takes credit. That’s how it starts. The day will come when a determined and motivated leader manages to coalesce the many fingers of extremism into a hard-hitting fist, with an ideology as compelling as it is evil. When that happens, you will pay a price in blood and sorrow for generations to come. We know this because we have seen it all before.

 

[Awesome]

Evidence with Indian Agencies:

-Captured terrorist says 40 terrorists part of the operation.

-29 Pakistani and rest Bangladeshi

-20 were living in Mumbai a week before the attack

-Rest came by sea - bringing arms and ammunition

-The 20 living in Mumbai came to know the innards of the Taj and Oberoi and planned the attack.

-Abu Ismail from Faridkot Pakistan was interrogated.

-Group assembled in Lashkar base in Pakistan.

-The terrorists were well trained to handle sophisticated weapons

-Maritime security is lax

-Traveling time between Karachi and Mumbai is 4 hours

-They traveled upto a certain place by sea and then rowed to shore using rubber boats.

Errr that is the allegation. With what you prove all that, will be the evidence.

 

[Awesome]

“Muslims in India should not be persecuted. We love this as our country but when our mothers and sisters were being killed, where was everybody? Release all the mujahedeens, and Muslims living in India should not be troubled.”
-- Mumbai attacker, Imran.

 

[jeypore]

but would also laugh as future super power(must be in dreams) have so many loop holes.

Well you should also cry for this dream also.

 

[Flintlock]

Errr that is the allegation. With what you prove all that, will be the evidence.

You seem to be demanding a lot more neutrality from me than what you write in your own posts.

 

[Imran Khan]

Situation Update

Heavy firing, explosions at Taj
At Nariman: No one found alive
At Oberoi: Yes Bank chairman found dead
At Taj: Bodies brought out of back entrance

 

[Skywalker]

ISI cheif has been instructed to go to India and help them out in an ongoing investigations. For a moment I thought what a blunder Zardari is making and how stupid he is to send the country's spy chief' but after giving some thoughts I realized that its a good oppertunity for him to take all the proves of Indian Involvement in FATA and balouchistan.

He can talk to them on give n take basis like handing over barhamdagh bugti and stop poking their noses in our country. But I know their masters (CIA/MOssad) wont allow them to do that.