Dont know is this was posted before but this is worth noting.
Did ISI sacrifice Osama in quid pro quo deal?
NEW DELHI: The success of the ‘Kill Osama’ operation was the result of a backhand deal between the US and the Pakistan army and the ISI, believes India’s security establishment.
Top intelligence sources in the government believe that ISI chief Shuja Pasha’s recent visit to the US was to strike a quid pro quo deal for giving up bin Laden in return for an end to surgical strikes by US forces, including drone attacks, on its land.
“It is impossible that Pasha and army chief (General Pervez) Kayani did not know of the strike. In fact, we won’t be surprised if the ISI itself threw off the cover on Laden and handed him over to Am e ricans. But probably, civilian government was not in the loop for operation’s success,” they stressed.
Factoring in a possible fallout from the killing, intelligence sources warn that the coming days are going to be crucial, as there can be lethal retaliatory strikes against the interest of the Western countries, especially the US. While security at the US Embassy, consulates, other centres and institutions having presence of US citizens has been stepped up, a high alert has been sounded in Jammu and Kashmir, where 80-120 militants belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba are supposed to be hiding.
According to former RAW chief A S Dullat, the killing of Osama would serve a psychological blow to the hardcore elements because of his larger-than-life image. But, adversely, it could also lead to a spurt in terrorist attacks by a more determined lot. “We need to understand that Al-Qaeda has become more of a thought than a merely operational organisation,” says Dullat. That bin Laden was hiding deep in Pakistan gives credence to India’s claims about Pakistan’s complicity, said Dullat. “It is good that Pakistan finally cooperated with the US.”
However, another security expert, Ajay Sahni, differs. In his view, bin Laden’s elimination was a top secret operation done by the US alone and has increased problems for Pakistan, as it is caught in a dilemma whether to concur for providing help to the US in killing the Al-Qaeda leader or feign ignorance of his presence in a garrison town like Abbottabad where he was being “kept in an ISI safehouse”. “It is doomed either way. It cannot claim not knowing Osama’s presence nor can it say that the US operated on its own deep inside its territory without its knowledge. Pakistan establishment now should brace for severe Al-Qaeda retaliation,” he warned.
The next few months will determine how bin Laden’s killing impacts the global terrorist movement. “If there is a strong follow-up action, Al-Qaeda can disintegrate. But if it doesn’t happen, then the monster will emerge even stronger,” says Sahni.
Did ISI sacrifice Osama in quid pro quo deal? | Osama bin Laden | ISI | Indian Express
