Inside ISI The story and involvement of the ISI in Afghan Jihad, Taliban, Al-Qaeda, 9/11, Osama bin Laden, 26/11 and the Future of Al-Qaeda Inside ISI The story and involvement of the ISI in Afghan Jihad, Taliban, Al-Qaeda, 9/11, Osama bin Laden, 26/11 and The Future of Al-Qaeda by S K Datta United Service Institution of India New Delhi Vij Books India Pvt Ltd New Delhi (India) Published by Vij Books India Pvt Ltd (Publishers, Distributors & Importers) 2/19, Ansari Road Delhi – 110 002 Phones: 91-11-43596460, 91-11-47340674 Fax: 91-11-47340674 e-mail: [email protected] Copyright © 2014, United Service Institution of India, New Delhi All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Application for such permission should be addressed to the publisher. The views expressed in the book are of the author and not necessarily those of the USI or publishers. CONTENTS Preface vii Chapters 1. The ISI of Pakistan 1 2. Afghan Jihad (1978 - 1989) 58 3. The Taliban 89 4. Al-Qaeda 122 5. 9/11 166 6. Osama bin Laden 220 7. Mumbai 26/11 Attack 251 8. The Future of Al-Qaeda 270 Appendices Appendix-1 : Directors of ISI 293 Appendix-2 : United Nations Security Council 294 Resolution 1368, September 12, 2001 adopted unanimously Appendix-3 : United Nations Security Council 296 Resolution 1373, 28 September 2001 Appendix-4 : List of Muslim Lands Conquered by 301 Non-Muslims Appendix-5 : Fatwa 303 Bibliography 307 Index 313 PREFACE This book is dedicated to the victims of terrorism and intelligence and law enforcement agencies of all the countries of the world. Thousands of them have laid down their lives fighting terrorists. To uphold the democratic and secular fabric of India and combating terrorism, every year more than a thousand police personnel lay down their lives. Thousands of civilians, men, women and children are killed in India by foreign terrorists to create a climate of terror for promotion of their political agenda. India’s 26/11 was committed in November 2008, an incident of such kind was never witnessed before. More such brutal and lethal attacks are likely to happen in India and elsewhere. The book is relevant to those who wished to know why and how terrorism shifted from West Asia to South and Southeast Asia and Africa. This significant shift needs to be studied in depth for policy formulation and future strategy. The book will reveal that the so called Islamic Terrorism is traceable to Pakistan from concept to reality. Pakistan as a state and not Pakistanis, has provided the platform for outward and inward march of jihadis. For this to happen the ISI has been playing the principal role. Thus, the focus in this book is on ISI as an instrument of spreading jihadi culture in Pakistan and elsewhere. Terrorist attacks are always unexpected and dramatic. Each attack is a benchmark of lethality and brutality. The future attacks are likely to be more destructive and lethal. Even depleted uranium mixed with RDX can cause havoc in any city of the world. Such a situation is a possibility. Experts dealing with the subject agree on this possibility. In 2000, Tariq Ali with his wide knowledge of inside happenings in Pakistan said that ‘it is no secret that the fundamentalists have penetrated the army on every level. What distinguishes them from the old-style religious groups is that they Inside ISI want to seize state power and for that they need the army.’1 In the event of that happening the nuclear button will be in the hands of the fundamentalists, a danger that is looming large in the horizon. The nuclear weapon of Pakistan today, thanks to US-China participation in Afghan jihad, was possible due to US indulgence and China’s clandestine help to Pakistan. The bomb was ready in 1988 during Gen Zia’s time. This was given to ‘empower those bent on global jihad.’ 2 The danger of world wide jihadi terrorism will continue unless the world takes notice of states sponsoring and supporting such acts of terrorism. The tidal wave jihadi terrorism has to be understood. The Islamic scholars have to reinterpret jihad in the context of the present globalized world, if the clash of civilization is to be avoided. The central focus of this book is on terrorism in the name of Islam that originated from Pakistan from concept to reality. The reality is that in this all the leading players of the world were deeply involved for reasons of immediate benefits and short sightedness. The terrible consequences are clearly visible now. Khaled Ahmed , a thinker and a journalist of repute of Pakistan, wrote in the year before 9/11 that ‘Pakistan is a threat to global terrorism as it sponsors international terrorism, internal chaos based on armed militancy, violation of human rights, religious fanaticism, drug smuggling and irredentism associated with all pan-Islamic movements’.3 The work is the result of many years of hard work on data collection and their interpretation. My previous career background and investigation of cases of terrorism gave me the benefit of culling out the core areas of concern. Reading books on Pakistan by Pakistani writers have helped me in understanding the political, social, ethnic and economic dynamics of Pakistan. My wife Krishna, my son Amit and daughter Sushmita have helped me in every possible way. I also thank Vivek Das, Madan 1 Tariq Ali, On the Abyss, HarperCollins, 2000, p27. 2 Adrian Levy& Catherine Scott-Clark, Deception, Atlantic Books, London, 2007, p1 3 The Friday Times, March –April 28, 2000. [ viii ] Preface Kumar, Renu Gupta and Rajat Gupta who helped me in typing the manuscript. I must convey my gratitude to USI and Col V K Singh for encouraging me to write this book. Some footnotes are not complete in detail which I regret. This has however, been compensated by including fairly detailed bibliography. One or two cases have been repeated in more than on chapter. This is unavoidable as the intention is to seek international co-operation in solving such old cases as they have possible ramifications in US homeland security. The humanity must be saved from a ‘final confrontation’ which jihadis are looking for creation of Islamic Ummah. This is the critical area of study of this book. Let me quote from a great master. There is only one caste, the caste of humanity. There is only one religion, The religion of love. There is only one language, the language of heart. Let me now end with a soul stirring prophetic utterance of Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) which inspired me to write this book. ‘We have enough religion to hate, but not enough to love each other.’ - S.K. DATTA [ ix ] 1 The ISI of Pakistan The ISI is the real ruler of Pakistan - Steven Emerson You look for the ISI, you find al Qaeda; you look for al Qaeda; you end up finding theISI. - Henry Levis Introduction Generals of Pakistan and the ISI chiefs, retired and serving, have great admiration for the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). One of them described the ISI as the ‘most dreaded organization of South Asia’. For Pakistanis South Asia means India. This sadism dominates the character of this infamous institution, which was created by an Australian born British Major General Robert Cawthome of Pakistan Army in 1948. This was the parting gift of the British forces to the Pakistanis. He was so favourite of the Pakistani generals that he was subsequently posted as Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan where he developed unique close relationship with Ishkinder Mirza and Gen. Ayub, who were responsible for derailment of democracy in Pakistan from the very beginning of creation of Pakistan. Unique institution with no accountability This unique institution, the kind of which is not seen anywhere in the world, is not accountable to anyone except the army of Pakistan. Inside ISI Unlike democracies, the ISI combines the role of internal and external intelligence agencies. It wears the twin mask of the FBI and CIA rolled into one in Pakistani-style. It is more than two-in-one. It has developed an independent space to function outside the government control. Pursuing the institutional interest of the army, the ISI during Gen Zia’s time, successfully neutralised the Intelligence Bureau, an organ of the British creation in undivided India. ISI often plays dirty games to neutralise other competing agencies like the Intelligence Bureau. The ISI taped the conversation between daughter of Zia with someone. The tape recovered from the IB, was shown and played back before Zia. The IB was then under the charge of Zia’s selected Prime Minister Mohammed Khan Junejo. He was selected as he was a Sindhi and the Sindhi card was used to tone down their feelings as Sindhis were angry for hanging Bhutto in a sham trial. Junejo was gradually showing his independence and demanded action against Lt. Gen. Akthar Abdur Rehman and Lt. Gen. Hamid Gul for Ojhri fire that destroyed American gifted arms including Stinger missiles on 10 April 1988. Two birds were killed with one stone. Junejo was dismissed and the IB was downgraded. To add to Junejo’s misfortune, Arnold Raphel the US Ambassador to Pakistan provided Junejo with a complete inventory of the $ 130 million worth of stockpile that was blown up in the fire. Junejo was kept in the dark of the ISI’s stockpile of arms and ammunition in Ojhri camp.