Saeed Shah at McClatchy has an interesting story about Jaish-e-Mohammad, an al Qaeda linked militant group, building a big new base in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
The group, which was blamed for killing U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl and for an attack on the Indian parliament in 2001, already has a headquarters in the town of Bahawalpur in south Punjab.
But Shah writes that it has now walled off a big new compound outside the town. The new facility, he says, is surrounded by a high brick and mud wall, has a tiled swimming pool, stabling for more than a dozen horses, an ornamental fountain and even swings and a slide for children.
“There are jihadist inscriptions painted on the inside walls, including a proclamation that “Jaish-e-Mohammad will return”, alongside a picture of Delhi’s historic Red Fort, implying further terrorist attacks against the Indian capital,” he says.
It’s unclear what the new base is meant to be used for - Shah quotes Jaish and Pakistani officials as saying that the facility, which is still under construction, is simply a small farm to keep cattle.
What is clear is that many countries have an interest in what is happening with the Jaish-e-Mohammad.
The group was set up in 2000 after its founder, Maulana Masood Azhar, was released by India in return for the freeing of passengers aboard an Indian Airlines plane hijacked from Kathmandu to Kandahar in Afghanistan. While its focus was on fighting in Indian Kashmir, it had links to Afghanistan dating back to the militant campaign against the Soviet occupation. Shah says in his article that Jaish and other Punjab-based militant groups now recruit and train thousands of young men to fight western forces in Afghanistan.
“Bahawalpur also serves as a safe “R&R” stopover for jihadists battling in Afghanistan,” Shah quotes western intelligence officers as saying. “In Bahawalpur, militants can rest and recuperate away from the U.S. unmanned aerial drones that patrol Pakistan’s tribal area in the northwest.”
British nationals of Pakistani origin involved in militancy have also been linked to Jaish, making the group a major worry for the British government. These include Omar Sheikh, who was released along with Maulana Azhar after the Kathmandu to Kandahar hijacking and later convicted of organising Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping; and Rashid Rauf, accused of masterminding the plot to bring down multiple airliners over the Atlantic.
India, which has demanded Pakistan take action against the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group accused of involvement in last year’s attack on Mumbai, is also pushing for it to crack down on Jaish-e-Mohammad. Like Jaish, the LeT is also based in Pakistan’s Punjab province; unlike Jaish its focus has remained on targetting India. And while Jaish has been blamed for attacks inside Pakistan, including an attempt to assault then president Pervez Musharraf, the LeT is not believed to be behind any attacks on Pakistan.
Maulana Azhar has also been reported to have acted as the link between al Qaeda and Islamist militants who attacked U.S. forces in Somalia in 1993.
And if that is not already complicated enough, there are serious concerns about the danger posed to Pakistan itself from militants based in south Punjab.
(Reuters file photos: Maulana Azhar; the hijacked Indian Airlines plane at Kandahar; Rashid Rauf)
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Some really interesting stuff on JeM in this blog post and in the comments as well!
http://www.icsr.info/blog/Bahawalpurs-Re al-Estate-Boom
- Posted by RyanIs this new training center fully functional? Does anyone has any update on the project?
- Posted by Rohit@Rajeev,
“To add to your prediction, about the war, Pakistan will have initial edge over India since pakistan will know when, where and what scale the attack will be happening.”
–>The only way that Pakistan will have an edge, if it launches a pre-emptive crippling nuclear attack against India. Pakistan would be wiped clean in a retaliatory strike.
This will also mark an extremely dark age for mankind, as Pakistan’s evil behavior could potentially militarily polarize and create a blow back situation where all manners of conflicts will erupt all over the globe and that could lead to WWIII or worse, armageddon.
Traditionally, nukes, most security analysts agree, ensure peace through mutally assured destruction and that check and balance prevents one from attacking the other, just like in the Cold War.
The difference between Pakistan and India is that Pakistan, while being nuclear, is continuing to propagate terrorism against India in its attempt to keep an edge over India. Pakistan as a nuclear power, is a cheater that is walking a fine line. One would think that being a nuclear country, it would be more responsible and not indulge in such nefarious activities.
Pakistan wants to keep its nukes and still keep terrorists. It can’t seem to decide which it likes better.
You cannot have your cake and eat it too. Perhaps the U.S. in the not too distant future, is going to make Pakistan choose.
Indians do not care if Pakistan has its nukes, but if it does, it cannot have madrassas, terror training camps, support terrorists and play double dealing games with the world.
One has to go completely, nukes or terrorism. I ask any of our Pakistani bloggers to choose.
- Posted by Global WatcherMortal,
Thanks for the link to the story showing Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistani behind 26/11 Mumbai massacre partying at an Iftar party with Pak Army.
Shows again and again, that Pakistan is incapable of honesty, cohorts with terrorists, has a lackluster fight against Taliban and terrorism and in the same breath expects un-conditional aid from U.S. and unconditional talks with India.
To us, the rest of the civilized world, Pakistani establishment belongs in an insane asylum.
- Posted by Global WatcherUmair:
Yesterday you posted a link about the restrictions imposed on Hafiz Saeed. Today, I’m posting a link to a story which says that Hafiz Saeed attended an Iftar party, hosted by the Pakistan army. Tell me, what are Indians supposed to think after reading this?
http://www.timesnow.tv/Pakistan-Army-hos ts-LeT-chief-at-Iftar/articleshow/432788 6.cms
- Posted by Mortal@Pakistan is in a precarious position, if non-state actors sabotage and attack India it can spark a full scale war between the two countries. In other words Pakistan wants to hug, but India is not willing to shake hands. Every one else looses here and the non-state actors win.
-posted by Umair
Umair: Explain us how can you call Kasab a non-state actors? he is Pakistani citizen—your fellow countryman– admitted by your government.
What’s wrong here? calling LeT types terrorist a Jihadi and when they strike and kill hundreds of the innocents, including Muslims, the same Jihadis are called “no-true Muslims” and “non-state actors”. There is nothing like non-state actors—these are known terrorists like JeM Chief Azhar and LeT chief Saeed who are protected by Pakistan.
To add to your prediction, about the war, Pakistan will have initial edge over India since pakistan will know when, where and what scale the attack will be happening.
- Posted by rajeevUmair:
This is the difference between India’s perspective & that of Pakistan’s; We’re asking you to try & hang/electrocute/behead Haafiz Saeed & you are posting a link which says that his movements have been restricted. We’ve seen terrorists like Saeed restricted & jailed before many times only to be set free to continue their anti-india terror activities, when the dust settles in. And please don’t tell me that there isn’t enough proof against Saeed & others because if the Pakistani army wants to punish someone, they can certainly do so without any reservations (case in point being Z.A. Bhutto, one of the most powerful men in Pakistan at the time he was hanged). So what exactly are Indians supposed to think when we read stories like Azhar Mehmood & his outfit JeM building a brand new anti-India terror facility with a swimming pool, playground etc. right under the nose of the Pakistani establishment?
The main problem that India faces with Pakistan is that nobody can say for sure if the civilian Govt & the Pak army/ISI are on the same page. In my opinion, Zardari is someone who is genuinely interested in having good relations with India but the question is: how much is he in control? After the Mumbai attacks last year, he said that the ISI chief Pasha would be visiting India but the army made him retract. Later he said that Pakistan, as a gesture of goodwill, would be willing to adopt a ‘no first strike’ nuclear policy against India but your army made him retract. Later he said that India wasn’t a danger to Pakistan in any way & the next day, his own PM, Gilani came out & contradicted that statement. So you tell me, who & what exactly is India supposed to deal with & trust?
- Posted by MortalTypo in previous posting, please note corrections in CAPS:
Pakistan must start drawing down its troops to fight terrorism and India will reciprocate. That will create more resources for Pak to fight Taliban; resources that WILL BE AVAILABLE TO COMBAT THE TALIBAN.
India will only hug Pakistan, if it takes the knife out of the other hand, that it constantly sticks in INDIA’S back.
- Posted by GLobal Watcher