29/10: DELHI BOMB BLASTS
By Sreedhar
From media reports it is being increasingly felt
that the serial bomb blasts in Delhi is the handiwork of Pakistan based
terrorist outfit, Laskar-e-Toiba (LeT). The information emanating from the
Indian intelligence agencies, mostly intercepted messages do indicate that there
is a hand of LeT. Before analyzing this, three factors need to be taken into
consideration.
First, on October 28, a day before bomb blasts, the designated terrorist court
in Delhi for attack on Red Fort on October 22, 2000 by LeT cadres, announced
that it would deliver the judgment on October 31, 2005. From the proceedings, it
became clear that Ashfaq Ahmed, a LeT activist from Pakistan and the key person
in the Red Fort attack, was going to incur severe punishment by the court.
One conclusion drawn by the Indian intelligence Agencies is that LeT's cadres in
Delhi following the case are bound to retaliate in one form or other.
Second, if we go by precedence, on the eve of every major meeting of Indo-Pak
talks, terrorists struck in India to derail the talks. One can recall that the
last major initiative taken to normalize India-Pakistan relations was in April
2005. At that time on the eve of Srinagar- Muzfarabad bus inauguration,
terrorists tried to kill the passengers planning to board the inaugural bus
service.
On October 28, an Indian delegation led by Mr. Dilip Sinha, Joint Secretary in
Ministry of External Affairs, reached Islamabad to formalize the points through
which Kashmiris are able to extend help to their relatives in Pakistan occupied
Kashmir (PoK) and vice versa. This particular development is seen by a section
of the ruling elite and terrorist organizations in Pakistan that such a
development is virtually a surrender to their sworn enemy India, and would
defeat their cause against New Delhi. Therefore, the best way to disrupt the
peace process between India and Pakistan would be a terrorist attack in India's
national capital, New Delhi.
In fact, reports coming from Islamabad indicated that throughout the day on
October 29, Pakistani delegation was dilly-dallying with agreement, about
procedures to be adopted in allowing people to move across the Line of Control (LoC).
Once the terrorist attacks in Delhi reached. Islamabad there was a perceptible
change in Pakistani delegations attitude.
According to one diplomatic source, the instant Islamic Inqilabi Mahaz (IIM)
claimed responsibility for Delhi blasts. There were jitters all around in
Pakistani foreign office. Every one knows that the Lahore IIM was responsible
for killing several Americans in Karachi in 1987 and for Daniel Pearls killing
in 2002.
This brought out the subtle Pakistani involvement in the serial blast in Delhi.
Immediately Pakistan delegation hurriedly accepted the Indian draft for joint
declaration on meeting points before India can pin point Pakistani involvement
and resultant implications for its national security.
Finally, similar to the serial bomb blasts in Delhi occurred only once in the
past, in Mumbai in 1993. The evidence collected by various intelligence agencies
of 1993 serial bomb blasts proved that it was the handiwork of the notorious
mafia don, Dawood Ibrahim. Since then he fled to Karachi and remained as an
honoured guest of the Pakistani intelligence agency, ISI. There were also
reports that he developed close links with Pakistan based terrorist
organizations like the LeT and the Jaish-e-Mohammad and even al-Qaida.
Dawood Ibrahim has an effective network in Mumbai and Delhi. From time to time,
stray reports coming from Pakistan indicate that Dawood Ibrahim had developed a
nexus with various Islamic radical groups including al-Qaida. To what extent
Dawood Ibrahim's network extended a helping hand to Islamic radicals in Delhi
blasts is not known as yet.
In this backdrop, Pakistani foreign office's condemnation of Delhi serial bomb
blasts within hours of the incident and the subsequent Gen. Musharraf's offer to
Dr. Manmohan Singh that his country is willing to cooperate lacks conviction. In
fact it is being increasingly felt in New Delhi that Pakistan operates at two
levels. First, and Gen. Musharraf is the front man of a sub-system within
Islamabad's power structure, which actually wields power. Secondly these actual
power brokers are feeling that the developments in India-Pakistan bilateral
relations during the past 24 months have broken the barriers between the two
countries; and people of both countries are witnessing the developments
personally. In the process, Pakistan's propaganda is slowly getting weakened.
In this emerging new situation, Pakistani elite is looking for ways and means to
sustain their tirade against India. One way of it would be to search for means
to derail the peace process by all conceivable means. Pakistan covertly
sponsored terrorism is one technique. It appears, serial bomb blasts in Delhi on
October 29, falls in to that category.
The immediate question that arises is what are India's options in this new
situation? One option would be to invite civil society in Pakistan to come and
see for themselves-the ghastly crimes being perpetrated by terrorists operating
from Pakistan. If the members of the civil society of Pakistan demonstrate their
resentment against organizations like United Jehad Council and Laskar -e- Toiba,
half of the battle against the Pakistani ruling elite is won. -CNF