Rawalpindi GHQ hostage drama over, 25 hostages freedOctober 11th, 2009 RAWALPINDI - The Pakistan Army on Sunday said that the attack launched by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists on the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi was in its final stages, and confirmed the rescue of 25 hostages. The Director General of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) department of the Pakistan Army, Major General Athar Abbas, told television channels that the GHQ was being sanitized to ensure that there were not more terrorists inside the highly secured complex.
Zardari, Gilani condemn attack on Pakistan Army HQOctober 10th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Saturday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the Pakistan Army headquarters in Rawalpindi. In separate messages, the leaders vowed to continue their fight against the militants and said such acts of violence cannot weaken the nation's resolve to fight the menace of terrorism, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Three terrorists killed in KashmirOctober 10th, 2009 SRINAGAR - Three terrorists who tried to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan were killed Saturday along the Line of Control (LoC), police here said. A police officer said that soldiers spotted a group of heavily-armed men in Gurez sector of LoC, which divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
TTP group claims responsibility for Rawalpindi GHQ attackOctober 10th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's Ajmad Farooqi group has claimed responsibility for the ghastly terror attack on the Army General Headquarters (GHQ) at Rawalpindi. The TTP group called a private television news channel to claim the responsibility for the attack in which four attackers were killed while two others were nabbed by the security forces.
Operation launched against terrorists in Pakistan Army HQ (Lead, Changing dateline)October 10th, 2009 RAWALPINDI - Pakistani security forces early Sunday launched an operation against the terrorists holding hostages at the Pakistan Army's headquarters here, a media report said. Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the operation against the terrorists had been launched and some hostages have been freed, Geo News reported.
Pak needs to take a strong action against terrorists operating from its soil: AntonyOctober 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Defense Mnister A.K. Antony on Saturday said Pakistan needed to take a determined and strong action against the terrorists operating from its soil, not just to satisfy India but to serve its own interest.
Terrorists attack Pakistan army HQ, at least four die (Third Lead)October 10th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Half a dozen terrorists mounted an audacious gun and grenade attack on the Pakistan Army's headquarters in Rawalpindi Saturday, triggering heavy firing that left four militants and an unknown number of soldiers dead, military and police officials said. An unspecified number of terrorists dressed in military uniform drove up to the fortified complex on the Mall Road in the garrison city adjoining Islamabad and took the guards by surprise, Pakistani media reported.
Cross-LoC firing kills army soldier in Jammu and KashmirSeptember 1st, 2009 SRINAGAR - A soldier was killed in firing from across the border at a forward post along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch District in the wee hours on Tuesday, Army officials said. According to reports, the soldier has been identified as Lance Naik Dag Bahadur Gurung.
Algerian army kills 18 suspected terroristsAugust 2nd, 2009 ALGERIA/PARIS - At least 18 suspected terrorists were killed during Algerian Army operations in the eastern part of the country, media reports said Sunday. The dead were believed to belong to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the reports said.
Pakistan Army kills 14 militantsJuly 20th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Fourteen militants, including three rebel commanders, were killed in fighting with the security forces in northwest Pakistan, officials said Monday. In the past 24 hours to Monday evening, the security forces killed 14 terrorists, including three rebel commanders, in a search operation in the Swat and Malakand districts in northwest Pakistan, the Pakistan Army said in a statement.
Taliban attacks Pak Army convoy, kills 1 soldierMay 4th, 2009 LAHORE - The already troubled Swat peace deal between the Pakistan Government and the Taliban received another blow when the Taliban militants attacked an Army convoy in Bari Kot region on Monday. The attack killed one soldier and injured another, the army sources disclosed.
'Indian Army ready for threat from Pakistan spillover'March 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indian Army Monday said it was ready to deal with any 'spillover effect' of the terror attack on a police academy in Pakistan. 'Situation in Pakistan is a matter of concern for us.
Chidambaram answers Pak queries on Mumbai attack to MukherjeeMarch 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday submitted answers to the 30 questions forwarded by Pakistan on the Mumbai attack to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.India's reply to Pakistan's 30 queries is comprehensive and now it is up to Pakistan to prove its intent by acting on the details," Chidambaram said.
Pakistan complacent on tackling terrorism: CongressMarch 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress party Tuesday said the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore was the result of the 'space' that Pakistan has been conceding to terrorists and the international community must build pressure on Pakistan to dismantle the terror infrastructure on its soil. 'The attack on Sri Lankan cricketers makes it evident that it is the result of the space that Pakistan has been conceding to terrorists and hard-liners.
Terrorist camps in Pakistan still active: Indian Army commanderJanuary 14th, 2009 JAMMU - Stating that militant incursions from across the border in Kashmir had come down considerably, a senior Indian Army commander Thursday said terrorists training camps were, however, still active in Pakistan. 'There are about 800 terrorists active in Jammu and Kashmir and different (terror) organisations are inter-linked,' Lt.Gen.
October 10th, 2009 at 10:53 am
RAW Targets Pak Army Headquarters
Sajjad Shaukat
On Saturday, six gunmen armed with guns and grenades, wearing army uniforms attacked Pakistan’s army headquarters, the very heart of the country. When stopped by the security guards, they started firing, throwing five grenades inside the headquarters. However, after a short gun-battle, military troops killed the four terrorists, while two of them escaped. ISPR spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said that the attack began shortly before noon when the gunmen, dressed in camouflage military uniforms, drove in a white van up to the army compound and tried to force their way inside. Now latest reports suggest that 10 to 15 officials of the security forces have been made hostages in a building of the military headquarters.
In the last five years, Pakistan’s various regions have faced a number of suicide attacks by the well-trained militants who entered the country from Afghanistan where tentacles of terrorism are present. In this regard, India has set up hundreds of training centres in Afghanistan where its military personnel and RAW officials have been imparting training to the youngsters who include Chechens, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Afghans, Arabs etc. For this purpose, New Delhi has hired the services of many Indian Muslims and religious scholars who are on payroll of RAW. In this connection, some secret Mudrassahs are also working in Afghanistan with the financial support of Indian security agencies. By setting aside the atrocities of the Taliban militants like beheadings, floggings and torture, with the help of the paid Muslim leaders, Indian officials propagate that Pakistan’s armed forces are killing its own people. Thus brainwashing and indoctrination of the youngsters in the RAW-supported camps of Afghanistan have produced many suicide bombers along with well-trained fighters who are being dispatched to various hotspots of Pakistan with a view to resisting the Pak Army and to commit suicide attacks in our country.
Besides intermittent terror-events such as bomb blasts and suicide attacks, a perennial wave of the same in 2009 reflects new techniques and intentions of the Indian RAW. In this context, previous techniques of subversive acts also continue in Pakistan. Apart from other suicide events, on October 9, at least 50 persons were killed and more than 100 injured when a suicide bomber blew up his vehicle near a crowded market in Pakistan’s city of Peshawar. It was the deadliest attack in six months and was a reminder of the capabilities of the RAW-backed insurgents to strike in major cities despite Pakistan’s successful military operations against the militants and the death of the renowned militant commanders. Unlike the past, in most of the cases, now huge quantity of explosives is being used. Peshawar Police Chief Liaqat Ali Khan revealed that the attacker was in a car packed with a “huge amount explosives and artillery rounds.”
In the last 18 months, RAW has modified its tactics of subversion in Pakistan. Apart from direct suicide events, now militants, armed with hand grenades, machine guns and other weapons also come to help the explosive-laden vehicles so as to penetrate the security at the target points and to clear the way for the blast. Sometimes, exchange of fire takes place between the saboteurs and the security guards, and sometimes, purpose is to directly kill some renowned persons or leaders of our country. A number of terror-events in Pakistan verify new style of RAW’s moves.
In this context, on March 3, 2009, terrorist event which targeted the bus of Sri Lankan cricket team at Liberty Square roundabout in Lahore had killed 8 persons, occurred by a continuous gunfire by the militants. Pakistani officials confirmed that “grenades and rocket launchers had been recovered” which were of foreign origin. Afterwards, official inquiry disclosed that RAW was behind that terror incident. On March 30, more than 10 terrorists raided the Manawan Police Training Center in Lahore, leaving at least 12 dead. After eight hours exchange of fire, Pakistan’s security forces regained the control of the police academy, capturing five terrorists alive, who proved useful in the investigation. On May 27, more than 30 people were killed in Lahore when an explosive-laden Suzuki van exploded near Rescue 15 building of the police which was completely destroyed. It also damaged other buildings of the Lahore Capital City Police Office (CCPO) and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) which was the main target, but could not be hit due to heavy firing by the security guards on the terrorists who came along with the vehicle, firing at the security guards. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah remarked on the same day that Indian involvement in “suicide attack in Lahore cannot be ruled out.”
However, in the recent past, similar types of terror-tactics were applied by the culprits in relation to the Pearl Continental hotel in Peshawar where more than 20 persons had killed in the suicide blast. Eyewitnesses who survived, pointed out that gunmen came in two vehicles and were stopped at the security check post. Gunman, sitting in one car first started firing at the security persons and then exploded their first vehicle to give a safe-passage to other truck which was carrying 500 kilograms of explosives and stormed into the heavily secured hotel.
Another new technique of the RAW-trained terrorists is that they camouflage themselves by wearing the uniform of Pakistani security forces so as to deceive the security guards and to get safe-passage for conducting their subversive task. Two weeks ago, U.N.’s World Food Program in Islamabad was targeted by a suicide bomber who was wearing an official uniform, evaded tight security, killing five people in the explosion.
The fact of the matter is that in the past 10 months, Pakistan’s security forces have broken the backbone of the suicide bombers by arresting most of their commanders and insurgents, while thwarting a number of suicide missions through pre-arrests. But India with technological support of Israel and the US has succeeded in training the new fugitives which are regularly being sent to Pakistan with a view to destablising our country. Now this fact is known to every one that Pakistan is the only nuclear country in the Islamic world. Hence, US, Israel and India are in collusion to weaken it by creating lawlessness and anarchy for achieving their secret strategic interests.
Notably, Pakistan’s civil and military high officials have openly been revealing that Indian secret agency, RAW, Israeli Mossad and other foreign agencies are involved in supporting insurgency in the Frontier Province and separatism in Balochistan.
In this respect, on April 23, in the in-camera sitting of the Senate, Federal Minister to the Interior, Rehman Malik displayed documentary evidence of Indian use of Afghanistan to create unrest in Pakistan. The main aim of in-camera session was also to show the engagement of CIA and other external agencies as part of a conspiracy against Pakistan because at this stage, Islamabad did not want to publicly point out America which has been playing a double game with our country. Unacceptable conditions of the recent Kerry-Lugar aid bill coupled with the admiration of Pakistan’s successful military operations in Swat, Buner and Dir might be cited as example in this regard.
During the ongoing military operations, ISPR spokesman, Maj-Gen. Athar Abbas has repeatedly pointed out foreign hands in helping the insurgents led by the late Baitullah Mehsud, and those headed by militant commanders in Balochistan. Nevertheless, by following the Baitullah Mehsud, his successor, chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Hakimullah Mehsud has started claiming responsibility for the recent terror-attacks in our country. He has also threatened more suicide attacks. In fact, like Baitullah Mehsud, he is collective agent of RAW and CIA. While playing a double game like his paymasters, his real aim is to instigate the innocent Pakhtoons to further weaken Pakistan. Reports suggest that Baitullah was killed in a US done attack because he was having a number of secrets and was under siege of Pakistan’s intelligence agencies which could capture him.
It is notable that on June 28, NWFP Governor Awais Ghani disclosed that some world powers were trying to divide Pakistan, adding that if he were not a governor, he would have exposed them.
At present, on the one hand military action has almost started in South Wazirestan, but particularly India has also intensified its new tactics to sabotage the same on the other. This shrewd diplomacy is also applied to distort the image of Pakistan’s armed forces which has restored the image of the country through the successes, achieved in the previous military operations.
Nonetheless, terror-attack at army headquarters in Rawalpindi displays new tactics of the Indian RAW.
Writer and Author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations
Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com