ISI had nothing to do with 26/11: Gen Athar Abbas

[blain2]

"Once he's retired he's on his own"

Yeah, right.

Who, exactly, does the ISI report to? Who can dismiss or promote its officers? If an officer has a complaint, who can he take it to? Nobody answerable to a democratic process, is that not so?

Interesting. At the end the ISI claims the drone strikes put a strain on the military, yet the generals themselves speaking separately support the drone strikes. This indicates that the ISI isn't just an auxiliary service, supplying intelligence to its putative superiors, but instead it is acting as an independent branch of government, less accountable to its bosses than the Soviet KGB was to the Politburo. Woe for any country that is at the mercy of its spooks!

This shows your utter lack of knowledge about the ISI. Most of what you are stating is based on readings in the Western media who know nothing about the workings of the ISI or its chain of command.

A retired officer is on his own once he leaves the service. Its quite simple and is the case the world over. This is the reason as to why you have so many ex-SF operators on CIA's hired contractor list. In Pakistan too, people, once they retire can go on to do things on their own with groups that they have an affinity with. Most who retire go into the private sector.

Secondly, ISI reports into the CoAS and also to the PM of Pakistan. ISID is an inter-services intelligence organization and as such has officers and staff who work according to the Pakistan Army, Navy and Air Force Act depending on which sister service they belong to. The officers are seconded from active duty from the three services and their complaints etc. are handled in the same exact way as that of the other officers in the three services.

In terms of not being answerable to a democratic process, would you mind telling me how many CIA operatives and contractors can be dragged into a US court by citizens to get their questions answered about intelligence? The answer is none just because of the nature of the job.

Interesting. At the end the ISI claims the drone strikes put a strain on the military, yet the generals themselves speaking separately support the drone strikes. This indicates that the ISI isn't just an auxiliary service, supplying intelligence to its putative superiors, but instead it is acting as an independent branch of government, less accountable to its bosses than the Soviet KGB was to the Politburo. Woe for any country that is at the mercy of its spooks!

Its not the ISI that says that drone strikes put strain on the military, its the entire civilian leadership as well as the command of the armed forces of Pakistan who make this case because of the issues with collateral damage. The generals who are on the ground speak to tactical strikes here and there which do hit the militants but overall a lot of civilians have also died which puts a lot of pressure on the military campaign.

As to your last point about comparing ISI with KGB, that is stretching the truth by about a million miles. ISI is nothing like the KGB and its nothing like the intelligence outfits of many of the Arab allies of the USG who have a long history of using tactics that remind one of the gestapo.

ISI, for most Pakistanis, is watching out for the long term interests of Pakistan in the region, just as an American expects the CIA to do and others of their own intelligence outfits. So with respect, please spare us the tales of woe as if Pakistanis were being exposed to a reign of terror and intimidation by the ISI. Such is patently not the case.

 

[my2cents]

This news is a guud development. It not only shows that the Pakistani establishment is ready and willing to hold the culprits behind Mumbai attack thus assisting India in punishing those who master-minded the attack, but this also affirms the Pakistani stance of fighting and countering terrorism in any of its forms or manifestations.

Let's see if India can respond equally.

First Pakistani who talks sense and acknowledges the possibilities. Justice should prevail for the innocents who got murdered. If an Indian was involved, I would be not be the first person but majority of my country men would come forward to hang the culprit. We are not letting any one go scot-free in the case of Samjotha express tragedy. We got a major break in this case and the nexus is unraveling slowly.

 

[my2cents]

a Pakistani general giving instructions to terrorists and indians intercept those calls make a video and show on live tv.....wtf...that was joke of the century...i remember that video , even my 5 years old cousin cant stop laughing...

here is the transcripts that took place. It is chilling to hear their handlers tell them not to spare anyone. With your myopic thinking you seem to be enjoying this.

Subject: Terrorist VOIP Calls Detail Mumbai Attack
Softwar 1/7/2009 9:36:57 AM
link

Dossier: handlers used virtual number to contact a mobile with one of the terrorists

Siddharth Varadarajan

New Delhi: Amidst the clutter of telephone calls the Indian intelligence
agencies were monitoring into and out of the Taj Mahal hotel on the night of
the November 26 terrorist attack was one from a 'virtual number' -
12012531824 - generated by a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony
service based in the United States.

According to the dossier prepared by the Indian government outlining select
details of what investigators have uncovered so far about last November's
Mumbai attacks, Pakistan-based "controllers/handlers used the virtual number
to contact a mobile telephone with one of the terrorists. This conversation
was intercepted and, thereafter, all calls made through the virtual number
were also intercepted and recorded."

Providing the first-ever details of the investigations into the VoIP
account, the dossier says the virtual number was initially set up with a
U.S. company, Callphonex, by an individual who identified himself as Kharak
Singh from India.

The account was activated by a money gram transferred in the name of
Mohammed Ashfaq. "Kharak Singh also requested Callphonex to assign five
Austrian Direct Inward Dialling (DID) numbers because his clients called
from different countries, including India," the dossier says. The account
was paid for by a money transfer of $238.78 through Western Union by one
Javaid Iqbal who provided, as a form of identification, a Pakistani passport
(No. KC 092481).

The dossier adds: "Investigations have revealed that Callphonex asked Kharak
Singh if he was from India why the Western Union Transfer was coming from
Pakistan.

No reply

Apparently, Callphonex received no reply. The VoIP interceptions yielded
more evidence to Indian agencies as they revealed the use of three Austrian
numbers "which were given to the terrorists by the controllers/handlers and
conversations with these numbers by the terrorists were also intercepted and
recorded," the dossier notes.

These Austrian numbers, in turn, correspond to the DID numbers assigned by
Callphonex to 'Kharak Singh.' The details of the VoIP account are one of
multiple pieces of evidence the Indian government has laid out before
Pakistan and all Delhi-based foreign envoys to prove its claim that the
attacks on Mumbai were staged by elements from Pakistan.

Several ambassadors who were present at the region-wise briefings at the
Ministry of External Affairs on Monday and Tuesday told The Hindu that they
found the Indian dossier compelling. "It is fully in line with our own
belief of how this incident was planned," said one of the envoys from the
group of 14 countries who lost citizens in the attacks.

In their oral presentations, Indian officials told the envoys of their
belief that the ISI was indeed involved in the incident. Though this claim
was not contested, at least one nation, the United States, has told India it
is still not in a position to share this perception.

One of the transcripts contained in the dossier provides the answer to why
the terrorists left their satellite phone behind on the Kuber with
potentially incriminating data. "Did you open the locks for the water
below," a caller from Pakistan asked one of the terrorists at the Taj Hotel
at 0126 hours on November 27, presumably in a reference to a pre-arranged
plan to sink the trawler. "No, they did not open the locks. We left it like
that because of being in a hurry. We made a big mistake," the receiver of
the phone call answered. "What big mistake?," he was asked. "When we were
getting into the boat, the waves were quite high. Another boat came.
Everyone raised an alarm that the Navy had come. Everyone jumped quickly. In
this confusion, the satellite phone of Ismail got left behind," the
terrorist replied. The dossier also notes in passing that the GPS set
contained trackback points which "were the RV for their intended return
after the attack."

At Monday's briefing for the 14 nations who lost citizens in the attack, one
of the ambassadors asked Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon whether this
meant the attack was perhaps not a suicide mission after all. Mr. Menon
reportedly said that this was one of the issues which still needed to be
probed.

The dossier also contains a second section in which India has attempted to
draw attention to the contradictory nature of Pakistan's response to the
Mumbai attacks, Pakistan's failure to respond appropriately to Indian
requests for cooperation when evidence was provided to it about terrorist
acts in the past, and an outline of Pakistan's bilateral and international
commitments and obligations.

The last section of the dossier contains an outline of what India expects
Pakistan to do in the wake of the Mumbai attacks. "This was a conspiracy
launched from Pakistan. Gaps in knowledge can be filled by investigation and
interrogation of conspirators there," the dossier states, adding, "Some of
the actions that India expects Pakistan to undertake in extending
cooperation to bring the terrorists to justice are: Hand over conspirators
to face justice in India, hand over fugitives from Indian law based in
Pakistan, Dismantle infrastructure of terrorism, Prevent terrorist acts from
Pakistan, Adhere to and implement bilateral, multilateral and international
obligations."

The dossier notes that on the basis of the interrogation of Mohammed Ajmal
Amir 'Kasab,' the lone terrorist to be captured alive, the role of Lashkar
commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi in the training of the crew had been
established. The terrorist group initially consisted of 32 persons but the
team chosen for the operation was eventually whittled down to 10.

Other LeT commanders involved were Abu Hamza, 'Kaahfa,' and Yousuf alias
Muzammil, the dossier says. Among the material evidence India has in its
possession is the 11-seater inflatable dinghy the terrorists used to move
from the hijacked trawler, Kuber, to Mumbai.

"An attempt was made by the terrorists to erase the engine number but it has
been retrieved by investigators. The outboard motor number is 67 CL-1020015,
manufactured by Yamaha Motor Corporation and imported into Pakistan and
distributed by a company named 'Business & Engineering Trends' in Lahore."
Several items including toiletries, food articles, drums containing diesel
and clothes "bear clear evidence of having been manufactured in Pakistan."
Photographs of all these items are provided in an annexure.

The transcripts in the dossier make it apparent that the six handlers were
closely monitoring events in Mumbai through the live TV coverage which went
on non-stop for 60 hours. "There are three ministers and one secretary of
the cabinet in your hotel. We don't know in which room," a Pakistan-based
caller tells a terrorist at the Taj at 0310 hrs on November 27. "Oh! That is
good news" It is the icing on the cake!," he replies. "Find those 3-4
persons and then get whatever you want from India," he is instructed. "Pray
that we find them," he answers.

At the Oberoi at 0353 hrs on November 27, a handler phones and says:

"Brother Abdul. The media is comparing your action to 9/11. One senior
police official has been killed."

Abdul Rehman: "We are on the10th/11th floor. We have five hostages."

Caller 2 (Kafa): Everything is being recorded by the media. Inflict the
maximum damage. Keep fighting. Don't be taken alive.

Caller: Kill all hostages, except the two Muslims. Keep your phone switched
on so that we can hear the gunfire.

Fahadullah: We have three foreigners, including women. From Singapore and
China.

Caller: Kill them. The dossier then notes that the telephone intercept
records the "voices of Fahadullah and Abdul Rehman directing hostages to
stand in a line, and telling two Muslims to stand aside. Sound of gunfire.
Cheering voices in background. Kafa hands telephone to Zarar," who says,
"Fahad, find the way to go downstairs."

In another call, to the Taj this time, a handler says, "The ATS chief has
been killed. Your work is very important. Allah is helping you. The Vazir
(minister) should not escape. Try and set the place on fire."

At Nariman House at 1945 hrs on November 27, the handler 'Wassi' tells a
terrorist: "Keep in mind that hostages are of use only as long as you do not
come under fire because of their safety. If you are still threatened, then
don't saddle yourself with the burden of the hostages. Immediately kill
them." He then adds, "The Army claims to have done the work without any
hostage being harmed. Another thing: Israel has made a request through
diplomatic channels to save the hostages. If the hostages are killed, it
will spoil relations between India and Israel."

"So be it, God willing," the terrorist replies.