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by Maroof Raza, Feb 21, 2010
The announcement by Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) leaders in rallies across Pakistan in early February, that Pune along with Kanpur and Delhi, would now be targeted, confirmed what many already knew - that the gaze of the so-called jehadis had shifted beyond the Kashmir Valley. It is Brand India, increasingly popular with global investors and tourists, that they wish to destroy because it reflects Indias economic success and multicultural ethos. The German Bakery in Pune fit the bill. Talks or no talks with Pakistan, such attacks look set to continue.
About a decade ago, it became clear to those who sponsor anti-India terrorism in Pakistan, that their best efforts to wrest Kashmir from India were getting nowhere. So Pakistans terrorist ideologues along with military and intelligence hardliners initiated Phase-II of their design to bleed India by a thousand cuts. The attacks on Mumbai and Pune are the most recent examples of what is to follow. Whereas Part-I of the Zia era offensive was aimed at Kashmiri secession through a violent uprising and this has failed Part-II is aimed at the centres of Indias secular credentials and economic growth, outside the Valley. Many of them are what might be referred to as Indias Tier-II cities.
To achieve this objective, Pakistans military and intelligence agencies, with the help of groups such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) set up the Karachi Project in the early 2000s, possibly 2002. LeT produced the JuD. The Pakistani agencies aim was to create groups of sleeper cells and sympathizers across India, who would be tasked to undertake terrorist operations in Indian cities when they received orders from Pakistan. For this, they began recruiting, funding and training groups such as the Indian Mujahideen (a front for JuD), with the aim of identifying and mapping targets that represent Indias multicultural and secular ethos (Pune, Ajmer, Varanasi), or are icons of Indias growth story (Bangalore and Hyderbad.) In short, places that represent the idea of India. And the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai was their most spectacular achievement.
The so-called jehadis resent anything that contradicts their hardline Salafist Islamic worldview. Thus, a multicultural, multi-ethnic society like India (and the US) is their logical enemy. Places frequented by foreign nationals in Pune, or Goas beaches have long been on their radar screens. So were most of the targets of the 26/11 attacks. If past experience is anything to go by, then centres of communal harmony and places of worship that reflect Indias multi-religious heritage could be their next targets. Most of them are in our Tier-II cities. Previous targets have included the Dargah at Ajmer, the Akshardham Temple in Ahmedabad and pockets of communal harmony such as Hyderabad and Varanasi. These places offer tailormade situations for terrorists. They are crowded (offering cover), have shoddy and ill-equipped police forces (as in most of Indias small towns) and produce instant headlines when attacked.
But while the official response to a terrorist attack is to beef up security in the place that has already suffered, terrorists rarely attack the same target twice. The security forces remain tied to the previous target in large numbers with pickets and posts, which is precisely the terrorists aim as they shift their gaze to the next safe target till it is attacked. That was the case with Pune, and sadly will be the case with the next set of targets.
The writer is a defence analyst and serves on the strategic think-tank, Security Watch India
Source
The announcement by Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) leaders in rallies across Pakistan in early February, that Pune along with Kanpur and Delhi, would now be targeted, confirmed what many already knew - that the gaze of the so-called jehadis had shifted beyond the Kashmir Valley. It is Brand India, increasingly popular with global investors and tourists, that they wish to destroy because it reflects Indias economic success and multicultural ethos. The German Bakery in Pune fit the bill. Talks or no talks with Pakistan, such attacks look set to continue.
About a decade ago, it became clear to those who sponsor anti-India terrorism in Pakistan, that their best efforts to wrest Kashmir from India were getting nowhere. So Pakistans terrorist ideologues along with military and intelligence hardliners initiated Phase-II of their design to bleed India by a thousand cuts. The attacks on Mumbai and Pune are the most recent examples of what is to follow. Whereas Part-I of the Zia era offensive was aimed at Kashmiri secession through a violent uprising and this has failed Part-II is aimed at the centres of Indias secular credentials and economic growth, outside the Valley. Many of them are what might be referred to as Indias Tier-II cities.
To achieve this objective, Pakistans military and intelligence agencies, with the help of groups such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) set up the Karachi Project in the early 2000s, possibly 2002. LeT produced the JuD. The Pakistani agencies aim was to create groups of sleeper cells and sympathizers across India, who would be tasked to undertake terrorist operations in Indian cities when they received orders from Pakistan. For this, they began recruiting, funding and training groups such as the Indian Mujahideen (a front for JuD), with the aim of identifying and mapping targets that represent Indias multicultural and secular ethos (Pune, Ajmer, Varanasi), or are icons of Indias growth story (Bangalore and Hyderbad.) In short, places that represent the idea of India. And the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai was their most spectacular achievement.
The so-called jehadis resent anything that contradicts their hardline Salafist Islamic worldview. Thus, a multicultural, multi-ethnic society like India (and the US) is their logical enemy. Places frequented by foreign nationals in Pune, or Goas beaches have long been on their radar screens. So were most of the targets of the 26/11 attacks. If past experience is anything to go by, then centres of communal harmony and places of worship that reflect Indias multi-religious heritage could be their next targets. Most of them are in our Tier-II cities. Previous targets have included the Dargah at Ajmer, the Akshardham Temple in Ahmedabad and pockets of communal harmony such as Hyderabad and Varanasi. These places offer tailormade situations for terrorists. They are crowded (offering cover), have shoddy and ill-equipped police forces (as in most of Indias small towns) and produce instant headlines when attacked.
But while the official response to a terrorist attack is to beef up security in the place that has already suffered, terrorists rarely attack the same target twice. The security forces remain tied to the previous target in large numbers with pickets and posts, which is precisely the terrorists aim as they shift their gaze to the next safe target till it is attacked. That was the case with Pune, and sadly will be the case with the next set of targets.
The writer is a defence analyst and serves on the strategic think-tank, Security Watch India
Source
