But the author is not from LSE. And his credentials are:-
Matt Waldman
Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
My biggest objection is that the report is from a school in London that is hardly in any way focused on counter-terrorism. Some might consider it a valid school for producing such a document, hence I continue with the real objections.
Members have already established all valid points, hence I'll save myself the time.
Anyways, here's a link to the stupid report :-
http://english.aljazeera.net/mritems/Documents/2010/6/13/20106138531279734lse-isi-taliban.pdf
Here's some BS from the "report". You can imagine the cerdibility after reading this:-
According to a Talib who has regular contact with members of the Quetta Shura, in late
March or early April this year President Zadari and a senior ISI official visited some 50 highranking Talibs who were held in a prison in a secret location in Pakistan. Some 30-35 had been arrested in recent months, and 10-15 were longer-term prisoners. Reportedly, he told them they were arrested because he was under a lot of pressure from the Americans and that, ‘you are our people, we are friends, and after your release we will of course support you to do your operations.’ (Disturbingly, Zadari’s words echo what the ISI’s commanding general, Mahmud Ahmad, said to the Taliban’s Pakistan Ambassador, Abdul Salam Zaeef, in late in 2001, “We want to assure you that you will not be alone in this jihad against America. We will be with you”, as quoted by Steve Coll in his article
I cannot help but laugh that the President visits Talibans personally (and of course he would be accompanied then by DG ISI and others as well) and tells them that he's sorry for arresting their arse and it's all American pressure. Such level of idiocaracy can be expected of a tabloid Urdu evening newspaper, not a school like LSE.
Also interviews refer to the supposedly supported groups as "ISI Taliban". Has the author got any level of credibility left after using such stupid statements.
On Pg 19 it refers to some "Islamic Bank of Pakistan" where funds are stored. Ther is no such bank in Pakistan.
Ahmed Rashid is quoted out of context. Haqqani group is equated as being the major Taliban group in Afghanistan. Mullah Baradar's arrest is spoken in negative terms as if ISI was dictating its importance, perhaps the author never realized that it was already extremely and is extremely important.
Also read this utter BS:-
President Zadari told the prisoners he would release them in two categories: first, those who are not well known to the media, who would be released shortly, and, second, those who are better known, who would be released later in prisoner exchanges. He strongly urged them not to report the meeting to the media. Consistent with Zadari’s promise, just three days after the visit, around a dozen Taliban figures were released (including an individual who is the indirect source for this account).
Not only is it laughable that the President and in effect the DG ISI personally meet Taliban commanders and assure them of their help, as if they are dependent on the Taliban for power, the release of Taliban foot soldiers in exchange for captured soldiers of our own or convoys has been manipulated.
Do I need more proof of the utter lack of any credibility after this:-
Southern Taliban commanders all complained of heavy ISI involvement, which they say is often responsible for attacks on civilians
One southern commander described their predicament as follows: ‘Another group of Taliban is directly supported by the ISI. They will never stop fighting in the country; they want to destroy the government and bring chaos. Behind all the attacks on … NGOs, schools, teachers, doctors, this is Pakistan. We cannot deny that it is Taliban; but there are Pakistan controlled groups among us. They want destabilisation. They are the enemies of our nation and our country. The people in charge of these factions are members of the Pakistani intelligence. The fighters are Afghans, but they are not true Afghans. We have spoken to them, and they feel that only the Taliban are Muslims, but those who are just normal, working Afghans – who die in the suicide attacks – they think they are all infidels. The ISI Taliban are stronger than us, they have more money, and are supporting us. We have few resources, so we have to follow them. We have no backers in order to resist them. I was never given an order to blow up a bridge or burn a school, because they know who is suitable. Even if they tell me I would not tell my fighters to do it. The Pakistan Taliban is perhaps about 30 per cent of the Taliban in our district [in Kandahar], but they are much stronger than the others, who have to follow them.’
As a south-eastern commander put it: ‘We receive a lot of training, weapons, ammunition and expenses from the Pakistan government. ... Everyone knows Pakistan gives money, it goes centrally, then flow down.’61 Another commander from a central province said: ‘Of course, it’s a huge project [the insurgency], it needs huge funding, IEDs [improvised explosive devices], ammunition, training, needs everything, all of this has been given by Pakistan. We do not have facilities to produce any of this. … We get 10,000 Pakistani rupees ($120) per month for each Talib. This money comes from Pakistan, first to the [shadow] provincial governor, then to the district commander, then to the group commander. It is from the Pakistan government – but maybe other countries too, are paying from behind the curtain.
Aren't these accusations of "funding" along the lines of what we claim? Isn't it ironic that we are saying that TTP and LI are supported by RAW and now a report claims that the entire Afghan insurgency is supported by the ISI, regardless of the fact that an insurgency would imply a longer ISAF stay, enhance de-stabilization and be more worrisome for us?
LSE should be ****** slapped for producing such an idiotic document with its logo on it. Even BS has its limits, this document crossed all known limits.