-The enemy of my enemy is my friend... Unless that friend is funding your enemy.
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| Lashkar-e-Taiba training camp |
The Inter-Services Intelligence agency in Pakistan has taken on a life of it's own. As Pakistan's intelligence service, they have subversively funded Kashmiri insurgents who's ultimate goal is to rid the Kashmir region of Indian influence and rule. This war between Indian defense forces and Pakistani militants has been going on for more than half a century after the partitioning of India under the Indian Independence Act of 1947. The manner in which it was conducted left bitter relations between India and Pakistan, as up to 12 million people were displaced and many territories were left undisputed, most namely the Kashmir region. This war that has raged on for the past 64 years has led the two nations to direct all their military resources towards funding this ongoing conflict. The Pakistani intelligence service, the ISI, has directly funded terrorist organizations like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which claimed responsibility for the Mumbai attacks in 2008 that killed up to 164 people. This type of proxy war that is being fought between the two nations has left both countries to maintain hostile relations with each other and have led India and Pakistan to pursue a policy of nuclear proliferation.
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| The red line indicates the disputed Kashmir region |
The groups that Pakistan have covertly funded are loosely affiliated with the most well known anti-western terrorist organization in the world, Al-Qaeda. It's a known fact that the group Lashkar-e-Taiba has given safe haven, training, funding and support to Al-Qaeda since the early 90's. It is said that David Hicks, Richard Reid and Dhiren Barot, all three which are well known members of Al-Qaeda received training at a Lashkar-e-Taiba training camp. When Al-Qaeda operative Abu Zubaydah was arrested in Pakistan, he was found where else but in a Lashkar-e-Taiba safehouse at Faislabad in Pakistan. The Lashkar-e-Taiba has been claimed to have operated a military training camp in Afghanistan post-September 11th which trained Al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists to fight off the coming invasion of Afghanistan by U.S. forces. All these examples show how America is indirectly funding the terrorist organizations it is currently at war with by providing aid to Pakistan and it's military.
The president of Pakistan outright denies any involvement on the part of the ISI with the Taliban or Al-Qaeda. The British government said there is a 'clear link' between Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and three major militant
outfits, Lashkar-e-Tayiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
operating in Jammu and Kashmir (Rediff). Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the House of Commons in 2002 "Terrorism (from across the border) has had the covert support of
the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISID), the main
intelligence agency in Pakistan" (Rediff).
President Musharraf responded by saying "I totally, 200% reject it. I
reject it from anybody - Ministry of Defense (UK Defense Organization) or anyone who tells me to dismantle ISI.
The ISI is a disciplined force, breaking the back of al-Qaeda. Getting
680 top level Al-Qaeda and Taliban commanders would not have been
possible if our ISI was not doing an excellent job" (BBC).
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| The attack on Mumbai in November of 2008 left 164 dead |
With all this being said, Pakistan's ISI has helped America in the war on terrorism and has accomplished many of the objectives America has set out to do. Although the ISI and Pakistan have provided intel, it seems that the ISI is holding out and harboring terrorists it seeks to gain from. This is why Osama Bin Laden was hiding in Abottabad, Pakistan for nearly 6 years with absolutely no detection by Pakistan's security forces. A
senior official in the America's government said “Elements of Pakistan intelligence—probably rogue or retired—were
involved in aiding, abetting, and sheltering the leader of al-Qaeda"(ABC). This just shows that whether currently employed or retired, ISI agents sympathize with Islamic extremists because they both have the same goal in mind; to eradicate western influence from their culture and their land. While India may not be exactly 'western', it is one of the closest ally's America has, and India's modernization and acceptance into the international community with America's backing has left the religious right in Pakistan to loathe and despise India for all that it stands for. They also claim that America's approval of India's nuclear program and America's disapproval of Pakistan's nuclear program is a hypocritical western doctrine and a double standard.
Many of these claims are unsubstantiated as there is no hard evidence to prove that Pakistan's ISI directly funds these terrorist organizations, with the exception of a few reports from various individuals. It is clear though that the ISI and the groups in the Kashmir region have a lot to gain from each other. Furthering Pakistani influence in the Kashmir region would only strengthen Pakistan and weaken Pakistan's long time rival India. By funding these groups the ISI and Pakistan would gain power, prestige and strength in the region and abroad. Whether or not the ISI want to directly harm the United States by funding these groups that in turn fund and hide Al-Qaeda operatives remains to be seen. Based on the evidence it seems that by funding these Islamic extremists that hate India in the efforts of Pakistan to win the Kashmir conflict for it's self interest inadvertently strengthens the terrorist organizations that aim to destroy America. Pakistan's government is basically clueless to the ISI's operations due to the almost limitless power the ISI has in conducting Pakistan's foreign affairs. This in turn has given Pakistan's government the benefit of genuine denial of the allegations that the ISI funds Islamic extremism domestically or abroad. America has to restrict it's aid to Pakistan unless Pakistan can figure out a way to deal with the corruption of the ISI and the funding of Islamic extremism. The saying 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' ends up being a bit ironic, especially when that friend is funding your enemy. Until America can force Pakistan to get a hold on it's own intelligence service, America will keep fighting an enemy that is actually on America's payroll.
Signing out- John Thomas
Works Cited
http://www.newser.com/story/118105/government-official-osama-bin-laden-aided-and-abbetted-by-rogue-or-retired-isi-agents-in-pakistan.html
^ "Musharraf defends his spy service". BBC News. September 28, 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/5387344.stm. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/jun/11war4.htm
