Pakistani state actors were behind 26/11
First there was David Headley, the Pakistani-American terrorist who turned into an FBI witness and promised to spill the beans on the Pakistani military-ISI-jihad nexus that made possible the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Then the Obama Administration stated that, despite a billion-dollar aid package, certain elements in the Pakistani establishment have maintained links with terrorists. This was followed by the publication of official documents by WikiLeaks that showed how intelligence personnel at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre were instructed to consider any connection with the ISI as an indication of terrorist activity. Finally there was Osama bin Laden: The world’s most wanted terrorist who was found hiding (and sometimes watching himself on television) outside Islamabad. Collectively, it all points towards one simple truth: The vast majority of the Pakistani establishment — no, not just a few ‘rogue elements’ — is hand-in-glove with Islamist terror groups. Now, adding to that fast growing list of damning evidence, is a series of “contemporaneous written accounts” published by The Washington Post that detail three years of “often-contentious meetings” held between American and Pakistani officials. According to the Post, weeks after the 26/11 attack on Mumbai, during meetings held in December 2008, top officials of the Bush Administration told Pakistan that the US had “irrefutable” intelligence proof that the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Tayyeba was responsible for the heinous attack on India and that it “continues to receive support, including operational support, from the Pakistani military...”
These latest revelations once again serve to reaffirm what India has been saying all along — the 26/11 carnage was a brainchild of the Pakistani establishment that was carried out on the ground by agents of the state. It can be expected that the revelations will only add to the testimony of David Headley who is to testify at the trial of co-conspirator Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the Pakistan-born Canadian accused of scouting for targets in Mumbai prior to 26/11. Rana’s trial began on Monday in Chicago and is being closely watched by all. Currently, bilateral ties between the US and Pakistan are at an all time low and a hair’s width away from snapping completely with senior policy-makers in the US demanding a serious revision of their Pakistan strategy, including major aid cuts. Senator Dana Rohrabacher has already introduced a Bill to that effect. India, however, continues to believe in what can only be described as essentially the goodness of Pakistan. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is obsessed with bringing about peace between the two countries, which would have been a fine thing to do if only Pakistan hadn’t already rehearsed a plan to attack India.
First there was David Headley, the Pakistani-American terrorist who turned into an FBI witness and promised to spill the beans on the Pakistani military-ISI-jihad nexus that made possible the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Then the Obama Administration stated that, despite a billion-dollar aid package, certain elements in the Pakistani establishment have maintained links with terrorists. This was followed by the publication of official documents by WikiLeaks that showed how intelligence personnel at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre were instructed to consider any connection with the ISI as an indication of terrorist activity. Finally there was Osama bin Laden: The world’s most wanted terrorist who was found hiding (and sometimes watching himself on television) outside Islamabad. Collectively, it all points towards one simple truth: The vast majority of the Pakistani establishment — no, not just a few ‘rogue elements’ — is hand-in-glove with Islamist terror groups. Now, adding to that fast growing list of damning evidence, is a series of “contemporaneous written accounts” published by The Washington Post that detail three years of “often-contentious meetings” held between American and Pakistani officials. According to the Post, weeks after the 26/11 attack on Mumbai, during meetings held in December 2008, top officials of the Bush Administration told Pakistan that the US had “irrefutable” intelligence proof that the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Tayyeba was responsible for the heinous attack on India and that it “continues to receive support, including operational support, from the Pakistani military...”
These latest revelations once again serve to reaffirm what India has been saying all along — the 26/11 carnage was a brainchild of the Pakistani establishment that was carried out on the ground by agents of the state. It can be expected that the revelations will only add to the testimony of David Headley who is to testify at the trial of co-conspirator Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the Pakistan-born Canadian accused of scouting for targets in Mumbai prior to 26/11. Rana’s trial began on Monday in Chicago and is being closely watched by all. Currently, bilateral ties between the US and Pakistan are at an all time low and a hair’s width away from snapping completely with senior policy-makers in the US demanding a serious revision of their Pakistan strategy, including major aid cuts. Senator Dana Rohrabacher has already introduced a Bill to that effect. India, however, continues to believe in what can only be described as essentially the goodness of Pakistan. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is obsessed with bringing about peace between the two countries, which would have been a fine thing to do if only Pakistan hadn’t already rehearsed a plan to attack India.
