Jamaat may rename itself to get around ban

Is Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), front organisation of Lashkar-e-Taiba, preparing to reincarnate under a new name in the wake of a ban clamped on it by the UN Security Council for its involvement in Mumbai terror attacks? ( Watch )

According to sources here, JuD may be planning to rename itself as 'Tehreek-e-Hurmat-e-Rasool' (Movement for defending the honour of God) to avoid restrictions which Pakistan could be forced to impose on it because of UNSC sanctions.

The indication that JuD may be thinking of changing its name came as some senior cadres of the outfit recently organised a rally in Pakistan under the banner of Tehreek-e-Hurmat-e-Rasool (THR), the sources said.

In fact, JuD itself is a reincarnation of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) after the latter was banned by the US seven years ago.

Formed in 1990 in Kunar province of Afghanistan, LeT does not believe in democracy and Saeed, its founder leader, has publicly declared it several times that 'jihad' is the "only way Pakistan can move towards dignity and prosperity".

India feels that Pakistan is using 'jihadis' as "one of the arms of diplomacy" and due to this reason, it is not taking any action except "tokenism" against JuD despite the UNSC ban imposed on December 11 in the wake of November 26 Mumbai attacks.

New Delhi contends that JuD continues to engage in various kinds of activities under the garb of education and "so-called charities", with Islamabad turning a blind eye to it in "flagrant violation" of international law.

In this context, the sources said the headquarters of JuD or LeT in Muridke near Lahore continues to be functional.

JuD chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, who is supposedly under house arrest, is said to be freely moving about though in a restricted manner escaping the media gaze, the sources said.

India is peeved at the special treatment being meted out to Saeed by Pakistan, contending that he should be put in a regular prison rather than "so-called house arrest" since he has been accused of involvement in heinous crimes.

Pakistan has also not imposed any restrictions on publication of magazines and other literature by JuD, despite these activities being prohibited by the UNSC resolution, the sources said.

"There is anything but compliance with the UNSC resolution by Pakistan," they said.

The UNSC could be approached to highlight how Pakistan is disregarding its resolution but there is a view in Delhi that reasonable time should be given before this option is utilised.

Lashkar commander admits hand in 26/11

NEW DELHI: While Pakistan remains firmly in denial mode over the involvement of its nationals in the Mumbai attacks, its own investigations have revealed the role of Lashkar-e-Taiba, with Zarar Shah, one of the top commanders of the jihadi outfit, spilling the beans. ( Watch ) According to reports in Wall Street Journal of US as well as The Times of UK, Shah is ``singing'' and has confessed to the Lashkar having planned the 26/11 strikes. Shah was held with another senior LeT figure, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, following a crackdown on Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the Lashkar's parent body. ( Watch ) Pakistan's information minister Sherry Rehman, however, told a New Delhi-based news channel on Wednesday evening that Pakistan wasn't aware of any such confession made by any man in Pakistani custody. According to an unnamed Pakistani official quoted in the WSJ report, Shah admitted to Pakistani interrogators that ``he spoke with the attackers during the rampage to give them advice and keep them focused''. The US daily also quoted Pakistani officials as saying that Shah, who along with Lakhvi was arrested after international pressure forced Pakistan to crack down on JuD, has confirmed LeT's involvement. This was corroborated by senior sources in Indian intelligence who said that Shah was among the Lashkar commanders who had instructed the jihadis carrying out the massacres in Taj, Trident and Nariman House. The other two Lashkar commanders who passed on ``how to kill'' directives using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls were Abu Qafa and Abu Hamza. Reports in the WSJ and The Times also seconded the statement of jailed terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab that the assailants were launched from Karachi after practising urban combat in the port city. The reports in American media which nailed Pakistan's lies about the origin and identity of the Mumbai attackers coincided with reports in Pakistani daily Dawn that the Asif Ali Zardari government was under intense American pressure to hand over Lakhvi. Reports in the US and UK media coincided with Pakistan's national security adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani's concession that the Mumbai attackers could well be his compatriots, though the Pakistani establishment remained in denial on Wednesday. According to reports in the WSJ and the Times, US has handed over taped intercepts of Lakhvi's conversation with the attackers to Pakistani authorities. Besides confirming the veracity of India's investigation, the WSJ report, based on revelations by Pakistani sources, takes on significance also because of its timing. It comes just as Pakistan was looking to wriggle out of any serious action against the Mumbai plotters, and may become the catalyst for renewed US pressure on the Zardari government. Britain, in fact, said on Wednesday that Pakistan's attitude was ``unhelpful'' and that it should cooperate fully with India. ``We urge the Pakistan government to cooperate fully with the Indian investigations. It is important that action is taken against those responsible. However, some statements from Pakistan leadership denying existence of proof of Pakistani link to terrorists are not helpful,'' said a statement issued by the foreign office. Pakistan's Dawn newspaper has reported that Islamabad is under tremendous pressure from US to hand over Lakhvi to India. The report said American audio experts had confirmed that the voice in the tape was indeed that of Lakhvi. Shah reportedly told Pakistani authorities that all 10 terrorists trained for weeks in Karachi before leaving for Mumbai by boat. In Delhi, home minister P Chidambaram ridiculed Pakistan for disregarding mounting evidence of a Pakistani hand in the attacks on Mumbai. ``If anyone is in a state of denial, anything we give will be denied,'' he said. He also pointed out that Kasab's father had appeared on Pakistani TV, saying that he (Kasab) was his son. ``Kasab himself has written to the Pakistan government seeking legal help. What more evidence does Pakistan require,'' he asked. Chidambaram also stressed that the US and UK have given their own evidence to Pakistan. This seemed to be a riposte to continued statements from Pakistan, denying the involvement its citizens in the Mumbai attack. On Wednesday, Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmud Qureshi reiterated on television that Islamabad doesn't have evidence about the involvement of any Pakistan national in the attack. Its interior secretary, Syed Kamal Shah, also said India was ``making up stories'' -- and claimed it had not received any evidence.

'Safest' seat remarks gets Muslim family kicked off plane

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Muslim family removed from an airliner Thursday after passengers became concerned about their conversation say AirTran officials refused to rebook them, even after FBI investigators cleared them of wrongdoing.

Atif Irfan said federal authorities removed eight members of his extended family and a friend after passengers heard them discussing the safest place to sit and misconstrued the nature of the conversation.

Irfan, a U.S. citizen and tax attorney, said he was "impressed with the professionalism" of the FBI agents who questioned him, but said he felt mistreated when the airline refused to book the family for a later flight.

AirTran Airways late Thursday said they acted properly and that the family was offered full refunds and can fly with AirTran again.

"AirTran Airways complied with all TSA, law enforcement and Homeland Security directives and had no discretion in the matter," the company said in a prepared statement.

Family members disagreed.

"The FBI agents actually cleared our names," said Inayet Sahin, Irfan's sister-in-law. "They went on our behalf and spoke to the airlines and said, 'There is no suspicious activity here. They are clear. Please let them get on a flight so they can go on their vacation,' and they still refused."

"The airline told us that we can't fly their airline," Irfan said.

The dispute occurred about 1 p.m. Thursday as AirTran flight 175 was preparing for takeoff from Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C., on a flight destined for Orlando, Florida.

Atif Irfan, his brother, their wives, a sister and three children were headed to Orlando to meet with family and attend a religious conference.

"The conversation, as we were walking through the plane trying to find our seats, was just about where the safest place in an airplane is," Sahin said. "We were (discussing whether it was safest to sit near) the wing, or the engine or the back or the front, but that's it. We didn't say anything else that would raise any suspicion."

The conversation did not contain the words "bomb," "explosion," "terror" or other words that might have aroused suspicion, Irfan said.

"When we were talking, when we turned around, I noticed a couple of girls kind of snapped their heads," said Sobia Ijaz, Irfan's wife. "I kind of thought to myself, 'Oh, you know, maybe they're going to say something.' It didn't occur to me that they were going to make it such a big issue."

Some time later, while the plane was still at the gate, an FBI agent boarded the plane and asked Irfan and his wife to leave the plane. The rest of the family was removed 15 or 20 minutes later, along with a family friend, Abdul Aziz, a Library of Congress attorney and family friend who was coincidentally taking the same flight and had been seen talking to the family.

After the FBI interviewed family members, it released them, Irfan said.

AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson said the incident began when some passengers reported hearing suspicious remarks by a woman and alerted flight attendants. Two Federal Air Marshals, who were on board the flight, notified law enforcement about the security-related issue, AirTran said.

After the family and Aziz were taken for questioning, the remaining 95 passengers were taken off of the plane and rescreened, along with the crew and the baggage, AirTran said.

Irfan said he believes his family is owed an apology.

"Really, at the end of the day, we're not out here looking for money. I'm an attorney. I know how the court system works. We're basically looking for someone to say... 'We're apologizing for treating you as second-class citizens.'"

"We are proud Americans," Sahin said. "You know we decided to have our children and raise them here. We can very easily go anywhere we want in the world, but you know we love it here and we're not going to go away, no matter what."

Aziz said there is a "very strong possibility" he will pursue a civil rights lawsuit.

"I guess it's just a situation of guilt by association," Aziz said. "They see one Muslim talking to another Muslim and they automatically assume something wrong is going on."

Mumbai attack: US backs Indian proof of Pak hand

NEW DELHI: The US has endorsed the evidence gathered by Indian agencies about the complicity of Pakistan's state actors in the terrorist attack on Mumbai, in what can result in stepped up international pressure on the Zardari regime to take action against the mentors of Lashkar-e-Taiba. ( Watch )

Top US intelligence official John Michael McConnell is learnt to have expressed complete satisfaction with the strength of India's case against Pakistan, based on FBI's examination of call records of satellite and cellular phones used by Mumbai attackers and their Pakistan-based handlers.

McConnell confirmed that one of the numbers logged on the satellite phone the terrorists used while navigating their way to Mumbai belonged to known Lashkar terrorist Abu Al Qama. Indian intelligence officials are familiar with the satellite phone that Qama uses. The US, using its leverage with Sharjah where Thuraya is headquartered, corroborated this fact, and also the fact that Qama was passing instructions to the attackers from Pakistani soil.

India's case about the Pakistan hand has also been borne out by the data the Americans retrieved, using their superior technology, from the damaged mobile phones used by terrorists while they were carrying out the massacres in Taj and Trident hotels. The phones had got severely damaged in the fire that broke out during the gunfight.

"We are committed to get to the bottom of this case," US officials are learnt to have told their Indian counterparts during their interaction spread over 48 hours.

The Americans are planning to confront the Pakistanis, still in denial mode, with the evidence that their own investigation has thrown up. Sources said the UK has also passed on electronic intercepts, described by a senior source as "one clinching piece of evidence", to India.

McConnell, along with FBI officials who have been camping in India in connection with the probe into 26/11, has held meetings with home minister P Chidambaram, national security advisor M K Narayanan and senior Indian intelligence officials.

Indian experience with the US intelligence agencies has so far not been satisfactory, with the latter winking at evidence against Pakistan because of its dependence on Islamabad for success in Afghanistan. Indian agencies, however, feel that the response could be different this time because of the fact that Mumbai casualties included US nationals.

The FBI is mandated to take the probe to the logical culmination, which will include charging the names of Lashkar leaders and their collaborators in ISI that come up in the probe.

FBI: Al-Qaida could use helicopters, limos

Al-Qaida may attempt to launch attacks in U.S. cities using helicopters or rented limousines packed with explosives as weapons, the FBI said in two nationwide bulletins.

The warnings come amid reports that data confiscated in Pakistan indicates al-Qaida has studied using those, as well as speedboats and divers, as tools in a potential attack on New York City.

One of the FBI bulletins, obtained Monday by The Associated Press, said terrorists could attempt to hijack commercial, charter or tourist helicopter flights and use them in suicide attacks against buildings, parades or sporting events. Helicopters and limousines could both help terrorists get closer to targeted buildings, the FBI warnings said. The warnings were sent Friday night by the FBI and the Homeland Security Department to 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies, other government officials and private groups.

Although the Bush administration’s recent heightened terror alert was confined to financial institutions in New York, Newark, N.J., and Washington, the FBI said al-Qaida was interested in using helicopters to attack “any densely populated area of symbolic, economic or financial importance” in the United States.

The FBI said it has information that indicates al-Qaida has considered using helicopters packed with explosives in an unspecified attack.

Helicopters might also be used to spread chemical or biological agents in the ventilation systems of high-rise buildings, the FBI bulletin said. “Terrorists may view helicopters as an attractive weapon due to their maneuverability and nonthreatening appearance when flying at low altitudes,” the FBI said.

The other bulletin warns that al-Qaida has frequently used rented cars and trucks for bomb attacks in the past — including the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center — and may do so again.

Limousines, the FBI said, could be especially useful to terrorists because they are larger than regular cars and might draw less suspicion than trucks.

“Limousines often convey an impression of authority or prestige, which may facilitate their access to specific locations in a building or a facility denied to the general public,” the FBI bulletin said.

The FBI says it has no credible, specific evidence about the method, timing or location of any al-Qaida attack inside the United States. But the bulletins come amid a steady stream of intelligence indicating that the terror group intends to strike in the months leading to the Nov. 2 presidential election.

Laptop, disks reveal strategy
The warnings surfaced as Time magazine, quoting an unidentified U.S. law enforcement official, said that included in information obtained on three laptop computers and 51 disks seized in a July 24 raid in Pakistan were details of how al-Qaida operatives thought of using speed boats and divers to carry out attacks in New York harbor before the November elections.

The plotters also were considering the use of helicopters in some New York operations, the report said.Time also reported that an al-Qaida report was found suggesting the use of a limousine instead of a truck or van to blow up the Prudential building in Newark. The report suggested a limo would be allowed to enter the parking structure more easily.

The New York Times, citing U.S. security officials, reported Monday that a new directive will call for increased security measures for helicopter operators in the New York City area.

Among the measures under review is a requirement to screen passengers for suspicious items, a Department of Homeland Security official who was briefed on the plan told the newspaper. No groundings are planned, the Times said, adding that the new directive could be issued as early as this week.

New York tourist helicopters operate out of three main heliports. A domestic security official said concern about helicopters is “restricted to New York right now.”

Tourist helicopters still flying
The tourist helicopters continued to operate Monday. “We’re all here and we’re all together,” said Gisele Dorte of Martinique, who boarded a Liberty Helicopter Tours chopper with her family.

Officers were stationed outside Liberty Helicopter Tours, located on the Hudson River, but otherwise no extra security measures appeared to be in force.

Liberty Helicopter officials declined to answer questions. But a pilot who would not give his name said security measures including metal detectors have been in place since before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Law enforcement officials in New York said the only report they had received linking helicopters to potential terror attacks was that evidence recovered in Pakistan showed terror suspects may have taken a helicopter ride to gather information on possible targets.

Some law enforcement experts believe that with relatively complex controls and smaller payloads than a single-engine plane, helicopters make an unlikely tool for terrorism, officials said.

“There’s indication they’ve looked at helicopters but no indications they had plans to use them,” said one law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They had photographed helicopters in New York but there’s still no indication of what they had in mind.”

Plans raise timing question
White House officials on Sunday suggested that some of the potential plots uncovered in the past week may have been part of a broader effort to strike the country before the November election.

Pakistan has FBI evidence of Mumbai links: India

Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee. — AFP

NEW DELHI: India said on Thursday the FBI had presented strong evidence to Islamabad of Pakistani links to November's militant attacks in Mumbai that killed 179 people.

India has blamed the assault on the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-i-Taiba (LeT), which is banned in Pakistan.

Pakistan has condemned the Mumbai attacks and denied any state role, blaming 'non-state actors.'

'We have been told that there is some strong evidence available to FBI and they have shared it with Pakistan,' Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in an interview with the NDTV news channel.

He added that US pressure on Pakistan to act on that evidence had not yielded 'tangible results' so far.

Mukherjee repeated India's calls for Pakistan to hand over the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks, saying Pakistan was obliged to do so under various international arrangements.

'(An) extradition treaty is not required to take action on these issues,' he added.

Pakistan launched raids on militants on its soil in the aftermath of the attack. But, it says India has yet to provide evidence and has ruled out sending Pakistanis to India for trial.

Islam and West: Time for Enlightened Moderation

Pervez Musharraf

The Khaleej Times, 2 June 2004

OUR world is passing through a tumultuous period ever since the dawn of the 90s, with no signs of relenting. The suffering of the innocent multitudes, particularly my brethren in faith - the Muslims - at the hands of militants, extremists, terrorists, has inspired me to contribute towards bringing some order to this disorderly world. It was this very urge which led me to expound the strategy of Enlightened Moderation.

The world has become an extremely dangerous place to live in. The devastating power of plastic explosives, combined with hi-tech, remotely controlled activation means superimposed by a proliferation of suicide bombers becomes a lethal combination beyond any effective counter. The unfortunate reality is that both, the perpetrators of the crime as well as most of the sufferers from it are Muslims. This has inevitably made non-Muslims believe, wrongfully, that Islam is a religion of intolerance, militancy and terrorism. This thesis is rapidly evolving across the globe: connecting Islam to fundamentalism, fundamentalism to extremism and extremism to terrorism. We can protest, however vigorously, against this labelling, but the reality is that such arguments are not likely to win this formidable battle of minds against us. To compound our apathy further, we are probably the poorest, most uneducated, most powerless and the most disunited in the world.

The stark reality that faces anyone with compassion for this common heritage of mankind - our world, mother earth - is, what legacy we want to leave for our future generations? On the other side, the challenge that confronts the Muslims is to drag ourselves out of the pit we find ourselves in, through individual exaltation and collective socio-economic emancipation. Something has to be done quickly to stop this carnage in the world and for the Muslims to stem the downward slide, if we are to prevent ourselves from being marginalized.

My idea for untangling this Gordian knot is the strategy of Enlightened Moderation which I think is a win for all - the Muslim and the non Muslim world. This is a two-pronged strategy. The role by the Muslim world involves shunning militancy, extremism and adopting the path of socio-economic uplift. The other role to be played by the West, and the US in particular, must aim at resolutely resolving all political disputes with justice and also assisting in the socio-economic uplift of the deprived Muslim world.

I would like to explain the logic of the strategy of Enlightened Moderation and elaborate on the methodology for the Muslim world to execute its part of the strategy. First of all we need to understand that the root cause of extremism and militancy lies in political injustice, denial and deprivation. Political injustice to a nation or a people when combined with stark poverty and illiteracy makes the explosive mix leading towards an acute sense of deprivation, hopelessness and powerlessness. A people suffering from a combination of all these lethal ills are easily available cannon fodder for the propagation of militancy and the perpetration of extremist, terrorist acts.

It would be remiss if, in defence of the people of my faith, I did not trace back the genesis of the Muslims getting labelled with the extremist terrorist tag. Before the anti Soviet, Afghan War started, the Palestine dispute alone was the cause of unrest or concern in the Muslim world which led to a general unification of Muslims in favour of Palestinians and against Israel. The Afghan war of the 80s, supported and facilitated by the West, against the Soviet Union, saw the emergence and nurturing of pan Islamic militancy. Islam as a religion was used to harness mass, worldwide Muslim support. Subsequently, the atrocities and ethnic cleansing against Muslims in Bosnia, the Chechen uprising, Kashmir freedom struggle and invigorated Palestinian Intifada all erupted in the 90’s after the Soviet disintegration. To make matters worse the militancy sparked in Afghanistan which needed to be defused after the end of the Cold War, was allowed to fester for the whole decade of 90s. This festering wound of Afghanistan with fighters from the entire Muslim world existing within the period of upheaval in other Muslim nations turned multidirectional, looking for new conflict zones where Muslims were suffering.

This saw the birth of Al-Qaeda. All this while the Palestinian Intifada kept gathering momentum, uniting and angering Muslims across the globe. Then came the horror of 9/11 and the angry reaction of US against Taleban/Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. All subsequent reactions of the US, their domestic responses against Muslims, their attitude towards Palestine and operation in Iraq led to total polarisation of the Muslim masses against the US. Why this needs to be recapitulated is to prove that it is not Islam as a religion which preaches or infuses militancy and extremism but the political disputes which led to antagonism in the Muslim masses. All this is history now. What has been done cannot be undone. But this situation cannot be allowed to fester. For the sake of universal harmony, a remedy has to be found. The cry of the day is for the West to resolve the political disputes enumerated above with justice as their part of the commitment to the strategy of Enlightened Moderation.

I would now like to turn to the Muslim World, for whom my heart weeps. What we need today is self-introspection. Who are we, what do we as Muslims stand for, where are we going, where we should be headed and how we can reach there? The answers to all these questions, I see as the Muslim prong of the strategy of Enlightened Moderation.

We have had a glorious past. Islam exploded on the world scene as flag bearer of a just, lawful, tolerant and value oriented society. We had faith in human exaltation through knowledge and enlightenment. We exemplified tolerance within ourselves and with people of other faiths. The Armies of Islam did not march forward to convert people to Islam through the sword, despite what perceptions may be, but to deliver them from the darkness they were under, through the visible example of their virtues. What better projection can be found of these deeper values of Islam than the example of our great Prophet (peace be upon him) who personified justice, compassion, tolerance, generosity of spirit, austerity with a spirit of sacrifice, and a burning desire for raising humanity to a better world?

The Muslim world today is distant from all these values. We have been left far behind in social, moral and economic development. Unfortunately during our decline we remained in our own shell and refused to learn from others. We thus reached the present depths of despair and despondency. We need to face stark realities. Is the way ahead one of confrontation and militancy? Will this path lead us to our past glory and also show the light of progress and development to the world?

My Muslim brothers, the time for renaissance has come. The way forward is to head towards enlightenment and concentrate on human resource development through poverty alleviation, education, health and social justice. If this be our direction, it cannot be achieved through a confrontationist approach. We have to adopt the path of moderation and a conciliatory approach to wash off the common belief that Islam is a religion of militancy and is also in conflict with modernisation, democracy and secularism. All this has to be done with a realisation that, in the world we live in, the doctrine of fairness is not always available to us. This is our prong of the strategy of Enlightened Moderation which we need to deliver.

If this be the strategic course to be adopted by the Muslim World, what are the operational parameters to be executed? The OIC (Organisation of Islamic Conference) is our collective body. We need to infuse life into this body which at present is in a state of near impotence. It has to be restructured to meet the challenges of the 21st century, fulfill the aspirations of the Muslim world and take us towards our emancipation. The committee of eminent persons being formed to recommend a restructured OIC is indeed a big step towards the right direction. We have to show resolve, rise above self-interests for our common good in the very spirit that Islam teaches us.

The world at large and the powers that be must realise that confrontation and use of force is no more the option available to bring ultimate peace. Justice must be done and seen to be done. Let it not be said by our future generations that we, the leaders of today took humanity towards apocalypse.

The author is President of Pakistan.