UK-based outfit funded J&K separatists

By B L Kak

By far the most significant development: British authorities have found 'sense and substance' in New Delhi's evidence in relation to the clandestine funding of secessionist groups in Jammu and Kashmir by a UK-based organisation for years together. The organisation, as identified by New Delhi, is the World Kashmir Freedom Movement (WKFM). The organisation's chief, Ayub Thakur, a Kashmiri expatriate, who died of cancer some months ago, was charged with having played 'a decisive and definite' role in this regard.

It is official: After Indian officials handed over evidence in the case of clandestine funding of secessionist groups in J&K by the WKFM, British officials confirmed launching of investigations by them of the activities of the prominent overseas backer of separatists in the most sensitive north Indian State. Britain's Charities Commission and the Metropolitan Police began examining, in depth, allegations levelled by New Delhi that before his death Ayub Thakur had funnelled funds raised for charity to the terrorist groups.

The UK-based Thakur's charity failed to conceal the flow of funds into Jammu and Kashmir for separatists. The lid, in fact, was removed following the discovery of the charity's funds for terror as well. Two senior functionaries of the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs and 'a highly knowledgeable" police officer of Jammu and Kashmir played the main role in the preparation of a detailed account of funds funnelled from Ayub Thakur's charity, known as Mercy International.

And the passage of these funds was through Standard Chartered Grindlays Bank (renamed as Standard Chartered Bank) and the Development Credit Bank. Indian investigator's yet another achievement: They made available transcripts of telephone intercepts and identity of the recipients of the funds in India. Intelligence Bureau was not to blame when it, not long ago, nabbed a Srinagar-based newsman, who, officials claimed, was a key conduit for transferring funds to Hizbul Mujahideen commanders in Jammu and Kashmir.

Before the newsman walked into the police trap, investigators had found that he had received a foreign currency remittance of Rs 4, 84, 875 into his account with Standard Chartered in New Delhi, and a second remittance of Rs 14, 98, 000 into the Development Credit Bank.

British officials appear hesitant to make public results of their investigations. One thing, which is acknowledged by Indian officials, that can impede the progress of investigations is the absence on the scene of Ayub Thakur. What is significant, on the other hand, is that after Thakur's death, Mercy International has not ceased to operate in the UK. There is no explanation why the organisation did not send supposed philanthropic donations to several charities in Jammu and Kashmir. These charities continue to have clearances under the Foreign Exchange Management Act.

Long before the National Democratic alliance (NDA) Government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee fell during the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, LK Advani, by virtue of authority vested in him as the country's Home Minister, had handed over to British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, a dossier on the activities of secessionist groups in Britain. The document, titled 'Misuse of British Soil by Kashmir expatriates Based in the UK for Funding Terrorism in J&K', had outlined many of the charges which investigations had added substance to.

Muslim expatriates, listed in the document, have been charged with their warm flirtations with some groups of Islamist militants in the United Kingdom. British authorities do not deny the fact that while Britain has a sizeable Muslim population, the impact and influence of jihadi ideology and philosophy over section of the British Muslims has been, over the years, real than apparent. In UK, there are Muslim fanatics whose activities are being watched by British officials.

If media reports from Britain in recent times were to be believed, a radical Islamic group in Britain is involved in subtle attempts to keep alive and kicking jihadi elements in Jammu and Kashmir and Afghanistan. Identified as Al Muhajiroun this group funnelled large amounts of cash to Kashmir and to the Taliban of Afghanistan even after the September 11 terrorist attacks on America. Much significance is attached to the reported confirmation by the British authorities of the existence of the group in the UK. New Delhi was recently informed about the link between Al Muhajiroun and the World Islamic Kashmir Freedom Movement, also operating from the British soil.

There is no definite data vis-a-vis the actual number of jihadi elements Al Muhajiroun commissioned to perform duties in Jammu and Kashmir and Afghanistan. However, some media reports from London suggested that the number of such elements was in hundreds. One of these reports was specific: Al Muhajiroun sent up to 200 young Asians from Britain, after the September 11 attacks on America, to join the Taliban and terrorist groups in Pakistan.

The recruits as young as 15 were sent to join groups fighting jihad with the backing of Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, the radical leader of Al Muhajiroun. Al Qureshi, who was a leading member of the group before he separated himself from it in December 2003, was responsible for dozens of young Asians who had arrived to fight in Kashmir and Afghanistan. Qureshi was quoted to have disclosed from his Lahore house: "They catch these young guys and do brainwashing. Young guys with no jobs, no house, no money. They are easily trapped".

It is official: British Government continues to be in touch with Washington and Islamabad on the most crucial question of tackling extremism. Adherents of the benighted Osama bin Laden have sprung up in various parts of the world, including Britain and the USA. And knowledge of the techniques of terror has spread far and wide.

A section of the Al Saud royal family, which is in the throes of a succession struggle, have extended support to the fanatics. Under the circumstances, this particular strain of religious extremism is not likely to fade out. The target of the contemporary transitional terrorism is as much mainstream Islam and moderate Muslim countries as it is the West. Strong, effective international cooperation is essential, as no country can combat the threat from transitional terrorism on its own.

A British publication recently quoted the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP)-based Maulana Gohar Shah, principal of Dar-ul-Uloom madrasa, as saying: "We are in mourning for the collapse of the Taliban. We are still weeping for them. As soldiers and rulers, the Taliban served the people well". Gohar Shah is known for his secret role in making available dozens of jihadis for aid and advice to Islamic radicals and rebels in Kashmir in recent years.

B' desh must not become as terror breeder

By Samuel Baid

An upsurge in acts of terrorism in NE reveal that the terrorists flee back to their bases in Bangladesh after committing terrorist crimes in North-East. Bangladesh denies existence of their bases on its soil.

The latest act of terror was on October 2 when whole of India was observing the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. On that day two bomb blasts in Dimapur in Nagaland killed 26 persons. It caused both horror and surprise. Surprise because the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN), a militant organization which treats Dimapur as its stronghold, has been observing peace since ceasefire agreement in 1997. Thus the needle of suspicion turns to non-NSCN, or for that matter non-Naga, militants. Bhutan has destroyed ULFA bases on its territory. ULFA's attacks like the one in Dhemaji on August 15 are launched from bases in Myanmar-Naga hills with the coordination of its top leaders camping in Bangladesh, where are based ULFA's Central Command Headquarters. The senior leadership of ULFA had slipped into Bangladesh in the wake of a crackdown by the Royal Bhutanese Army on it December last year. Last month, Union Home Secretary Dharendra Singh had taken with him to Dhaka a list of 195 insurgent camps operating in Bangladesh.

The influence of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and anti-India jehadis on the ULFA leaders in Bangladesh cannot be ruled out at all. During Ayub Khan's rule in Pakistan, the very same agency used the soil of East Pakistan, which is today Bangladesh, for creating unrest in North-East. The ISI had to put on hold its North-East specific operations after the liberation of Bangladesh. Now in Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI), the ISI has an old, trusted friend in the Khaleda Zia Government. JEI crimes against Bengalis during the liberation struggle have become part of history. It is obvious that the ISI would want ULFA leaders to create terror in Assam in return for its patronage and for whatever support they may be getting from it.

Reports available in India say that the ISI has been spreading its activities in Bangladesh. Last month, Director-General of Border Security Force (BSF) Ajai Raj Sharma said in Jammu that the ISI had shifted training camps for Kashmir specific militants from occupied Kashmir to Bangladesh to avoid international attention. He said the ISI was also launching new camps.

During his talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Indian Home Secretary Dharendra Singh was countered by claims that "insurgents" from Bangladesh were hiding in India. Dhaka denied existence of any terrorist camps in the country. Mr. Singh said the persons, whom Dhaka referred to as "insurgents" were only political activists who conducted no violent activities against their country from India.

It appears the Pakistani history is repeating itself in Bangladesh. It may be recalled that until 9/11, Islamabad denied with a straight face that there were terrorist camps in the country that exported terror to other countries including India in Kashmir. Terror became a tool of Pakistan's policy in Afghanistan and Kashmir. In Afghanistan it planted obscurantist Taliban while in Kashmir it infiltrated jehadis with money and weapons. The world ignored India's protests until the Americans got a taste of their protege's terrorist policies on September 11, 2001. This incident brought out astonishing and shocking details of Pakistan's involvement in global terrorism.

Today Pakistan is under tremendous pressure to dissociate itself from its terror programmes. But what should worry this region and the world is the possibility of Bangladesh taking over Pakistan's role in exporting terror. In Pakistan, terrorist camps were run in the name of jehad in Kashmir. In Bangladesh, pedlars of terror may try to find some other emotive issue to generate an anti-India frenzy to justify running of terrorist camps.

The Indian Home Secretary says Bangladesh has 195 North-East specific terrorist camps, while the BSF Director-General reveals that occupied Kashmir-based terrorist camps are being shifted to Bangladesh by ISI which is also opening new camps. Then there is Jamaat-e-Islami, an everlasting appendage of the ISI, which as a part of the Khaleda Zia Government, is in a commanding position to help those who stand against democracy, secularism and enlightenment. In Bangladesh, it is considered to be the patron of Harkat-ul-Jehad at Islami (HUJAI), an outfit declared by the United States as a terrorist organization with ties to pro-Al Qaeda Islamic militants in Pakistan. It receives funds from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia through Bangladesh-based NGOs. It wants Talibanisation of Bangladesh and was said to be behind the attack on Sheikh Hasina on August 21.

The attack on Sheikh Hasina had come in the wake of a spate of bomb blasts in Bangladesh. Bangla newspapers have written about an inflow of weapons for unknown people or organizations. Bangladesh has strong democratic institutions and credible judiciary. Above all, the two main political leaders-Begum Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina are thorough democrats who fought against military dictatorship. This is unfortunate that Khaleda Zia whose husband General Zia-ur-Rahman was a freedom fighter, is dependent for her political power of JEI who are known for their anti-democratic and pro-Islamic militancy. The world community must ensure that they do not become helpless watchers of the deeds of the forces that want Bangladesh to become a centre and exporter of terrorism.