A Blog Reporting on Reports, Conjecture,and Opinions on International Affairs

Monday, November 30, 2009

Pakistan Blotter: "This was Just a Trailer"

A gunman shot at the house of an outspoken journalist in suburban Islamabad over the weekend. The journalist, who runs a column for the Pakistani daily the Dawn, has been very critical of the Pakistani Army's Intelligence Services (ISI). The intriguing piece of this incident was that on the next day Kamran Shafi, received an ominous phone call from a woman who said that this "was just a trailer" and that he would see the whole movie if he did not behave. He blamed the attack squarely on the ISI. NYT

If one has watched HBO's Terror in Mumbai, that quote should sound familiar. By the end of it, we were warned that the Mumbai attacks was just the trailer and movie is coming. The Indian government and most people in counterterrorism have accused the Pakistani based Lashkar e Toiba; a known terrorist group historically fighting India's rule of Kashmir. The group, guided into existence by the ISI, had its links severed by the military after 9/11 whilst it grew to closer al Qaeda. It shifted its target from focusing solely on India to a more global jihad ( in Mumbai they also went after Jews and Westerners).

The disturbing thing about the above referenced quote is that it may show the ties between the ISI and the Lashkar e Toiba. In fact a few members of the Pakistani military were arrested by the Pakistani government for allegedly playing a role in the attacks. (Long War Journal) At the same time this is not anything new but just a reminder of the ISI's role in impeding the War on Terror. It plays the wild card in the favor of al Qaeda, and the Taliban and that its role should not be forgotten.