http://blogs.ssrc.org/tif/2008/12/02/the-attacks-in-mumbai/ Secularism, religion, and the public sphere Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:44:04 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://blogs.ssrc.org/tif/2008/12/02/the-attacks-in-mumbai/comment-page-1/#comment-5158 Ramesh Hari Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:23:08 +0000 http://blogs.ssrc.org/tif/?p=930#comment-5158 I respect Tariq Ali for his objectivity but in this instance, I think he has allowed his Pakistani affiliation to get the better of his judgment. So far we have very little to go on apart from the testimony of the captured terrorist. He claims to be a Pakistani, trained in Rawalpindi. In the view of most intelligence experts, the operation was carried out with military precision, requiring intensive training. This is more likely to have happened in Pakistan, under the approving eyes of the ISI than in India. Great care appears to have been taken to conceal the identity of the perpetrators but the need to maintain contact with Pakistan may have let the cat out of the bag.Home grown terrorists would have had little interest in targeting foreigners or jews and would have been quick to claim responsibility and declare their cause. The name chosen by the group claiming responsibility (Deccan Mujahidin) is nothing short of a feeble attempt to cover the tracks of the real perpetrators. The fact that (despite Islamabad's protestations of innocence), America is still insisting that Pakistan takes a tough stance against terrorism is indicative that the Americans know more about who was responsible than they are willing to disclose. Come Tariq, the weight of evidence is clearly pointing at Islamic militants and Pakistan. I respect Tariq Ali for his objectivity but in this instance, I think he has allowed his Pakistani affiliation to get the better of his judgment. So far we have very little to go on apart from the testimony of the captured terrorist. He claims to be a Pakistani, trained in Rawalpindi. In the view of most intelligence experts, the operation was carried out with military precision, requiring intensive training. This is more likely to have happened in Pakistan, under the approving eyes of the ISI than in India. Great care appears to have been taken to conceal the identity of the perpetrators but the need to maintain contact with Pakistan may have let the cat out of the bag.Home grown terrorists would have had little interest in targeting foreigners or jews and would have been quick to claim responsibility and declare their cause. The name chosen by the group claiming responsibility (Deccan Mujahidin) is nothing short of a feeble attempt to cover the tracks of the real perpetrators. The fact that (despite Islamabad’s protestations of innocence), America is still insisting that Pakistan takes a tough stance against terrorism is indicative that the Americans know more about who was responsible than they are willing to disclose. Come Tariq, the weight of evidence is clearly pointing at Islamic militants and Pakistan.

]]>