An eye opener on Pakistan's terrorist arm

There is no book quire like The Caliphate's Soldiers: The Lukbare-Taiba's Lo11g UVr11; says Ashley J. Tellis o f this senunal work by Indian strategic expert Wilson J o hn. He could oo c have been more on di e spot. This gripping book should be made a must read globally, including in Pakistan, where the terrorist outfit, J oh n tells us, has en joyed the active support of civil society as well as military and intelligence agencies.

John debunks the theory d1at LeT, which carried out the audacious and murderous Mumbai terrorist attack in 2008, is a socalled non-state actor. Ir may be so b ut o nly in name. For all practical purposes, this is an ex tended arm of the Paki stani stare , enjoying the strong backing of Inter-Services Intelligence (IS I), wid1 deep roots i n Punjab, the country's po litical and military heartland. I t is silly to dunk that IS1 officers in league w ith LeT are ''rogues".

"The y are ail 'regular' officers pretending ro be 'rogues"'

No wonder that trainers in LeT camps are retired or serving military personnel.

The book proyjdes a comprehe n sive insight into LeT, covering a w id e sweep - fron_1 i ts birth ro ballooning g rowth , close ties witb I s lamabad/Rawalpindi, i ts vase terrorist prodL1cing factories, g lo bal threat and links wich Al Qaeda, its sleeper agents, as well as its colossal cadre and financial stre ngth.

Based on bo th pub lished litera ture and other docw1ienrs, John estimates that LeT has trained sinc e the late 1990s a staggering half a nullion men and women ro carry out an armed struggle. Of this, about 50,000, comparab le to an army divisio n, are on active duty while chc others act as reserves, ready to fight for Pakistan, i f need be, against India.

Until recently, there bas been considerable amb igui t y and ign orance in the 'est about LeT. The perception began ro change from d1e ti me US commandos raided Pakista n and shot dead Osama bin Laden, exposing, as n ever be fore, the duplicitous relationship the Pakistani state has bad widi the US (while taking its money) and cbe I slami srs, in cluding Al Qaeda. So although LeT trained its eyes and guns on Ind ia, it is ''not dr iven by any domestic agenda o r grievances but a broader I slamisr o ne o f establishing an Is lamic Cali phate throug h jehad"

\'<That do yo u do with a terrorist g roup chat has t he backing o f a state wedded to terrorism as an instrument of state policy, an ourfi r which ar o ne point had about 2,500 offices in Pakistan, has opera ted in 22 countries, shown capabilities comparable ocly to state -backed i ntelligence agencies, and which has provided training co a large number of foreigners ranging fro m Chechens and Ozbeks to Germans, Br irons and French to Algerians, Indonesians, Banglades his, Afghans and Indians?

John answers the question without mincin g word s : the threat posed by LeT ro peace and stability in the world has neve r been mote serious than now. And he makes ano d1er, related point: LeT needs to be destroyed. Now!

M.R Narayan Swamy

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