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    Return of the Empire: ISI strikes back

    Synopsis

    With the USA implementing an exit strategy from Afghanistan the ISI has sensed an opportunity. However, what will haunt ISI is recent protests by families of students martyred during the Army Public School massacre against escape of former Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan.

    isis-gettyGetty Images
    ISI is allegedly taking advantage of global fight against pandemic and eliminating political dissidents, according to Pakistan watchers.
    New Delhi: The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) whose activities are not just confined to territory of Pakistan is making a comeback without much fanfare but its usual denial and deception strategy -- Ehsanullah Ehsan case being a hallmark of that strategy.

    With the USA implementing an exit strategy from Afghanistan the ISI has sensed an opportunity. However, what will haunt ISI is recent protests by families of students martyred during the Army Public School massacre against escape of former Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan. On December 16, 2014, armed terrorists broke into APS building in Peshawar, killing more than 140 people, most of them children. The massacre, which was claimed by the TTP.
    News of Ehsan's escape surfaced when a short audio message, allegedly from the former militant spokesman disclosed that on January 11, 2020, he had managed to escape from the “custody of the Pakistani security authorities”. Notwithstanding his latest claim of being in Turkey, some sources believe the former TTP spokesman is hiding within Pakistan allegedly with support from Pakistan’s spy agency. This is a class case of deception.

    ISI had initially staged arrest of Ehsan and reportedly signed a deal with him for a monthly stipend in exchange for information, ET has reliably learnt. The information gathered from Ehsan was used to kill several rogue TTP leaders. Ehsan was also utilised to build propaganda against India.

    ISI’s long arm is visible in every aspect of Pakistani polity and society and in its immediate neighbourhood. The prospects of Taliban returning to power in Kabul have made ISI excited to regain strategic depth in the region. In fact signing of agreement on Feb 29 2020 was a momentous occasion for ISI. An unstable Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s interests because it guarantees Pakistan a place at the negotiating table. Taliban has been used as a bargaining chip by Islamabad for past two and a half decades.

    ISI’s footprints are evident in every plan hatched by Taliban. Taliban’s two deputy emirs and the head of its political office recently showered praises on suicide bombers and other “martyrdom seekers” working to achieve the goal of the restoration of the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”. An Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan brings memories of Taliban rule of 1996-2001, darkest period in Afghan history.

    The senior Taliban leaders sang the praises of suicide bombers the same day that U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation told reporters that the Taliban can be relied upon as an effective counterterrorism partner, according to a report in the Long War Journal. Taliban continues to maintain links with Al-Qaeda.

    The Islamic State in Afghanistan is nothing but a creation of ISI. It created Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) a namesake of ISIS. It pooled disaffected sections of TTP and made it ISKP but gave it a different colour for publicity purpose to misguide some powers, ET has reliably learnt. By creating ISKP and positioning it against Taliban was a win-win for the ISI. It managed to first prevail over the global powers that Taliban is a lesser evil than the IS and hence a peace deal with Taliban is a surety against the IS. With the deal signed with the Taliban, Pakistan is now assured of a free hand in dealing with the proxies.

    According to Antonio Giustozzi, a counter-terror expert, the ISIS split into two factions – one faction led by Ustad Moawya and another faction led by Aslam Faroqqi. According to the scholar, one of the reasons for the split was the belief that Faroqqi and his men were mainly Pakistani and handled by ISI. Afghanistan National Department of Security (NDS) maintains in fact, that Faroqqi has links with LeT, TTP, Taliban, and the Haqqanis. US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzaad unfortunately is ignoring these ground realities.

    Meanwhile Pakistan-based American blogger Cynthia Ritchie who has levelled allegations against Benazir Bhutto, former Interior Minister Rehman Malik from PPP is an ISI conduit. Ritchie’s first documented visit to Pakistan was in October 2009 and she is believed to have obtained a visit visa from Pakistan’s consulate general in Houston. Interestingly she met MQM leaders in her maiden trip to Pakistan. Ritchie began getting social media fame in 2016 when people started sharing her photos cycling on the streets of Pakistan and mingling with ordinary citizens.

    ISI is allegedly taking advantage of global fight against pandemic and eliminating political dissidents, according to Pakistan watchers. The list includes Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain in Sweden and Arif Wazir of the PTM in Waziristan.

    A day after missing Baloch journalist Hussain’s body was found in Sweden in mysterious circumstances, Arif Wazir, a leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) was shot dead by unidentified armed persons outside his home in Wana, South Waziristan.

    PTM has been critical of the state's policies in the country's tribal belt, where a massive operation against terrorists was conducted in recent times leading to large-scale displacement and enforced disappearances. Ever since it was founded in 2018, the PTM has organised regular demonstrations against Pakistan Army's heavy-handed operations in tribal regions. ISI was behind these murders including in Sweden which has witnessed a political murder of Pakistani national for the first time.

    In Kashmir ‘The Resistance Front’ (TRF) has reportedly been created by ISI to give Pakistan deniability from action under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and is an amalgamation of existing terror groups operating in Kashmir. The Resistance Front, which is owning up terror attacks in Kashmir, is an offshoot of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba and is also associated with other terror outfits such as Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed. Its twitter handles are being run from Pakistan.


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