Lashkar messages intercepted; Pak bid to disrupt elections

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Lashkar messages intercepted; Pak bid to disrupt elections

Posted on 27 March 2009 by ashok

As many as five conversations between militants belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and their handlers in Pakistan, intercepted by Indian intelligence agencies, indicate a serious bid by the ISI to disrupt the general election and target Indian leaders during campaigning, Indian newspaper The Tribune said

Intercepts of LeT’s chatter made available to The Tribune clearly indicate the looming threat. One of the handlers is heard telling a militant, ” Janaab, public meeting se achcha koi mauka nahin hoga. Aap wahan jaa kei kaam kariye. Saara make-up aapko diya jayega ( There will not be a better opportunity than at public meetings. Go and carry out the work there. All equipment and explosives required will be supplied to you).

The Union Home Minister Mr P Chidambaram, who has already been briefed by intelligence agencies, has also deputed the DIB, Mr P C Haldar to brief the Election Commission.

” It is now obvious that Pakistan will go to any extent to ensure that our elections will be disrupted. It will be naïve to expect anything else.”

Contrary to Pakistan’s oft-repeated claims of curbing terror outfits and, more specifically, pulling the plug on LeT, the intercepts indicate they are actually alive and kicking. LeT, sources said, is clearly quite potent and plotting to create havoc in India.

ISI’s strategic financing of LeT is said to have increased by over 50% during the last two months, apparently to unleash violence and mayhem in India during the run-up to the election.

LeT has also been given a hit-list of high-profile Indian leaders such as Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and BJP leaders like L K Advani and Narendra Modi. Two of the intercepts specifically refer to these leaders.

“We have shared the intercepts with the FBI and apart from taking our own precautions, we hope Americans drive some words of wisdom to Pakistan,” said the sources.

According to other media reports, the LeT is planning to shift the focus of its activities from Kashmir to Rajasthan and Punjab.

A senior home ministry official said, “The LeT, which lost 17 of its cadre in an encounter with Army in Hafruda forest area of Kupwara district in J&K in the past few days, may try to push in its men through the fenced border – the way it did in Kanachak in Jammu sector last year. Their plan is to send small batch of jihadis for quick action in Rajasthan and Punjab, instead of focusing only on the Kashmir Valley.”

In the backdrop of such inputs, Home Minister P Chidambaram, who was accompanied by BSF chief M L Kumawat during his visit to K K Barrier post in Ferozepur sector in Punjab and Satpal post in Bikaner in Rajasthan, assured the BSF that the government would not divert any personnel from border duties as threats on these fronts had gone up substantially in the run-up to polls.

The Home Minister, at the same time, asked BSF to take immediate care of areas where the border fencing was found to be in poor condition. He advised the force to deploy more personnel on such locations and asked it to quickly complete repair works and replacement of non-working floodlights.

The heightened vigil on the western border, in the wake of recent inputs will, however, not affect the BSF’s current level of deployment along the Indo-Bangladesh border.

The official said, “The eastern border has, of late, thrown a different challenge following the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny. The BSF was already on alert mode due to the volatile situation across the border. Absence of any resistance to infiltrators from that side has made the task tough.”

The issue will be taken up with Bangladesh when new BDR chief Brigadier General Moinul Islam comes to India for a three-day talks with BSF, beginning on March 30. Besides infiltration, smuggling and narcotics trade will also come up for discussion.