Shahzad a 'Hybrid Terrorist', who worked alone but got inspiration from Pak Taliban

Source: ANI

Washington, Jun.2 (ANI): As the US agencies continue their investigations to probe the failed Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad's links with Pakistani extremist groups, indications are that he is a "hybrid terrorist", who worked alone but derived inspiration from the Pakistan Taliban.

According to the CBS News, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is struggling with numerous leads into the botched May 1 terror plot, the probe until now clearly indicates that Shahzad primarily plotted the terror attack on his own and only took some help from others in its execution.
In one sense, Shahzad was a 'lone wolf,' with evidence suggesting that he alone bought, assembled, and delivered his botched IED. But, sources say it's also clear that he had some help, drawing inspiration, financial support and bomb training from the Pakistani Taliban, the CBS report said.
Both the Pakistani and US authorities have detained several persons for their alleged role in the bombing plot, but none of the arrests have been 'conclusively' linked to the attack.
Even the Pakistan Army Major, who was arrested for having alleged telephonic conversations with Shahzad, was released last week without any charges being levelled against him.
Many have described Shahzad's failed bombing attempt as 'amateurish', but former Central Investigation Agency (CIA) officials Phil Mudd warned that the investigation agencies should not take comfort in that tag.
"Everybody's an amateur until people die, even people who have limited training and limited access to an Al Qaeda trainer, or no access, can kill tens or hundreds," Mudd said.
The Obama administration is concerned over there being many 'radicals' like Shahzad having links with some terror organisations who aim to launch an attack against the US, the report said. (ANI)

Afghan opposition leader to boycott 'peace jirga', says its a PR exercise

Source: ANI

London, June 2 (ANI): Former Afghan Foreign Minister and now Leader of the Opposition in the Afghan Parliament, Absullah Absullah has said he will boycott the much-hyped "peace jirga" of over 1600 tribal chieftains.

Abdullah dismissed the event as a mere 'PR Exercise' and has vowed not to attend it.
Massive funds have gone into organising the jirga aimed at showcasing the government's ambitious plans, including the provision of jobs for reformed Taliban foot-soldiers.
It is set to take place at the same location as the previous Loya Jirga in 2002.
The new proposals are not likely to stir up much controversy, but the real bone of contention would be the negotiations with the Taliban militia and settlements with the insurgent chiefs.
The Taliban who have not been invited, described the meeting is a "phoney jirga" being organised to please foreign parties.
According to The Guardian, foreign officials say a broad national consensus is essential to avoid the perception that any peace deal is, in the words of one western diplomat, a "Pashtun to Pashtun stitch up".
The Pashtuns are Afghanistan's largest ethnic group that have traditionally held the most sway in Afghanistan and from which the Taliban draws much of its support.
The US embassy in Kabul said it supported a process that "seeks to bring back into society those who cease violence, break ties with al-Qaida ... and live under the Afghan constitution."
The 1,600 delegates include some 550 women, the number of which were increased after Hillary Clinton expressed concerns to Karzai that women risked being overlooked. (ANI)

Sri Lanka slams UN Human Rights chief's call for war crime inquest

Source: ANI

London, June 2 (ANI): Sri Lankan Foreign Minister GL Peiris has severely censured UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay, for persistently raking up the issue of an international inquest into alleged war-crimes committed by both the security forces and the LTTE during their confrontation that saw the demise of the insurgent group.

Pillay has stood firm on her demand for an international inquiry into the allegations despite the Sri Lankan government's reassurances that it will carry out a fair and thorough probe.
"We think that this course of action is unfair. It is even oppressive. It is as though some people will not rest until they are successful in harassing Sri Lanka," the BBC quoted Peiris, as saying.
He added that the manner in which the UN was relentlessly "pursuing Sri Lanka" was not only unfair but also "repugnant to the basic values and principles that are enshrined in the UN system".
He declared that foreign intervention is totally uncalled for and may even hamper the government's efforts.
Moreover, with most of the LTTE having been wiped out, the onus now falls almost entirely on the administration, which might face some uncomfortable questions from the international community, the report said.
"We think any foreign intervention is not only unwarranted but will be a source of hindrance, a detriment to the work of the commission as it gets under way," he said.
On Monday Pillay noted that the Sri Lankan government has now set up its own reconciliation commission but told the UN Human Rights Council that issues of accountability on the island really needed international attention. (ANI)

Ethnic and Religious Divide deepen in PoK

Source: ANI
Muzaffarabad, June 01:The identity factor has marked the political history of pakistan in the last sixty years.Much like the early colonizers, Islamabad continues to exploit the religious differences to oppress and rule occupied Kashmir and its people.

Global arms spending hits record despite downturn

Enlarge Photo South Korean Hawk surface-to-air missiles are seen at the Korean War Memorial Museum in Seoul...

Source: reuters

Worldwide military spending surged to a record $1.5 trillion last year, defying an economic downturn caused by the global financial crisis, a leading think tank said on Wednesday.

Military spending last year rose 5.9 percent in real terms compared to 2008 with the United States accounting for more than half of that increase, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in its annual report on arms spending.
"The far-reaching effects of the global financial crisis and economic recession appear to have had little impact on world military expenditure," the think tank said.
"Although the USA led the rise, it was not alone. Of those countries for which data was available, 65 percent increased their military spending in real terms in 2009."
Global gross domestic product (GDP) suffered a rare contraction last year, shrinking 0.9 percent according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, as the financial crisis sent economies across the world into recession.
SIPRI, which conducts independent research on international security, armaments and disarmament, said the rise in spending reflected the mild economic slowdown for some major purchasers, such as China, but also longer-term strategic aims.
"Many countries were increasing public spending generally in 2009, as a way of boosting demand to combat the recession. Although military spending wasn't usually a major part of the economic stimulus packages, it wasn't cut either," said Sam Perlo-Freeman, head of SIPRI's Military Expenditure Project.
"The figures also demonstrate that for major or intermediate powers such as the USA, China, Russia, India and Brazil, military spending represents a long-term strategic choice which they are willing to make even in hard economic times."
DEFICITS COULD WEIGH
U.S. military spending, burdened by huge costs for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, rose 7.7 percent in real terms to hit $661 billion, more than six times as much as China, the second biggest spender ahead of France, Britain and Russia.
But China's rise as a global military power becomes clearer when viewed over the past decade. During that period its military spending has surged 217 percent compared to a 76 percent rise for the United States and an increase of 49 percent globally.
The economic crisis severely strained public finances in many countries, not least in southern Europe, and the daunting task of cutting gaping budget deficits might hold back arms spending in the coming years, the think tank said.
"For many countries, the need to cut deficits will mean a reckoning in 2010 or 2011, in which military spending will likely be one area that comes under scrutiny for potential cuts," SIPRI said in the report.
"For others, however, this reckoning may be delayed, or may not come at all. In the USA, the Obama administration's budgets for financial years 2010 and 2011 show U.S. military spending -- boosted by the escalating conflict in Afghanistan -- continuing its seemingly inexorable rise -- crisis or no."
(Reporting by Niklas Pollard; Editing by Noah Barkin)

Will Maoists apologise again?

Source: HT

Jhargram, May 30 -- Grief turned to frustration and then to anger, with people searching for relatives who had been travelling on the ill-fated Gyaneshwari Express that derailed on Friday unable to find them. Many of them, who flocked to West Midnapore village where the crash occurred, lashed out at the government's offer of compensation.

"We don't want Rs 3 lakh compensation," said Lalit Maheshwari, from Salt Lake, Kolkata. "We will give the government Rs 5 lakh provided they find us the bodies of our loved ones.
" Preliminary investigations confirmed Maoists had sabotaged the tracks leading to the derailment and deaths. A week earlier, in Chhattisgarh, their South Bastar unit chief Ramanna had apologised for blowing up a private bus that killed 15 civilians.
Though the toll in the train tragedy touched 124 - all civilians - on Saturday, there was no apology from the Maoists this time. Kuldip Kaur of Bengal's Raniganj town spent all of Friday and Saturday circling the mangled S-4 and S-5 bogies.
Every 10 to 15 minutes, she'd run to the coaches, peep inside and return dejected. "My only son, Paramjit Singh (26), was in S-5.
He is untraceable," she said. Around 9 am, when a crane lifted the coaches from the tracks and dumped them in nearby fields, bodies fell in a heap.
Paramjit still could not identify her son. "Only the goods train engine remains, which will be removed soon.
A few more bodies could be trapped under it," said A.P. Mishra, general manager, South Eastern Railway. Mewalal Shaw, of Kolkata, searched in vain for the bodies of his children, Pawan (23) and Puneet (25), who were in S-5.
"They were going for a wedding," said a family friend. Kolkata Surendra Singh's family was also going for a wedding, to Bhilai.
"My wife and three children were in this bogie," Surendra said.

Why are the Maoists winning?

Source: HT

New Delhi, May 29 -- Last Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressed a press conference in Delhi to mark the completion of one year of his second United Progressive Alliance government. Among the questions put to the PM was one on Maoism. Had the government underestimated the threat?

"I have always been saying that Naxalism is the biggest security challenge. So it is not correct to say that we have underestimated the magnitude of the problem," Singh replied.
Four days later, 110 people died in a train crash in West Bengal. Although the Union Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee later changed her stance saying that there was was 'a political conspiracy' behind the disaster, she and Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee had both described the crash as a Maoist attack.
The biggest internal security challenge had struck again. The latest incident followed the killings of 44 people in a blast in Chhattisgarh on May 17 and the massacre of 75 CRPF and one state police man on April 6. After those incidents, a concerned Home Minister P Chidambaram had lamented his own 'limited mandate' to deal with the issue, and pointed out that the primary task of dealing with the Maoist threat lay with the states.
However, the states - and the Centre - lack the capacity to deal with the threat, says analyst and Executive Director of the Institute for Conflict Management Ajai Sahni. Nor is there unanimity even within the government and the ruling Congress party on how to deal with the situation, he points out. "There is no strategy," he says.
The existing strategy was summarised in a Ministry of Home Affairs status paper as far back as 2006. It had nine points. Primary among these were a resolve to "deal sternly with Maoists indulging in violence" and "address the problem simultaneously on political, security and development fronts in a holistic manner". Maoist violence has increased since then.
The Maoists are now better armed than ever before. Arvind Rao, former Inspector General of Intelligence for the Andhra Pradesh Police, says, "In the past 3 years there has been a loss of at least 1,000 weapons including self loading rifles." Andhra is cited as the only success story in any government's fight against Maoism so far, but that success may have been only temporary.
"They are powerful now," says Rao. A significant chunk of the Maoist leadership comes from the state. They had fanned out across the country when things got 'hot' for them in Andhra. Their involvement is suspected in major attacks including the one on the CRPF men in Dantewada. Sources say four of the Andhra alumni played a major part in planning that attack.
The Andhra 'success' may have contributed to the growth of Maoism all the way from Chhattisgarh to West Bengal. This growth is unlikely to be curbed anytime soon. The Union Home Ministry, according to the report of a parliamentary panel tabled last month, has admitted that the total strength of the security forces was "not even one tenth of what should be there". Moreover, the Maoists are fighting on their own ground.
They have been in control of the territories now being contested for more than a decade. They know the terrain, have local support, and retain the initiative for attack. Development, the second prong of the strategy, is even harder than the first. This is a point the Maoists themselves have noted.
Their spokesman Cherkuri Rajkumar aka Azad has said in the past that "the exploiting classes have absolute control over more than 90 per cent of the country's geographical area. If at all they wish to reach out to the masses with their so called reforms, who is preventing them from doing so?"
There has been only one real success story against Maoism aka Naxalism in India so far. This was in 1967, against the original Naxal movement in Bengal. An expert group set up by the Planning Commission had this to say:
The thing is, this time around, there's more water, and more fish. As Union Home Secretary GK Pillai has said, there is a long, bloody war ahead.

Illegal arms manufacturing factory unearthed, one arrested

Source: PTI 

Bulandshahr (UP), June 2 (PTI) An illegal arms manufacturing factory was today unearthed by the police at Narayanpur village in Chattari and one person was arrested. Cartridges of AK-47 assault rifle, .

315 bore guns and sixteen country made pistols were recovered from the factory, Superintendent of Police (SP), Rural, Babu Ram said. The factory was being run in the area for the last three months and the manufactured arms were being allegedly supplied to the neighbouring districts of Ghaziabad, Meerut and Aligarh, police said.
The raiding party has also seized the machinery which was being used to manufacture the illegal arms. Police has also claimed to have arrested one person in the case.

ANALYSIS - Afghanistan's neighbours stir a witches brew

Source:  reuters
Tue Jun 1, 2010 12:43pm IST

Afghan delegates register to attend the upcoming peace ''Jirga'' assembly in Kabul May 30, 2010. With the U.S. endgame in sight, Afghanistan's direct and near neighbours have stepped up efforts to undercut each other, advance strategic interests and exert influence on a negotiated settlement of the nine-year conflict.

Credit: Reuters/Ahmad Masood/Files

By Sanjeev Miglani

World

KABUL (Reuters) - When Afghan elders gather under a giant tent in Kabul for a peace jirga this week, they will have to be protected not just from militants trying to bomb the meeting from the hills above, but also insulated from a half dozen neighbours all battling for influence.
With the U.S. endgame in sight, Afghanistan's direct and near neighbours have stepped up efforts to undercut each other, advance strategic interests and exert influence on a negotiated settlement of the nine-year conflict, says Ahmed Rashid, journalist and author of "Taliban", the widely acclaimed bestseller.
There are two parallel and dangerous rivalries unfolding in Afghanistan: a proxy war between India and Pakistan that is now every bit as deadly as their 60-year duel over Kashmir, and another between Iran and the United States tied to their geopolitical tussle over a range of issues.
On top of this are the Chinese and the Russians exerting a pull on Afghanistan. China's interest is largely commercial, eyeing the country's vast untapped mineral deposits. Russia on the other hand, while shedding few tears at America's predicament, is concerned in the longer term over instability spilling into central Asia.
Of all the neighbours, Pakistan holds the highest cards in any possible deal with the Afghan Taliban to bring an end to the conflict, says Kamran Bokhari, Middle East and South Asia director at global intelligence consultancy
Its long-running ties to the group and the cross-border linkages to its own Pasthuns make it a central player. Indeed the Pakistanis don't even want Afghanistan to conduct separate negotiations with the Taliban.
"For Pakistan all roads to Kabul must go through Islamabad," says Bokhari.
Pakistan has been especially concerned about expanding Indian involvement in Afghanistan seeing it as an encircling gesture and will do everything possible to checkmate New Delhi.
At same time though, Bokhari said, a lowered Indian presence doesn't necessarily mean Pakistan's stock goes up proportionally. This is not the 1990s when Pakistan had close ties with the Taliban and everyone else was locked out of Afghanistan.
Indeed its unclear what kind of grip Pakistan has over the Afghan Taliban following the U.S. invasion in 2001 forcing Pakistan to switch sides and scale back ties to the group.
Besides Pakistan itself is now caught in the flames of extremist fire. Bokhari says its a misconception to think that Pakistan wants a Talibanised Afghanistan. "It's every bit a worry for Pakistani generals, they are fighting these forces on their side of the Durand Line."
India, on the other hand, was seriously rattled when the U.S. and NATO agreed at the January 28 London conference on Afghanistan to begin re-integrating Taliban fighters, says Rashid. Karzai went further by demanding reconciliation with the Taliban led by Mullah Mohammed Omar.
It is since trying to regain ground, reactiving links with Iran, Russia and the central Asian republics all of whom had backed the Northern Alliance against the Taliban in the 1990s.
"India sees the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda working closely with anti-Indian groups based in Pakistani Punjab, such as Laskar-e-Taiba who have begun to re-infiltrate into Indian Kashmir to restart the guerrilla war which has been dormant since 2004," said Rashid.
COMPLICATED TUSSLE
If the competition between India and Pakistan is a stumbling block in Afghanistan, the tussle between Iran and the United States is just as complicated. The Iranians, according to Bokhari, are in the middle of a high-stakes game with the United States on a range of issues and Afghanistan is tied to it.
"They are looking at Afghanistan and saying this is part of the bigger package. They are telling the Americans in back channel negotiations that if you want to leave Afghanistan you have to recognise we have a stake here just as in Iraq."
At the same time, in the shorter term, Iran's intelligence services and members of the Revolutionary Guard have been backing elements of the Taliban even though there is no love lost between Shi'ite Iran and the Sunni Taliban.
The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, told reporters over the weekend that the U.S. had evidence the insurgents were being trained inside Iran and that weapons found in Afghanistan had come from Iran.
Finally the Chinese have extended themselves into Afghanistan, eyeing its untapped mineral resources to feed its surging demand. China's involvement in Afghanistan is primarily economic and stability is key to its interests.
"Unlike the West pushing for democracy, the Chinese would rather have the Afghans choose a type of government based on local culture, customs and domestic conditions," Shanthie Mariet D'Souza, a visiting scholar at Singapore's Institute for South Asian Studies, said in a piece for Eurasia Review.
Beijing is also content to let all weather ally Pakistan lead the policy to Afghanistan, and has in the past not been overly critical of approaches to the Taliban.
(Editing by David Fox)

Lahore hospital attack reveals lack of security

Source: HT
Heavily armed terrorists dressed in police uniforms stormed a hospital in this Pakistan city late Monday to "rescue or kill" their comrade wounded in the attacks on two mosques last week. At least five people died in the attack, which revealed the lack of security at the facility, media reports on Tuesday said.
Dawn and The News said five people, including three policemen, died in the attack at the Jinnah Hospital, while the Edhi rescue service put the toll at eight. Javed Akram, the hospital's medical superintendent, said 12 people had died.
Some 10 Ahmadis and a terrorist identified as Moaz alias Amir Moavia, who were injured in the Friday attack on two mosques, were being treated in the hospital when Monday night's terror strike took place at around 11.45 pm.
Inspector General of Police Saleem Dogar told reporters at the hospital that the four attackers intended to "either rescue or kill" Moaz. Three police officers had died in the incident, he added. Two civilians, a man and a woman, were also killed while at least six people were injured.
"The most amazing part of the incident was that the attackers, who stayed in the building for over 90 minutes, managed to escape from the building which was completely cordoned off by police. Another embarrassing fact was that they reportedly escaped in a police personnel carrier," The News said.
"The attackers probably left the hospital when one of their accomplices was injured," the newspaper added.
The police gave hot chase to the attackers and intercepted them in the limits of the Hunjarwal police station. However, yet again to the police's embarrassment, the terrorists abandoned their vehicle and escaped.
Sporadic bursts of fire between the armed men and the police created panic among the patients, attendants, doctors and paramedics at the hospital.
"Chaos prevailed as people started running in different directions to save their lives. The attackers took positions at different points and started spraying bullets. Building inmates were puzzled as they were not able to distinguish between the attackers and police," The News said.
Doctors and attendants in offices and wards locked the doors from inside and refused to open them even after the arrival of the police. They said they would only open the doors when asked by a doctor known to to them.
An eyewitness Mohammad Yousaf, whose daughter Asiya was injured in firing, said that the attackers first fired shots in the hospital canteen, creating a stampede like situation. They then rushed inside the building and reached its first floor, where Moaz was being treated in the ICU. One of them came to the blood bank and started firing injuring many.
All the four attackers were bearded and were clad in white salwar kameez, another eyewitness, Ahmad, said.
Nawaz Haider, who works in hospital pharmacy, said the four reached the first floor and sprayed a volley of bullets at the policemen standing outside the ICU. Two of them then went to the fourth floor of the building where construction is underway, while the other two came to the ground floor, he added.
Heavy contingents of police and armoured vehicles were called in and they encircled the hospital building, restricting the entry of people to the hospital.
The news of the attack spread like wildfire in the city and hundreds of people rushed to the hospital to enquire about the safety of their relatives.
Women and children were the worst affected and were seen crying for help.
"The hospital administration further added insult to injury by closing the main gate of the hospital, upon which the panic-stricken people in the premises had to scale over the fence to go outside," The News said.
"The hospital administration further made the atmosphere more horrifying by switching off the lights of the entire hospital building," it added.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the attack, saying: "Such inhuman acts of brutality could only be conducted by those who neither believe in humanity"nor any religion."

Al-Qaida's third in command believed killed

Source: Drone strike took out co-founder who handled finances

AP Mustafa Abu al-Yazid is seen in an undated interview.  View related photos

Video   Top al-Qaida commander believed dead   June 1: Sheik Sa'id al-Masri, a co-founder of the terror network and third in command, is said to have been killed. Today show

NBC, msnbc.com and news services

updated 7:55 a.m. ET June 1, 2010

Al-Qaida's number three — a co-founder of the terror network — has been killed in Pakistan's border area with Afghanistan, according to a statement attributed to the group that was posted on Islamist websites Monday.

The statement did not say how Egyptian-born Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, who was also known as Sheik Sa'id al-Masri, was killed nor did it identify a successor.

Al-Yazid was al-Qaida's financial director and ran its operations in Afghanistan. It was al-Yazid who shortly before the September 11 attacks transferred several thousand dollars to Mohammed Atta, the leader of the 9/11 hijackers. 

His death has been mistakenly reported before, but this is the first time it has been acknowledged by al-Qaida, whose statement added that his wife, three of his daughters, his granddaughter and other men, women and children were killed.

One senior U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity told NBC News that al-Yazid was killed in an attack by a missile-carrying Predator drone aircraft.

Other sources told NBC's Jim Miklaszewski that the attack took place more than a week ago.  The U.S. did not want to publicize the death until al-Qaida had confirmed it, which it did Monday.

'A hand in everything'
Another official called it "a big victory" in terms of counterterrorism, describing al-Yazid as "the group's chief operating officer, with a hand in everything from finances to operational planning. He was also the organization's prime conduit to Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. He was key to al-Qaida's command and control."

"In some respects, Sheikh Sa'id's death is more important for al-Qaida operations than if bin Laden or Zawahiri was killed," said Roger Cressey, former deputy chief for counterterrorism at the National Security Council and now an NBC News consultant. "Any al-Qaida operation of any consequence would run through him."

Evan Kohlmann, who tracks al-Qaida for NBC News, added that al-Yazid "was one of the original founders of al-Qaida in 1988, and has served on the group's Shura Council since then. His death is a significant loss for al-Qaida."

A report Monday that he was bin Laden's brother-in-law was incorrect.

Egypt opens crossing with Gaza to allow humanitarian aid

Source: The Hindu

 

An activist holds an Egyptian flag and a picture of late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser while chanting anti-Israeli slogans demanding the closure of the Israeli embassy and the expulsion of the ambassador during a protest in front of the foreign ministry in Cairo on Monday. Photo: AP. 

Egpyt on Thursdsay ordered the opening of its border with the Gaza Strip to allow humanitarian and medical aid into the blockaded enclave, after Israel attacked a flotilla carrying aid for Gaza.

It will also receive injured and ill Palestinians who require to pass into Egypt for medical help.

The decision to open the border, made in an order from President Hosni Mubarak, comes after Israel lethally stormed the “Freedom Flotilla” that was carrying aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.

On Monday, Egypt summoned the Israeli ambassador in Cairo to express their condemnation of the attack that left at least 10 people killed.

Egypt closed the Gaza Strip’s borders after Hamas took control of the territory’s security forces in 2007.

It was criticized for keeping the border closed during Israel’s three—week offensive on the strip last year, which left more than 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead.

In recent months Egypt has been accused of building an underground barrier beneath the border, in a bid to cut the number of smugglers’ tunnels between Rafah and the Gaza Strip.

NIA team may interrogate Headley this week

Source: The hindu
 Vinay Kumar
NEW DELHI: Eight months after his arrest in the U.S., prospects look bright for Indian investigators to get access to David Coleman Headley (49), an American citizen of partial Pakistani descent who allegedly helped the Lashkar-e-Taiba plan and carry out the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
A team of four investigators is likely to leave for the U.S. soon to question David Headley, official sources said. The Chicago-bound team will have three officers of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and a law officer. It could get a chance to quiz David Headley next week. Sources said that some paper work of a legal nature was yet to be completed.
The sources said the team was being sent following a communication from the U.S. Justice Department that all officials concerned and Headley's lawyer would be available during the visit to facilitate access. However, the sources pointed out, it was not clear for how many hours or days the team would get direct access to Headley, lodged in a Chicago prison.
He was arrested in October last year and in March this year he pleaded guilty to a dozen federal terrorism charges, admitting that he had participated in planning the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai as well as later planning to attack a Danish newspaper.
India has been demanding direct access and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told a national press conference last week that the highest authorities in the U.S. had promised to make it possible.
In pleading guilty to all the 12 counts brought against him in December 2009 and repeated in a subsequent indictment in January, Headley admitted that he attended training camps in Pakistan operated by the LeT, a designated terrorist organisation, on five separate occasions between 2002 and 2005. In late 2005, he received instructions from three members of the Lashkar to travel to India to conduct surveillance, which he did five times leading up to the Mumbai attacks three years later that killed 166 people, including six Americans and wounded hundreds more.
Plea agreement
A written plea agreement containing a detailed recitation of Headley's participation in the foreign terrorism conspiracies was presented before a Federal Court in Chicago when he changed his plea to guilty. In the light of his past cooperation and expected future cooperation, the Attorney General has authorised the U.S. Attorney in Chicago not to seek the death penalty. He has also further agreed that he will fully and truthfully testify in any foreign judicial proceedings held in the United States by way of deposition, videoconferencing or letters rogatory.
On his links with Lashkar, it was alleged that after receiving instructions to travel to India to conduct surveillance, Headley changed his name from Daood Gilani to portray himself in India as an American who was neither Muslim nor Pakistani. In the early summer of 2006, Headley and two Lashkar members discussed opening an immigration office in Mumbai as a cover for his surveillance activities.
One of his accomplices, Tahawwur Rana, 49, also of Chicago, who was indicted in January on three counts, has pleaded not guilty and remains in federal custody while awaiting trial.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says no to tight security

Source: DNA
Bangalore: The founder of Art of Living is very clear he does not want to compromise on his freedom to mingle with ashram devotees. When talk of the need for tighter security for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar came up on Monday following a firing incident at the ashram on Sunday evening, in what has been perceived to be an attack on the Guru, he was clear that he wants no more security
“I don’t want any security. That will become like an obstacle between me and the people. The little time that I spend in India, I would like to mingle with people. That is why I don’t need any form of increased security,” he said while addressing the media at the ashram on Monday morning.
While no drastic or visible measures were taken to enhance security a few hours after the shooting incident at the ashram on Sunday, workers did report that the security personnel were more alert than usual.
Labourers who worked on the lawns and gardens of the ashram said their belongings —plastic bags carrying sickles, work clothes — were checked on Monday morning. “They usually don’t check these things. They did it only today. It was probably because of yesterday’s incident,” said a worker.
Security personnel who restrict visitors at a certain point inside the ashram, especially towards the residence of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, carry with them a list of nine people who are blacklisted and restricted from entering the ashram. “These people are not allowed in the ashram. There have been complaints against them,” a security official said.
Authorities at the ashram hint that security measures may need to be enhanced for casual visitors from the city. After Sunday evening’s incident, authorities said all the ashramites were accounted for and there was no danger to the security of the ashram from its inmates.
“There are about 800 ashramites who stay on the campus,” said a spokesperson of the ashram. “There are people who attend courses and also stay on campus for the duration of the course. These people are registered. We have their details and photographs. But no such measures or procedures are in place for tourists or people who just attend satsangs occasionally. We may have to put something in place for this set of visitors,” the spokesperson, who did not want to be identified, said.
Security officials of the ashram will be on high alert and arrangements will be made to ensure there is no room for such incidents in future, especially during visits by international delegates and devotees.
“We will arrange for more security when the international devotees come here,” the spokesperson said. “About 2,000 to 5,000 international guests visit here every year during October and November. At that time, we will have to organise more security.”
There were no official statements from the police on providing special security or increasing security cover for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

500 policemen are protecting 50 swamis in Karnataka

Source: DNA
Bangalore: Nearly 50 swamis in the state are provided police protection, it has been learnt. As many as 500 police personnel are assigned to protect the spiritual leaders, including Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
Karnataka is perhaps the only state in the country to have so many swamis requiring police protection.
“We have a long list of seers and swamijis having police security cover. The list is maintained by the VIP security section of the intelligence department, who extends police personnel as personal security officers,” director-general of police Ajai Kumar Singh said on Monday.
“Karnataka has a bigger problem or may be a complicated issue. Almost every community has several religious centres and educational institutions. It is possible that unscrupulous elements may target religious heads to create social tension,” an intelligence official said
Meanwhile, several police officers said Sunday’s incident at the AoL ashram in Kanakapura exposed the fact the Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was vulnerable to attack, despite having Y-category security.
An unidentified gunman had opened fire at the ashram in the city outskirts, injuring a disciple.
An officer with the VIP security section said religious heads preferred to have their disciples as security personnel. “The seers detest having policemen keeping watch over them,” he said, adding that the disciples might not be trained on security issues.
“The religious heads detest employing professional bodyguards due to the security-related restrictions they may impose,” he said.

One bullet, many theories, no breakthrough

Source: TOI
BANGALORE: A single gunshot fired by an unknown assailant for reasons unknown within the Art of Living campus, 30 km from Bangalore, on Sunday night, has left behind it a gigantic, unsolved muddle. While the police downplayed the firing as an 'incident', ashram inmates and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar himself said it could be the handiwork of Naxals. Union home minister P Chidambaram took the police line, saying it did not look like an attempt on the life of the guru; rather, it seemed a feud between two of his devotees.

Ravi Shankar did not sound very satisfied that an act of violence was dismissed by the police as an incident, or even that the police thought he wasn't the target. "What's the difference between an attack and an incident? There may be a communication gap between the police and the injured devotee. But the IGP was not here when the incident took place. And we were here. One can't shirk responsibility by saying such things. The police are free to express their views, but a thorough investigation is must."

Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who called on the guru Monday evening, has announced a probe. He also assured Sri Sri that his government would ensure that such incidents did not recur. However, even as BJP chief Nitin Gadkari expressed concern, Karnataka home minister V S Acharya insisted it wasn't a direct attack on Sri Sri. He thought the incident was being blown out of proportion by the media. "Frankly, it's not the government but the media that seems determined to make an event out of a non-event," he said.

This is something Ravi Shankar's followers would differ with because they believe Naxal groups could be targeting Art of Living because the guru has been active in reforming them. Saying he wasn't sure if he was the target, Sri Sri said he could not brush aside the possibility of Naxal involvement, adding, "It might have been aimed to shock or spread panic."

The ashram's administrative officer Narendra Lamba apprehended some kind of terror activity. "Guruji has tried to reform the Naxals. Hundreds of them came to the ashram and surrendered. Some Naxal groups may have considered this a threat. It may not be an attack, but an attempt to create panic," Lamba said.

The police, on their part, stuck to their premise that it wasn't an attempt on his life. DG & IGP Ajai Kumar Singh said that there was a gap of five minutes between the devotee being shot at and the Guruji leaving the venue. "As per our information, Guruji's convoy left the place five minutes earlier and Vinay, who was standing nearby, got shot in his leg," he said. Singh said the bullet was fired from a .32 mm rifle from a distance of about 750 feet and landed about 2.5 feet above the ground.

"Although the incident took place around 6.15 pm, the police were informed about it only after 9 pm. This delay has been a hindrance to the investigation. Nevertheless, investigation is on," he said. Sri Sri gets Y security and Singh said the police would review it. "We'll take a call if Guruji's security must be upgraded," he said.

But Ravi Shankar isn't keen on this. On Monday, he said he was not for ramping up his cover to Z. "I am frequently abroad. But when I am in India, I want to be among the people. Security may come in the way," he said.

SOS from Manipur

Source: IE
If the Northeast has occupied the farthest nook of mainland India’s consciousness, the state of Manipur has been given the tiniest toehold on that nook. That is why the rest of the nation, as a rule, doesn’t think of the eight states (including Sikkim) beyond the chicken’s neck, except for news of death and gore. But gory news is largely and thankfully past, and tales from the Northeast, except about Chinese eyes on Arunachal, hardly arrest our attention. Imagine then Manipur, compromised by geography and demographics, located literally at the farthest end of the Union and fractured by ethnic divisions. Imagine this state, covering the last stretches of two national highways — the NH 39 and NH 53 — and those two blockaded, with the population deprived of everyday essentials. (The third, NH 150, is so roundabout that nobody ever wants to use it for supplies.) The trouble had begun with the state government’s decision to hold district council polls, including in the Naga-dominated districts; it came to a crisis with Manipur’s refusal to let National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) leader Thuingaleng Muivah visit his ancestral village in Ukhrul. When NH 39, Manipur’s lifeline, was blockaded by Nagas first on April 11, Manipuris believed that, as always, a settlement would be reached soon. It is still on and people are paying as much as Rs 150 for a litre of petrol or nearly Rs 2000 for an LPG cylinder in the blackmarket. The diversion of some trucks through the longer and less-preferred NH 53 brought in under escort some supplies a few days ago; but with counter-blockades threatened to block goods from the Imphal valley to the Naga hills, Manipur’s crisis could jeopardise the Northeast.
The Centre must act to rescue the crippled state and prevent an escalation of the confrontationist attitudes into a full confrontation. Manipur being blocked out does not evoke an automatic response because of the zero impact it has on the rest of the country. That unconcern is inhuman. Moreover, the political basis of the trouble must be resolved for a permanent peace in the region, and that cannot happen unless the Centre settles with the NSCN and brings them into the mainstream.

US tries to show India it cares

 Source: AP
By FOSTER KLUG (AP) – 4 hours ago
WASHINGTON — Terrorism and climate change will top discussions at high-level U.S.-India meetings this week. But the real diplomatic test will be whether the United States can ease India's hurt feelings.
Nearly a year and a half into Barack Obama's presidency, Indians still worry their country is taking a back seat to rivals China and Pakistan in U.S. foreign policy priorities.
The United States cares about New Delhi's feelings because India is an important player in many of the global issues the United States wants solved. The nuclear-armed country is seen as crucial to the U.S.-led fight against extremists in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as a counterweight to powerful China and as a big part of settling world trade and climate change deals.
And so, in the latest in a string of attempts to show India it cares, the Obama administration will hold the inaugural U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue from Tuesday through Friday. If India's skeptical reaction after past meetings with U.S. officials is any gauge, U.S. diplomats will have their work cut out for them.
Even before his inauguration, Obama faced big expectations in India, where his predecessor, former President George W. Bush, was celebrated for overseeing the transformation of what had long been a tense relationship. Bush shepherded a landmark accord to share civilian nuclear energy with formerly shunned India, making it the cornerstone of a new strategic relationship.
Without a high-profile initiative for Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to pursue, however, and with difficult economic and domestic issues consuming both governments, a malaise has set in, and Indians have raised alarms that their country's profile has slipped.
Lalit Mansingh, a former Indian ambassador to the United States, said that even with all the countries' links, "this doubt still persists as to whether the Americans are taking India seriously as a global player."
India's powerful economy, vibrant democracy and political, cultural and historical importance in South Asia make it a natural partner for the United States, something Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will likely try to hammer home when she plays host to Indian Foreign Minister Sri S. M. Krishna and other senior officials at the State Department.
Obama signaled India's importance when he welcomed Singh to the White House in the first state visit of his presidency. Clinton visited India in July. Obama plans a trip later this year, and on Friday he called Singh to preview this week's meetings.
Ashley J. Tellis, who advised the Bush administration on the nuclear deal, said this week's talks are a chance to make a "dent in this veil of pessimism that seems to have descended on the bilateral relationship, especially in India."
Still, despite the cooperation, meetings and visits, India wants more from Washington, including stronger pressure on Pakistan to fight terrorists.
A possible sticking point this week could be the case of David Coleman Headley, an American citizen who has pleaded guilty to scouting Mumbai before the deadly 2008 terrorist attacks that New Delhi blamed on Pakistani militants. Robert Blake, the top U.S. diplomat for South Asia, said Friday the countries are cooperating, but he wouldn't discuss whether the United States will let India interview Headley.
Associated Press Writer Muneeza Naqvi contributed to this report from New Delhi.