We will plant the 'Flag of Islam' in Washington, Tel Aviv and New Delhi - Lashkar-e-Toiba

Mumbai attacks have again brought into light one of the deadliest organizations history has known.
How much do you know about Lashkar-e-Toiba? Get your scope refreshed.

Formed in 1990 in the Kunar province of Afghanistan, the Lashkar-e-Toiba (also known as Jama’at-ud-Da’awa) is based in Muridke near Lahore in Pakistan and is headed by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed.Its first presence in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) was recorded in 1993 when 12 Pakistani and Afghan mercenaries infiltrated across the Line of Control (LoC) in tandem with the Islami Inquilabi Mahaz, a terrorist outfit then active in the Poonch district of J&K.

1. Proscription
The LeT is outlawed in India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.It was included in the Terrorist Exclusion List by the US Government on December 5, 2001.The group was proscribed by the United Nations in May 2005.The military regime of Gen. Pervez Musharraf banned the Lashkar-e-Toiba in Pakistan on January 12, 2002.

2. Objectives/Ideology

The LeT’s professed ideology goes beyond merely challenging India's sovereignty over the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The Lashkar's ‘agenda’, as outlined in a pamphlet titled Why are we waging jihad includes the restoration of Islamic rule over all parts of India.

Hafiz Saeed,a scholar of Islam said during the All Pakistan Ulema Convention held on July 17, 2003, at Lahore,Jihad is the only way Pakistan can move towards dignity and prosperity.The LeT has consistently advocated the use of force and vowed that it would plant the 'flag of Islam' in Washington, Tel Aviv and New Delhi.

3. Area of Operation

The LeT has been able to network with several Islamist extremist organizations across India, especially in J&K, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat. LeT is actively engaged in subversive activities in the States of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, Hyderabad, Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh at the instance of ISI to expand the frontier of violence outside J&K by subverting fringe elements.The LeT, according to Mumbai Police, carried out the 7/11 serial bombings in Mumbai in which at least 200 people were killed.

4. Centres

The Lashkar-e-Toiba has training camps spread across Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Its camps, recruitment centres/offices are spread across the length and breadth of Pakistan and PoK in Muzaffarabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Multan, Quetta, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gilgit (in the Northern Area of PoK), etc. LeT reportedly has 2,200 offices across Pakistan.

5. Training and Operational Strategies

The outfit provides training to both militant cadres and the Ulema (religious scholars). Its militant cadres are given two months training in the handling of AK series rifles, LMGs, pistols, rocket launchers and hand grenades. It also provides a 21-day training programme called Daura-e-Aam and a three months specialized training programme called Daura-e-Khas.

The Ulema are provided with a 42-days course. At the time of induction, the young recruits are made to go through a fresher course called Bait-ur-Rizwan.

6. Links

It is closely linked to the Inter-Services Intelligence, the Taliban and al Qaeda.LeT has an extensive network that run across Pakistan and India with branches in Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Bangladesh and South East Asia. The LeT maintains ties to various religious/military groups around the world, ranging from the Philippines to the Middle East and Chechnya primarily through the al Qaeda fraternal network.The LeT has also been part of the Bosnian campaign against the Serbs.
It has allegedly set up sleeper cells in the U.S. and Australia, trained terrorists from other countries and has entered new theatres of Jihad like Iraq.The group has links with many international Islamist terrorist groups like the Ikhwan-ul-Musalmeen of Egypt and other Arab groups.

7. Weaponary
AK series rifles, LMG/HMG's, Hand Grenades, Rockets, Pistols, Mortars, Anti-tank mines, Anti personnel mines, Anti Aircraft Gun, Remote Control Device, explosive devices and sophisticated communication system.

Source: South Asia Terror Portal

Whose Kashmir is it anyway??

What will the world remember 17th Nov 2008 for?
Yuvi's century? Citigroup crash? anything else?

What happened on 17th Nov deserves a new chapter in the book on history of a political dispute which a billion have rued over for 61 years now. It was on this day that the first phase of Legislative Assemble Elections were held in Kashmir. If it hasn't hit you yet, look at these figures

Voter turnout for Elections

	2002	2008
Bandipura	44	57
Gurez	76	74
Sonawari	42	46
Mendhar	78	73
Poonch	74	73
Surankot	70	68

Does that ring bells??
Bandipura is a region where temperature falls below 0 in this season and yet the turnout was as much as 57%, way more than what it was in 2002 when the valley was silenced with tensions of a nuclear war.

Separatists have always maintained that people of Kashmir should be allowed to decide which country they want to belong. And if that was not enough they called for a boycott of these Elections week ago. Repeating the same story of 1947 when both countries had agreed that the rulers of princely states would be given the right to opt for either Pakistan or India. In 1947, Kashmir's population was 77 per cent Muslim and it shared a boundary with Pakistan. Hence, it was anticipated that the Maharaja would accede to Pakistan, when the British paramountcy ended on 14-15 August. When he hesitated to do this, Pakistan launched a guerilla onslaught meant to frighten its ruler into submission. Instead the Maharaja appealed to Mountbatten for assistance, and the Governor-General agreed on the condition that the ruler accede to India. Once the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession, which included a clause added by Mountbatten asking that the wishes of the Kashmiri people be taken into account, Indian soldiers entered Kashmir and drove the Pakistani-sponsored irregulars from all but a small section of the state, giving seperatists and Pakistanis a point that people of Kashmir were not given any chance to exercise their option to chose between India and Pakistan.

I hope it does ring Bells now.
Had the people of Kashmir not wanted to be with India, would they turnout in these numbers to exercise this constitutional right provided by the Secular State of India?

I can't resist mentioning the idea of BJP which they used in 2004 general elections although they lost then, they said
"Kashmir has always belonged to India and will continue to be Indian".
It is only today that it has been sealed by people of Kashmir themselves.

I am back

I received an sms from a friend who is doing BDS and is going to be a doc soon. She says,
"Things will change: From Classroom to clinic, From books to seminars, From Jeans to formals, From Pocket Money to Salaries, From girlfriend to wife, What will not change is yaara di yaari"

Been off for eight months.. big deal?
To my satisfaction, these eight months were the most deserving of a leave than all others in my life, since the day I started blogging. Justified is the cockiness in my words because these eight months have brought all the good changes mentioned in this sms, in my life.
"...All the good changes...!!!"
Well I was lucky enough to get into a gaming company ( Ivy Comptech) where people are so hard working and fun loving -at the same time, nobody is expected to be dressed in formals. And I was lucky enough for having a sister who is only an year older to me, that everybody talks about her wedding and I have had a sparing from those talks for atleast an year.
So things haven't changed from Jeans to Formals and wont change from Girlfriend to Wife hopefully for another 3-4 years ( I will buy the next 2 years with an MS seat, if I am lucky enough).

I am falling in love with Hyderabad, house on rent is not too costly, conveyance is cheap, language is not much of an issue and everybody accepts my debit card :P.Nonetheless, I am missing my college days, most of all the affairs, final year jitters and friends. Last day in college was tough, learned a hell lot during the first few months of work and now everybody is supposed to push for that extra effort that will distinguish them from the crowd.
I'l blog frequently now (that's the plan)