LAHORE: “The Fluttering Flag of Jehad”, a sensational book by senior Pakistani journalist Amir Mir, has hit the news stands, saying that seven years after the 9/11 terror attacks that shook the entire world, Pakistan, despite being an ally in the US-led war on terror in all those years, still reverberates with the call of jehad.
Authored by Amir Mir and Published by the Mashaal Books, the 310-page books states that the flag of militant Islam keeps fluttering high more alarmingly even than usual, with extremist jehadis literally marching on the state. The book takes off with the tragic assassination of the PPP leader Ms. Benazir Bhutto and raises the pertinent question as to who actually orchestrated her murder and why? The writer then states that Ms Benazir herself was convinced that the most serious attempt on her life, carried out on Oct 18, 2007 on her welcome rally in Karachi could not have been possible without the consent of President Pervez Musharraf. And she had herself stated in so many words that the General should be held responsible if she is killed. On November 13, 2007, hardly a few weeks before her murder, Ms. Bhutto told the writer in a one-on-one meeting in Lahore that the Karachi suicide attack could not have been possible without Musharraf’s nod and the connivance of the intelligence agencies.
As the book moves forward, the writer discusses one by one the suspects in the Bhutto murder and states that the haste with which the Musharraf regime had proceeded against Baitullah Mehsud to establish him as the Bhutto killer, gave an impression as if he was being made a scapegoat to hush up one of the most high profile murder cases. “In the shadowy world of the numerous jehadi groups, rebel elements of Pakistani military and intelligence establishment and rival politicians who hated Ms. Benazir, Baitullah registered more clearly in the public eye. Therefore, the Musharraf administration deemed it convenient to lay the blame squarely on Baitullah Mehsud, especially when he has already grown in strength and stature and become such a public figure in the global war on terrorism”, the writer states.
The book then discusses the possibility of the involvement of the ameer of the ISI-linked Harkatul Jehadul Islami (HUJI) Qari Saifullah Akhtar in the Bhutto murder, stating that he was named by the slain PPP leader in her posthumous book as a principal suspect in the failed attempt to kill her in Karachi on October 18, 2007 a few hours after her return home from exile. Although no one is sure if there was a link between the release of Qari Saifullah Akhtar and the murder of Bhutto, the writer says, there are those in the PPP who ask as to how and why an al-Qaeda linked dreaded terrorist having known links with the Taliban militia who was deported from the UAE on charge of masterminding December 2003 suicide attacks on Musharraf in the garrison town of Rawalpindi was set free by the intelligence agencies after keeping him behind bars for three years, shortly before Benazir’s homecoming.
The book then takes stock of the bloody Lal Masjid Operation in the heart of Islamabad, stating that there are many in the Pakistani intelligence establishment who believe the whole episode was stage-managed to boost General Musharraf’s sagging global image as the most trusted ally of the US in its war against terror. “Although Musharraf had been verbally advocating enlightened moderation since the 9/11 terror attacks, the Lal Masjid episode made it clear that the General had actually been responsible for systematically expanding the sphere and influence of radical Islamist elements in national politics, and that too at the cost of mainstream democratic political parties, especially the Pakistan Peoples Party led by Bhutto and the Pakistan Muslim League led by Sharif”, the writer states.
The writer states although there was a Pakistani decision to align with the West after the 9/11 attacks and to cut ties with the Islamic militants in Afghanistan and in Kashmir, the truth is that the infrastructure of terrorism built during the last two decades has not been allowed to be dismantled. This has happened due to the continued domination of the all-powerful intelligence establishment and also because of the use of terrorism as an instrument of foreign policy which has not been abandoned by the establishment despite repeated promises. The book adds that although Islamabad’s support has been critical in the arrest of over 600 fugitive al-Qaeda and Taliban members, the lack of political stability in Pakistan has bolstered the religious parties and their like-minded elements in the establishment to continue their covert support for the followers of Osama who are waging jehad in Afghanistan and Kashmir.
Besides penning down reasons for the Islamisation of the Pakistani cricket team, the writer has explored the present state of the religious seminaries across Pakistan, stating that they are still being used as breeding grounds for terrorists despite repeated counter-claims by the rulers. The book states that seven years after having carried out the deadly 9/11 terror attacks, al-Qaeda remains a potent threat since it keeps thriving in the tribal areas of Pakistan by establishing an effective modus operandi that increasingly exploits its local affiliates to carry on the global jehadi agenda of the Osama-led terror outfit.
About the Taliban, the book states that the American military might, from daisy-cutter bombs to high-tech weaponry, has apparently failed to smoke out the Taliban who are gradually increasing their influence and sway in most parts of Afghanistan and have already fixed the 2010 deadline for a complete takeover of the war torn country. The writer then discusses the possible whereabouts of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, the Taliban ameer Mullah Mohammad Omar and Dr Ayman Al Zawahiri, in the wake of the American and Afghan authorities’ allegations that they are still hiding somewhere in Pakistan.
The writer then discusses as to why the Americans keep questioning Pakistan’s role in terror war on terror. He maintains that seven years after the 9/11 attacks, Pakistan’s cooperation on terrorism continues to be questioned by international community, primarily because Musharraf kept performing a balancing act on international and domestic fronts during all those years: cooperating with the West on one hand while on the other going soft on the al-Qaeda and the Taliban–linked militants back home. The writer maintains that the root of the problem is the ambivalence of the Pakistani establishment vis-à-vis Islamic militants, as well as their failure to stop using extremism and violence as an instrument of state policy.
The writer adds that as things stand, the religious and sectarian wars are not only being exported to other countries, they are being fought on the local turf as well, thus threatening the very society that sustains them. As a result, highly-disciplined and motivated Islamic militant groups continue to operate in almost every neighbourhood of Pakistan, giving rise to the deadly phenomenon of suicide bombings. “With the avowed aim of purging the land of the pure of the forces of the infidel, the new breed of highly trained and extremely motivated suicide bombers strike not only Western and American targets, but the Pakistani security agencies also, especially the army and the police, which spearhead the ongoing American war against terror in the country”, the writer adds.
Amir Mir, the former editor of Weekly Independent, is among Pakistan’s foremost investigative journalists whose insightful writings on Islamic militant groups and their links with the country’s powerful military and intelligence establishment have repeatedly drawn the ire of the Musharraf regime. Amir Mir had earlier authored a 360-page book, “The True Face of Jehadis”, published by Mashal Books in 2006. The Indian edition of the book was published by the New Delhi-based Roli Books the same year while the Japanese edition of the book was published in 2008 by the Tokyo-based English Agency.
Mir had co-authored another book – “Most Wanted: Profiles of Terror”– published by the Roli Books in 2002, besides writing foreword to “A to Z of Jehadi Organizations”, an insightful book on the subject of militant Islam, published by the Mashal Books in 2004. Mir had won the prestigious All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) Award in the category of ‘The Best Investigative Journalist’ of the country for the year 2006. However, as a matter of principle, he refused to receive the APNS Award from President General Musharraf, the chief guest at the ceremony, saying, receiving the Award from a military dictator would add a twinge of disgrace to the spirit of the worthy APNS souvenir. Amir Mir is currently affiliated with The News, Lahore as Deputy Editor.
The Fluttering Flag of Jehad in PakistanAfter reading this artical one feels Mir Sadiq and Mir Jaffer are still alive in the person of Amir Mir. If you see the list of his writings you can well understand the motive of Amir Mir. I don’t understand why Musharraf put his name in the list of awardies.Rather such writers are born to be hanged. I think by now Musharraf would have been cursing himself. Did any one thought why the Indians are so eager to publish his work? My advise to every Pakistani is not to purchase his book. As each… Read more »