Global Terror Infrastructure and Implications for India continues...

6. The criminal dons and drug smugglers too find the proposal attractive because it gives them an opportunity to collaborate with aspirants of political power (terrorists) and thereby gives them access to politics in due course of time. The criminalization of politics is the result of the same nexus.

7. The Pakistani Drug Syndicate runs a parallel economy in connivance with political and military establishments to destabilize India. According to the UN Report, Pakistan’s heroin industry in terms of turnover is estimated at approximately Rs. 154 billion, i.e. 6 per cent of it’s GDP of 2002-03, which is 20-25 per cent of the total estimated shadow economy. It also reported that Pakistan earned US $3.5 billion from export of heroin in 2002.

General Zia’s involvement in drug trafficking came to light only after his death when the Minister of State for Narcotics, Mian Muzaffar Shah, revealed that Pakistani drug syndicates grew under the patronage of General Zia. Raza Qureshi, a Pakistan drug trafficker, who was arrested by the Norwegian Police at Oslo’s Fornebu Airport in 1984, exposed Zia’s drug connection. The Norwegian Police disclosed three names of Pakistani nationals—Tahir Butt, Munawar Hussain and Hamid Hussam patronized by General Zia. The Norwegian Police visited Islamabad to investigate the matter and indicted these three for drug crimes. But the Pakistan Government did not arrest them because of their political connections. Finally, when the Norwegian Government complained against inaction by the law enforcement agencies and threatened diplomatic action, these three were arrested.

One of the culprits, Hamid Hussain, was not only the vice-president of Government-owned Habib Bank, but was as close as a son to the wife of General Zia ul Haq. According to one reliable report, he had handled Zia’s account, and had used banking channels to launder drug proceeds. The most chilling revelation confirming Zia’s drug connection was the case of one of his ADCs, whose name was not disclosed. The ADC concealed heroin in 100 precious lamps to be gifted by General Zia to the delegates at a special session of the UN General Assembly.

to be continued...