Strategic Playbook continues......

The US and Indian officials believe the ‘S wing’ is responsible for many attacks in Afghanistan, particularly the ones targeting the Indian embassy and consulates. The Americans have also blamed the ‘S wing’ for a few attacks on western troops operating in Afghanistan.8 Many officials believe that it is the ‘S wing’ which coordinates between the Taliban and the Haqqanis, and helps the Taliban with recruitment and training. In 2006, for instance, the ‘S wing’ created special training camps to recruit and train new cadres for the Taliban. The training camps were run by LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). The wing also works closely with anti- India groups like LeT. Many believe that the Mumbai attack of November 2008 was the handiwork of the ‘S wing’, which also oversees all ‘black ops’ for the Pakistan Army. David Headley, a Pakistani-American who helped the ‘S wing’ to ‘task out’ potential targets in Mumbai, reportedly told his interrogators about the agency’s role in the Mumbai attacks.

There is enough evidence to suggest that when former Army Chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, was DG ISI, he was in the know that several ISI officials, forcibly retired in a purge carried out by his predecessor, Lt. Gen. Ehsan ul Haq, had returned to work for the agency as contractual employees in order to aid the Taliban network in Afghanistan and Pakistan. These re-employed ISI officials are part of the clandestine group9 or division created to pursue the Army’s two-track policy. Offices were established in private homes in Peshawar, Quetta and other cities. The group did not maintain any contact with ISI HQ in Aabpara in Islamabad or the Rawalpindi GHQs. This organisation worked more like an NGO with minimum hierarchy, casual working hours and an untraceable system of command and control. One such officer, whom the CIA tracked down was ‘General Yusef,’ who recruited and trained men to fight in Nuristan and Kunar provinces. He reported to an ISI office in Chitral and received a monthly stipend.10 The training camp, interestingly, was run by LeT.


to be continued.......