Captured Terrorist Embarasses Pakistan's ISI
Karachi, 9 Jan. (AKI) - (Syed Saleem Shahzad) - The news of the detention by Pakistani authorities of Ghulam Mustafa, a man once close to Osama bin Laden but also sponsored by the Pakistani intelligence services, is getting more and more embarrassing for Islamabad. When it emerged on 4 January that Mustafa, 38, was in custody, the security forces tried to down play his importance, linking him to the sectarian Sunni Muslim group Lashkar-i-Jhangvi. Adnkronos International (AKI) has learnt he never belonged to this shadowy group, but was a paid up member of al-Badr, run by the Pakistani secret services to keep the indigenous guerilla movements in Kashmir under its own control.
It was Ghulam Mustafa’s closeness to the establishment which prevented the government from making an announcement of his capture. Only after Adnkronos International (AKI) broke the story, was it forced to announce the arrest which had not been passed on to Pakistan's 'war on terrror' ally, Washington. Yet several weeks on, the man considered the head of al-Qaeda's Pakistani operations has still not been charged and is believed held at a secret location.
Ghulam Mustafa was never a member of an anti-establishment, shadowy organization Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, AKI has learnt, but instead a completely pro-establishment organization al-Badr. This was set up by the Pakistani secret service ISI to try to break the influence of Kashmiri indigenous armed liberation movements, like Hizb ul Mujahadeen, and to keep the control of insurgency in Kashmir.
Ghulam Mustafa's lawyer, Chaudhary Mohammad Farooq, told AKI that his client's only 'crime' was that he was a good Muslim and that he had no ties at all with the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi.
He was released from Adyala Jail on Sep 16, 2005, after being cleared of organising a terrorist plot. He had been in custody for 14 months. During this period, his lawyer said, the police continuously blackmailed his family members to the tune of 500,000 rupees (around 8,400 dollars) and even after his acquittal in the terrorism case intelligence agencies tried to arrest him on different occasions.
Lawyer Chaudhary Farooq maintained that intelligence agencies were skeptical that Ghulam Mustafa’s release from the anti-terrorist court was genuine and sent a team of investigators to probe whether he had paid any bribe to get a favourable court ruling.
Farooq, who also heads a prisoners' rights group, said Ghulama Mustafa came to his chamber in Lahore on December 17, 2005 asking him to file a writ for harassment of his family members by the intelligence agencies. As soon as he left the office and was sitting outside on his motorcycle Ghulam Mustafa was rounded up by men in plain clothes. He filed a Habeas Corpus petition in Lahore High Court for his release and the Punjab government has asked till December 29th to respond.
Chaudhary Farooq told AKI that Ghulam Mustafa was released on 29 December and he came not to his chambers but to his residence. He claimed that intelligence officers barged in and took Ghulam Mustafa away, saying clearly that he would not come back again!
Sources said that interesting aspect of Ghulam Mustafa’s detention is that so far no case has been registered, probably because intelligence agencies do not want to present him in the court of law for fear he may reveal his true identity.
Mustafa was first detained on 11 August, 2004 after his brother-in-law Usman was picked up for allegedly planning sabotage attacks in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
During his 2004 interrogation, Ghulam Mustafa confessed that he was close to the al-Qaeda chief, Osama bin Laden, but denied any involvement in violence. He told his interrogators that his role was limited to financial and logistical support to al-Qaeda operations.
He also admitted that he was the sector commander at the Line of Control (LOC), that divides the disputed region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan, and had helped militants enter India from the areas of Bagh and Athmuqam in the Neelam valley. For this task he coordinated his assignments with Pakistan army officials of the Tenth Corps as well as the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) which is Pakistan's military intelligence service.
Ghulam Mustafa's confessions that he was doing logistics for al-Qaeda while also coordinating with Pakistan's secret services in Kashmir were if not a surprise, certainly an embarrassment. The interrogators opted to remain tight-lipped about his arrest and formally handed him over to the police and registered a case against him for alleged terrorist activities. However Pakistan's anti-terrorist court eventually released Ghulam Mustafa in September 2005 after they found no proof of his involvement in any violence.
(Syed Saleem Shahzad/Aki)
It was Ghulam Mustafa’s closeness to the establishment which prevented the government from making an announcement of his capture. Only after Adnkronos International (AKI) broke the story, was it forced to announce the arrest which had not been passed on to Pakistan's 'war on terrror' ally, Washington. Yet several weeks on, the man considered the head of al-Qaeda's Pakistani operations has still not been charged and is believed held at a secret location.
Ghulam Mustafa was never a member of an anti-establishment, shadowy organization Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, AKI has learnt, but instead a completely pro-establishment organization al-Badr. This was set up by the Pakistani secret service ISI to try to break the influence of Kashmiri indigenous armed liberation movements, like Hizb ul Mujahadeen, and to keep the control of insurgency in Kashmir.
Ghulam Mustafa's lawyer, Chaudhary Mohammad Farooq, told AKI that his client's only 'crime' was that he was a good Muslim and that he had no ties at all with the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi.
He was released from Adyala Jail on Sep 16, 2005, after being cleared of organising a terrorist plot. He had been in custody for 14 months. During this period, his lawyer said, the police continuously blackmailed his family members to the tune of 500,000 rupees (around 8,400 dollars) and even after his acquittal in the terrorism case intelligence agencies tried to arrest him on different occasions.
Lawyer Chaudhary Farooq maintained that intelligence agencies were skeptical that Ghulam Mustafa’s release from the anti-terrorist court was genuine and sent a team of investigators to probe whether he had paid any bribe to get a favourable court ruling.
Farooq, who also heads a prisoners' rights group, said Ghulama Mustafa came to his chamber in Lahore on December 17, 2005 asking him to file a writ for harassment of his family members by the intelligence agencies. As soon as he left the office and was sitting outside on his motorcycle Ghulam Mustafa was rounded up by men in plain clothes. He filed a Habeas Corpus petition in Lahore High Court for his release and the Punjab government has asked till December 29th to respond.
Chaudhary Farooq told AKI that Ghulam Mustafa was released on 29 December and he came not to his chambers but to his residence. He claimed that intelligence officers barged in and took Ghulam Mustafa away, saying clearly that he would not come back again!
Sources said that interesting aspect of Ghulam Mustafa’s detention is that so far no case has been registered, probably because intelligence agencies do not want to present him in the court of law for fear he may reveal his true identity.
Mustafa was first detained on 11 August, 2004 after his brother-in-law Usman was picked up for allegedly planning sabotage attacks in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
During his 2004 interrogation, Ghulam Mustafa confessed that he was close to the al-Qaeda chief, Osama bin Laden, but denied any involvement in violence. He told his interrogators that his role was limited to financial and logistical support to al-Qaeda operations.
He also admitted that he was the sector commander at the Line of Control (LOC), that divides the disputed region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan, and had helped militants enter India from the areas of Bagh and Athmuqam in the Neelam valley. For this task he coordinated his assignments with Pakistan army officials of the Tenth Corps as well as the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) which is Pakistan's military intelligence service.
Ghulam Mustafa's confessions that he was doing logistics for al-Qaeda while also coordinating with Pakistan's secret services in Kashmir were if not a surprise, certainly an embarrassment. The interrogators opted to remain tight-lipped about his arrest and formally handed him over to the police and registered a case against him for alleged terrorist activities. However Pakistan's anti-terrorist court eventually released Ghulam Mustafa in September 2005 after they found no proof of his involvement in any violence.
(Syed Saleem Shahzad/Aki)
posted by Marko at 1/10/2006 04:44:00 PM
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