Former Pakistan National Security Advisor (NSA) Mahmud Ali Durrani has hit the Pakistani establishment where it hurts the most.
Addressing the Asia Security Conference (ASC) at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) here, he reiterated that the Mumbai attack was carried out by a terror group based in Pakistan. ’’The 26//11 attack, which was carried out by a terror group based in Pakistan, is a classic trans-border terrorist event,’’ he added.
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Durrani, however, hastened to add that the Pakistan Government or the ISI were not aware of the conspiracy.
This is not the first time that Durrani has embarrassed his own country over the mayhem in Mumbai more than eight years back. He had made the same charge while addressing an event in New Delhi in 2009 when he was Pakistan’s NSA. His comments at that time had cost him his job.
India has all along alleged that the entire plot to attack the country’s commercial capital was hatched in Pakistan by JUD chief Hafiz Saeed with the ISI being fully in the know of the conspiracy. It has given concrete evidence to the Pakistani authorities to nail those behind the attack but in vain.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s NSA Mohammad Hanif Atmar, addressing the three-day meet, said terror groups based in Pakistan were threatening Afghanistan and other countries in the region. While Al Qaeda and Daesh pursue a global ‘jehadi’ agenda, LET and JEM were aimed against India. He said between 40,000 and 45,000 terrorists were said to be operating in Afghanistan. While most of the Pakistan-based terror groups threaten security of other nations, the Tehriq-e-Taliban (TTP) and its splinter groups were waging violence in Pakistan.
Atmar also lashed out at those drawing a distinction between a good terrorist and a bad terrorist and attempts by some regional players to work with the Afghan Taliban, calling it a wrong policy that would backfire.
