Lashkar eclipsing Al Qaeda, even beyond Pakistan

Islamabad, Mar.25 (ANI): The Lashkar-e-Toiba is close to eclipsing Al Qaeda as the most feared terror group in Pakistan.

According to Sky News, Islamic extremism in Pakistan has taken on a new hue under the LeT.

The CIA is now warning that the LeT or the Army of the Pure has grown so powerful, so pan-national, that its brand of violence is just an e-ticket away from the West.

The LeT has never spoken publicly to western television, but now one of its commanders has gone so far as to refuse to acknowledge the influence of al Qaeda.

"Where is al Qaeda? Where is Osama bin Laden? Osama bin Laden, once a close friend of the West. And who made al Qaeda? It came into being in Washington," he said in perfect English.

"In the name of al Qaeda, you want to snatch the resources of this region and it is not fair. We have no international agenda. The LeT's main aim is to liberate Kashmir and to attack Indian installations and Indian forces," he adds.

Commentators here believe the LeT does have a wider objective than simply Kashmir.

It is thought Pakistani security forces are only beginning to realise that, by turning a blind-eye to the LeT's activities, they are not only allowing terror to spread throughout the world, they have actually lost the ability to control it. (ANI)