Televisions, mobiles, cars, conjugal rights: The VIP Jihadis of Pakistan

New Delhi, Nov 20: A day after Lashkar-e-Tayiba boss, Hafiz Saeed was sentenced to 10 years in jail by a Pakistan court, reports are already emerging that he continues to enjoy VVIP treatment.

News agency ANI while quoting sources said that the Counter-Terrorism Department officials are treating the mastermind of the Mumbai 26/11 attack as a VIP. He still roams in his SUV and is escorted by his aides, the report also said.

For long Saeed has been the ISI's top asset. He has never had a falling out with the ISI as he does as he is instructed. Intelligence Bureau officials tell OneIndia that he probably one of those very few terrorists, who has remained in the good books of the ISI for this long and has never turned rogue.

The IB official says that the VIP treatment being meted out to him comes as no surprise as he continues to be Paksitan's strategic asset. Moreover, the ISI can manipulate Saeed the way they want and this was evident in Mumbai 26/11 attack. When the Lashkar-e-Tayiba was getting jittery and wanted to fight in Afghanistan, the ISI directed Saeed to tell his men to stay away and instead focus on major attacks in India. This is in fact contrary to the way in which Ilyas Kashmir, once a key asset of the ISI has behaved.

Now let us take the case of another important figure in the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi also a key player in the Mumbai attacks and Kashmir. When he was jailed owing to international pressure, he even managed to father a child in jail. This is a privilage that is not given to a deadly terrorist, accused of killing 100s of people.

On November 29, 2012, India posed a question to Pakistan about Lakhvi having become a proud father. When he was arrested in 2009 for the 26/11 there was no mention of him being a father of a new born child. However, in the year 2010. while he was still in jail, he announced the good news to several of his accomplices including Abu Jundal.

Moreover, India also confronted Pakistan with more proof about him being meted out privileges while in jail which included orderlies and also a television set and communication access. None of these questions have got an answer as yet.

Pakistan found him so important and chose to dole out goodies to him including an alleged conjugal visit only goes on to show what sort of high esteem he is held in. In the backdrop of this it is not too surprising that he has been granted bail on a very silly condition that there was not enough evidence.

When he was in jail, he and six of his associates had several rooms next to the jailer's office at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail at their disposal. They had televisions, mobile phones, access to the internet and dozens of visitors everyday.

Lakhvi is important for the operations of the ISI in Kashmir. He is without a doubt the most passionate jihadi in Pakistan. When it comes to a passion to attack there is none more lethal than Lakhvi is what every analyst that we spoke to would say.

In Pakistan he is known as the imam of Jihadis. He has put his family on the battle field and every person in the Lashkar is in awe of him for this. His two sons, Abu Qasim and Abu Qatal died fighting in Kashmir against the Indian army.

Some of his statements against India are a clear indicator of why he is loved so much in Paksitan. He had said that his primary agenda was the destruction of India. He also said that the entire network of the Lashkar would be extended into India.