Pakistan's political dysfunction exploited by Jaish-e-Mohammad

Lahore, June 2: The Jaish-e-Mohammad one of the most dreaded terrorist outfits in the world has the capability of bringing Pakistan and India close to war.

It may be recalled that in the aftermath of the Parliament attack and the Srinagar assembly strike, the two countries had almost come to close to war.

The Jaish-e-Mohammad has clearly not been tamed by Pakistan. After Maulana Masood Azhar was released by India in exchange for the hostage aboard the IC-814, the then President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharaff had promised to arrest him.

Instead he went on to address a rally of 10,000 supporters and he called upon all Muslims not to rest until India and America are destroyed.

A report by the International Crisis Group rightly observes that beyond the support of the state (Pakistan) Jaish, much like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS), also exploits opportunities provided by political dysfunction and inept governance.

Jaish exploits opportunities provided by political dysfunction:

The report by the ICJ states that "unlike the Lashkar-e-Tayiba the Jaish also has a domestic, jihadist agenda. Its manifesto specifies that in addition to jihad "against enemies of the faith" (minorities), it is "working to bring back the Muslims to the door of Islam".

Some of Pakistan's earliest suicide attacks were attributed to Jaish, including in March 2002 on an Islamabad church and August 2002 on a Christian school near Murree and a Christian missionary hospital in Taxila.

Some operatives, joining with transnational groups, including al-Qaeda, have turned on erstwhile benefactors.

In an al-Qaeda initiated December 2003 attack, some Jaish recruits in the Air Force tried to assassinate President Musharraf.

While the security agencies took action against individuals, they allowed the organisation and its leaders, who disowned the attack, to continue operating. Ongoing state support is evident in the manner in which Jaish was allowed to resurface.

Held responsible, with the LeT, by India for the 2008 Mumbai terror assault, Azhar kept a low profile for years but reappeared in January 2014. Despite an official ban on Jaish public activity, he held a large rally in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir's capital, where he called for jihad against India.

The foreign ministry spokesperson responded to Indian criticism by calling it a "one-time event".

OneIndia News