“Seeds of Terrorism” – Amir Rana

I have not read the book yet but here is a report on its recent launch:

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’15 top Pakistani leaders have links with Osama’
Percy Fernandez
[ Thursday, December 08, 2005 06:28:36 pm INDIATIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

NEW DELHI: At least 15 members in the senate, national and state assemblies of Pakistan have not only met Osama bin Laden, but had a close relationship with him. No Indian propaganda this. Mohammed Amir Rana, a journalist with Pakistani newspaper ‘The Friday Times’ has made this and several other startling revelations in his new book “Seeds of Terrorism”. Rana quotes the example of Maulana Samiul Haq of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) who is supposed to have sworn allegiance on the hands of Osama along with Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

The author digs deep into the origins, assesses the strengths and importantly trails the sources of funding of the jihadi movement in his latest book, which was launched here by Jaipal Reddy, Union Minister for Urban Development and Culture. ,The book is a sequel to ‘Gateway to Terrorism’ released in 2003 that looked at the origin of Taliban, Lashkar and Jaish-e-Muhammad among a host of other organizations who are headquartered in Pakistan. Claims made by the Pakistani in the book would make it more difficult for Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf to defend himself and deny Pakistan’s hand in beefing up of Laskhar-e-Tayyaba squads in northern Kashmir and activation of new Laskhar cells in Jammu that has triggered new terror in the state.

More than 100 cadres have crossed the Line of Control since the October 8 earthquake. But whenever India has shown evidence on infiltration and successive violence, Pakistan has always denied it. Now, one of its own citizens has made an expose on the terror arteries that run through the length and breadth of the country. The author was not present at the Delhi launch of his book. “Rana couldn’t make it to the book launch in Delhi for obvious reasons”, said a spokesperson of the publishers. The obvious reasons – denial of visa to India. Retired Gen. R.C. Chopra, former military Intelligence chief, who was present at the launch said: “This is a great development. Here is a book by a Pakistani who has written on terrorism and is being launched in New Delhi. There should be more developments like this”. The General said that the whole world knows that the fount of terrorism is in Pakistan and added that India and Pakistan should jointly fight terrorism at their level.

Amir Rana shocked his readers with his first book in 2003 when he said Pakistan was the gateway to terrorism. He says: “The rugged terrain of the Hindukush (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Occupied Kashmir) has been the stage of a heinous plot-a plot between Islamic jihadis, Pakistani Intelligence and limitless American interests.” In the book Amir Rana makes some very interesting remarks based on extensive interviews, intensive research and his ability to “infiltrate” into every dreaded terrorist organization that operates inside Pakistan. “It is possible that jihadi organizations are infiltrated by RAW agents. However, a Jaish-e Muhammad recruit from Muzaffarabad says that when a mujahid shifts loyalty to another organization or opposes the decision of the leadership he is promptly accused of being a RAW agent, ” the author says. ‘Seeds of Terrorism’ deals extensively with incidents and events in Pakistan after the attack on the Indian Parliament in December 2001, describes the difficulties faced by Musharraf’s government when he tried to curb the activities of hundreds of jihadi groups.

Rana records the divisions that emerged in Pakistan’s political and military hierarchy. He also lays bare the conflict of interest in the mujahideen. Speaking about the book, former Indian Ambassador KP Fabian said, “Terrorism has generated a cottage industry across the globe. “Seeds of terrorism” does not feed into this industry, rather is a valuable contribution to the debate on terrorism and understand its pathology and morphology.” Amir Rana’s book comes in the wake of one of Laskhar’s top operative Shabbir Bukhari’s recent narrative that gives an inside story of the structure, organization, the recruiting rationale and most importantly the stealthy intelligence in which these operatives work and weave their network both underground and overground. “While hard core evidences of rising infiltration and terrorists’ handiwork in perpetrating violence in Jammu & Kashmir are available, it will be quite difficult for Musharraf to convince Manmohan Singh and of course Goerge Bush that he is serious in working out a solution. He has to shed his defiant posture. It will need some radical measures and hard thinking from the Pakistan President to make this period of détente bear fruit”, says Ashutosh Mishra, an expert on Pakistan Affairs and a Research Fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), the country’s strategic think tank.