LeT 'a ticking time bomb' in South Asia

Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jul 3 (PTI) Terming the Lashkar-e-Taiba,
responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, as "a ticking
time bomb", a top American expert has asked the Obama
administration to focus on the banned Pakistani outfit as
Islamabad has failed to take any concrete action against it.

Daniel Markey of the Council on Foreign Relations
(CFR) warned that Islamabad has not taken any concrete action
against the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and as such US President
Barack Obama should focus on the terror group blamed for the
2008 Mumbai attacks as well as other extremist organisation
which are of enormous concern.
"We haven't seen concrete, firm action by the
Pakistanis. That's an area which some people say is a ticking
time bomb in South Asia," said Markey, a Senior Fellow for
India, Pakistan and South Asia at the influential New York-
based American think tank.
The LeT needs to be paid more attention than the
Pakistani Taliban, who he said are more of a local, inwardly
directed group despite the fact that Times Square bomber
Faisal Shahzad claims to have been affiliated with it.
"We shouldn't lose sight of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its
links to all of these other groups. One other thing I'd say,
as the Pakistanis look to give us what they would suggest are
easy and honourable ways out of Afghanistan, is that we
shouldn't see these as actually quite so easy," he said.
"None of these groups that the Pakistanis are talking
about making a deal with are the kinds of groups that we could
easily find our interests protected by," Markey said.
He said the Haqqanis are the first example. "Our
primary concern is to avoid seeing another safe haven in
Afghanistan, one that would serve as a base for al-Qaeda
operations and similar types of groups".
According to Markey, the Haqqanis have very clearly
demonstrated that they're willing to facilitate that. "The
idea that we would make a deal with them that would serve our
basic interests, I find highly questionable," he said.
India has repeatedly asked Pakistan to take action
against LeT and its founder Hafiz Saeed, who is considered the
mastermind of the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people,
including foreigners.
Markey's comment comes within days of Admiral Mike
Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, remarks that
LeT now has a global ambition.
"Generally, LeT was east focused on India. They're now
in the west. Actually, they're not just in the west, focused
on Pakistan. There are LeT elements focused on Afghanistan,"
he said in an interactive interview to The New York Times at
the Aspen Security Form on Tuesday.
Markey said Pakistan would like an Afghan government
that's sympathetic to it and committed to not allowing much
Indian influence in Afghanistan. PTI LKJ
MYR