Headley has revealed nexus between terror, Pak agencies: India

New Delhi, Jul 20 (PTI) India Tuesday indicated that the
interrogation of David Coleman Headley, a key accused in the
Mumbai terror attack case, has revealed the nexus of terror
groups with the Pakistani establishment, an aspect which makes
it difficult to deal with the menace of terrorism.
India's National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon said
India now has a "much clearer picture" on the infrastructure
of terrorism and its support systems in South Asia.
"I think we know what needs to be done and we also know
who is responsible for terrorism. I think what has happened is
we have a much clearer picture today of the infrastructure of
terrorism, the ecosystem that supports terrorism which frankly
is not confined to South Asia but affects the entire world,"
he said at ORF-Heritage Foundation Dialogue here.
"For us, it has been brought home most recently by what
we learn from Headley which confirmed many of the things we
knew before. And it is really the links with the official
establishment and with the existing intelligence agencies it
is that nexus which makes it a much harder phenomenon for us
to deal with," Menon said.
His comments came against the backdrop of revelations
that Headley made about Pakistani Navy training 26/11
attackers and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) controlling
the 60-hour-long Mumbai assault from beginning to end.
The NSA said the worst thoughts expressed by a similar
dialogue a year ago had come true and "it is today actually
even less possible to be optimistic about the success of
existing counter-terrorism strategies in South Asia -- in
Pakistan or in Afghanistan.
He did not elaborate on the "worst thoughts" but was
clearly referring to the support Pakistani establishment gives
to terrorists who are used as a political tool.
"It is not because we do not understand the problem or
the strategies are intrinsically flawed. No. But I think we
know what needs to be done and we also know who is responsible
for terrorism," Menon said.
"Unfortunately, what we know and what we see suggests
that these links or nexus (between terror outfits and official
establishment) would not be broken soon. If anything, it is
getting stronger," he said.
Headley, a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative who had conducted
recce for the Mumbai attacks, is in a Chicago jail and was
recently interrogated by a team of National Investigation
Agency (NIA).
India's Home Secretary G K Pillai said earlier this
month that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had a
"much more significant role" to play in the Mumbai terror
attacks and it was "literally controlling and coordinating the
attacks from the beginning till the end." PTI