US-MUMBAI 2 LST

"A senior US counter-terrorism official believes a few
mid-level Pakistani officials had an inkling of the plot but
that its dimensions surprised them. Others speculate that the
government of President Asif Ali Zardari may even have been a
secondary target because of his overtures to India and his
opposition to extremism," the report said.
"Perhaps it was done by people who didn't like the way
the ISI and the army were moving, particularly in Kashmir," a
European official was quoted as saying. "May be it was a rogue
operation destabilising the Pakistanis as well as the
Indians," it said quoting the official.
In contrast, a number of Western and Indian
anti-terrorism officials cite the in-depth scouting,
amphibious landing and sophisticated communications used by
militants during the Mumbai attacks as signs of Pakistan's
involvement. "Headley's disclosures and Lashkar's history make
it hard to believe that military leaders were unaware of the
plan, they say," according to the report.
Rotella said Mir and Maj Iqbal are keys to the mystery
because they allegedly connect LeT and the government.
Western and Indian investigators suspect that Mir is a
former military or ISI officer, or at least had close links
to the security forces. They believe that Maj Iqbal was an ISI
officer using a code name.
A recent Interpol notice of an Indian arrest warrant
gives only his rank and last name.
"It remains to be seen whether Mir, Maj Iqbal and other
suspected plotters will be successfully prosecuted. An Indian
court convicted the lone surviving gunman (Ajmal Kasab) in
June. But US officials say the Pakistani trial of the Lashkar
military chief (Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi) and six lower-level
suspects captured last year seems hopelessly stalled," the
report said.
It noted that unlike al-Qaeda and other militant groups,
Lashkar has not attacked the Pakistani government.
"But its professionalism, global networks and increasing
focus on Western targets have made it one of the most
dangerous forces in terrorism, many investigators say."
Recent warnings of Mumbai-style plots by al-Qaeda in
Europe reflect Lashkar's influence in the convergence of
militant groups that a British official calls "the jihadist
soup in Pakistan," the report said. PTI LKJ
HMI


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