THE HUNT FOR KOHINOOR BOOK 2 OF THE THRILLER SERIES FEATURING MEHRUNISA by Manreet Sodhi Someshwar Page A
Authors: Manreet Sodhi Someshwar
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tells me you have been assigned a sensitive mission and need to be equipped accordingly.’
Mishra nodded for the young scientist to continue.
‘Sir,’ Saby acknowledged and took his position beside the white screen on the rear wall. Looking directly at Mehrunisa he said, ‘The NTRO is the “super-feeder” agency for providing technical intelligence to all other intelligence agencies set up after the Kargil War. Over the next five minutes I’ll provide you with a background on the geopolitics of the AfPak region, the role of the US in the same, and how things stand for India. If you have any questions–’
‘Hold them,’ Mishra interjected, ‘until the end.’ He turned towards her. ‘We can discuss them over lunch.’
Saby nodded and flicked a button on his hand-held remote. The screen flickered to life. Once again the map of the AfPak-India region came to life, momentarily, before it was girded with a headline; then Saby started his narrative.
Overview : The AfPak region is currently where the intelligence agencies of the world are most focused. Despite that, intel is often unreliable. This is due to the inherent nature of the region. The several parties involved there – US, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India – are dancing in a circle, each chasing the other and stepping on their tails. No one trusts the other and the only cooperation or sharing of information is done under mutually beneficial transactions. There is a deep lack of trust between the CIA and the ISI, and the ISI wants to broker talks between the US and Taliban on the condition that the other agencies on the field – the CIA, Britain’s M16 and Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security – should cease independent talks. Obviously, this makes the US nervous.
US and Pakistan : Lately, tensions between the US and Pakistan have escalated as Washington demands that the Pakistani military ‘capture or kill’ Afghan Taliban leaders as well as top militants in Pakistan. These include the Afghan Taliban leadership living in Quetta and Karachi, as well as their allies such as Jalaluddin Haqqani and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who live in north Waziristan in the tribal areas abutting Afghanistan. Pakistan says it is too busy dealing with its own acute problems with the Pakistani Taliban and a growing number of terrorist attacks by various insurgent groups. Its forces are overstretched, it has little money, and it will oblige the Americans only when it is ready to do so. In fact Pakistan would never launch a military offensive against the Afghan Taliban leaders since it has viewed them as potential allies in a post-American Afghanistan, when the US will withdraw troops from the country as per President Obama’s plan.
ISI and the Taliban : Pakistan’s military is deeply fearful of a US withdrawal from Afghanistan; the result could be civil war and mayhem in its backyard once again. The army is also convinced that the US will eventually align itself with India and that it has allowed India to strengthen its influence in Kabul at Pakistan’s expense. They count the Afghan Taliban as their recourse. If you recall, the Taliban was originally composed of young men who had grown up in madrasas in the refugee camps of Pakistan – their ideology was sired by Pakistan.
The ISI has power and influence over the Taliban. Not only are the Taliban able to resupply their fighters from Pakistan, and seek medical treatment and other facilities, but the families of most Taliban leaders live in Pakistan where they own homes and run businesses and shops. Taliban leaders travel to Saudi Arabia on Pakistani passports. All this makes them vulnerable to ISI pressure. Even before the US military can consider co-opting mid-level Taliban commanders, both sides would have to ascertain how this would play with the ISI.
Implications for India : The Pakistani army wants to control future events in Afghanistan in order to avoid encirclement by India – if a Taliban
Mishra nodded for the young scientist to continue.
‘Sir,’ Saby acknowledged and took his position beside the white screen on the rear wall. Looking directly at Mehrunisa he said, ‘The NTRO is the “super-feeder” agency for providing technical intelligence to all other intelligence agencies set up after the Kargil War. Over the next five minutes I’ll provide you with a background on the geopolitics of the AfPak region, the role of the US in the same, and how things stand for India. If you have any questions–’
‘Hold them,’ Mishra interjected, ‘until the end.’ He turned towards her. ‘We can discuss them over lunch.’
Saby nodded and flicked a button on his hand-held remote. The screen flickered to life. Once again the map of the AfPak-India region came to life, momentarily, before it was girded with a headline; then Saby started his narrative.
Overview : The AfPak region is currently where the intelligence agencies of the world are most focused. Despite that, intel is often unreliable. This is due to the inherent nature of the region. The several parties involved there – US, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India – are dancing in a circle, each chasing the other and stepping on their tails. No one trusts the other and the only cooperation or sharing of information is done under mutually beneficial transactions. There is a deep lack of trust between the CIA and the ISI, and the ISI wants to broker talks between the US and Taliban on the condition that the other agencies on the field – the CIA, Britain’s M16 and Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security – should cease independent talks. Obviously, this makes the US nervous.
US and Pakistan : Lately, tensions between the US and Pakistan have escalated as Washington demands that the Pakistani military ‘capture or kill’ Afghan Taliban leaders as well as top militants in Pakistan. These include the Afghan Taliban leadership living in Quetta and Karachi, as well as their allies such as Jalaluddin Haqqani and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who live in north Waziristan in the tribal areas abutting Afghanistan. Pakistan says it is too busy dealing with its own acute problems with the Pakistani Taliban and a growing number of terrorist attacks by various insurgent groups. Its forces are overstretched, it has little money, and it will oblige the Americans only when it is ready to do so. In fact Pakistan would never launch a military offensive against the Afghan Taliban leaders since it has viewed them as potential allies in a post-American Afghanistan, when the US will withdraw troops from the country as per President Obama’s plan.
ISI and the Taliban : Pakistan’s military is deeply fearful of a US withdrawal from Afghanistan; the result could be civil war and mayhem in its backyard once again. The army is also convinced that the US will eventually align itself with India and that it has allowed India to strengthen its influence in Kabul at Pakistan’s expense. They count the Afghan Taliban as their recourse. If you recall, the Taliban was originally composed of young men who had grown up in madrasas in the refugee camps of Pakistan – their ideology was sired by Pakistan.
The ISI has power and influence over the Taliban. Not only are the Taliban able to resupply their fighters from Pakistan, and seek medical treatment and other facilities, but the families of most Taliban leaders live in Pakistan where they own homes and run businesses and shops. Taliban leaders travel to Saudi Arabia on Pakistani passports. All this makes them vulnerable to ISI pressure. Even before the US military can consider co-opting mid-level Taliban commanders, both sides would have to ascertain how this would play with the ISI.
Implications for India : The Pakistani army wants to control future events in Afghanistan in order to avoid encirclement by India – if a Taliban
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