After Bangladesh, Delhi Police blames Pakistan ISI of terror links
After Bangladesh had blamed Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence for the Dhaka carnage, Delhi Police Special Cell's charge sheet on al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent members revealed that AQIS was ISI's creation. It was also revealed that AQIS terrorists are given a safe gateway to get trained in Pakistan. Investigations also hint at AQIS sleeper cells pulling off attacks in India similar to Dhaka's at ISI's command.
Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is the primary intelligence service in the country; ISI is responsible for providing assessments of national security and intelligence to the Pakistan government. Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent, known as AQIS, is an Islamist, militant outfit that operates with an aim to fight the Governments in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar to create an Islamic state.
On 3 Sep'14, Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri announced the formation of their new branch that would operate in the Indian Subcontinent. There had been reports regarding ISI-AQIS links, especially when it was revealed that AQIS chief Asim Umar worked at ISI for several years in Mar'15. In Nov'15, it was reported that ISI might play a major role in executing al-Qaeda's plans in India.
Apart from the sleeper cell attacks, the Delhi Police's investigation has also confirmed that AQIS now has very little to do with its parent organization al-Qaeda. AQIS' members, recruitment, functioning, and funding has nothing much to do with al-Qaeda now. The Delhi Police's charge sheet on AQIS members would now form an important part of the documents with which India would reportedly confront Pakistan.
According to the police, the 2007 Glasgow airport attacker Kafeel's brother, Sabeel, is now a key AQIS member and keeps shuttling between Pakistan and Saudi with ISI's support. Farhatullah Ghori, Lashkar and ISI's key henchman who was behind the attack in Gujarat's Akshardham, is also an AQIS member. Some outfits known to be affiliated to ISI-sponsored organizations like Lashkar have joined AQIS.
Delhi Police investigations have also reportedly indicated that Pakistan's ISI had successfully created a proxy for fading groups like Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, Lashkar-e-Taiba, etc. by accommodating the members of such groups into AQIS.
Abdur Rehman, AQIS' Indian module Head, had reportedly travelled to Pakistan in 2015 but didn't get his passport stamped for departure or arrival. Such a thing is possible only with ISI's patronage, say reports. The charge sheet gives details about Rehman's meetings with Hafiz Saeed, Zaki Ur Rehman Lakhwi, and few others in Pakistan during his weapons training at a LeT camp in 2015.
The charge sheet details about Abdur Rehman's associate Mohammed Abdul Sami show: "Illegally (Sami) remained in Pakistan from 05/02/2014 to 05/01/2015 i.e. for over 11 months". Rehman made a confession that he sent Umar Hyderabadi, Abu Sufiyan, and Mohammed Abdul Sami to get training in Pakistan. Rehman had also admitted that AQIS head Asim Umar, and he studied at Darul-Uloom in Deoband.
