The Red Book and Terrorism in Pakistan

Column by: Ashfaq Rehmani

Email: pasrurmedia@hotmail.com

The post-9/11 War on Terrorism in Pakistan has had two principal elements: the
government's battle with jihad groups banned after 9/11, and the U.S. pursuit of Al-
Qaeda, usually (but not always) in coordination with Pakistani forces.
In 2004, the Pakistani army launched a pursuit of Al-Qaeda members in the mountainous
area of Waziristan on the Afghan border. Clashes there erupted into a low-level conflict
with Islamic militants and local tribesmen, sparking the Waziristan War. A short-lived
truce known as the Waziristan accord was brokered in September 2006. In Swat valley,
government entered into war against the Taliban in May 2009.
In 2009, a politically instable Pakistan emerged as a new global hub for anti-West
militancy, but, because of the constant threat of US attacks, recruits were reportedly more
likely to spend their time under instruction and in training than carrying out assertive
action. In his report on the matter, focusing on an alarming influx of European extremists,
Reuters security correspondent William Maclean wrote,
“Long a favored destination of British militants of Pakistani descent, Pakistan's
northwestern tribal areas are now attracting Arabs and Europeans of Arab ancestry who
three years ago would probably have gone to Iraq to fight U.S. forces. With the Iraq war
apparently winding down, security sources say, the lure for these young men is to fight
U.S. forces in neighboring Afghanistan or to gain the skills to carry out attacks back
home in the Middle East, Africa or the West. One consequence: Western armies in
Afghanistan increasingly face the possibility of having to fight their own compatriots”

He added that the matter was likely to surface in a meeting on May 6 between United
States President Barack Obama, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan
President Hamid Karzai, the first-mentioned looking to bring an end to the employment
of Pakistan's tribal zones as a launching pad for al Qaeda activity around the world.
Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, has often been accused of playing a role in major
terrorist attacks across the world including the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United
States, terrorism in Kashmir, Mumbai Train Bombings, London Bombings, Indian
Parliament Attack, Varnasi bombings, Hyderabad bombings and Mumbai terror
attacks.The ISI is also accused of supporting Taliban forces and recruiting and training
mujahideen to fight in Afghanistan and Kashmir. Based on communication intercepts US
intelligence agencies concluded Pakistan's ISI was behind the attack on the Indian
embassy in Kabul on July 7, 2008, a charge that the governments of India and
Afghanistan had laid previously. The Afghan President Hamid Karzai who has constantly
reiterated allegations that militants operating training camps in Pakistan have used it as a
launch platform to attack targets in Afghanistan urged western military allies to target
extremist hideouts in neighbouring Pakistan. In response to the growing extremism from
Pakistani border, the US has started bombing selected terrorist hideouts within Pakistan,
as well as raiding villages in Pakistan to capture and kill suspected Al-Qaeda and Taliban
members hiding in Pakistan.
Dear reader’s The Crime Investigation Department (CID) Punjab has published the 12th
edition of the Red Book, titled “Most Wanted High Profile Terrorists”. The book
announces a combined head money of Rs 54.1 million fixed by the Punjab government
for the terrorists’ arrest. A copy of the book mentions 91 terrorists, including those
involved in sectarian violence. As per book that the acts committed by these terrorists
“severely damaged Pakistan’s reputation and its image in the international community”.
Punjab CID said constant surveillance of terrorists and information gathering was needed
to end terrorism and inter-provincial communication was crucial for that. It said
identifying the terrorists by their photographs alone was not easy, therefore, in view of all
the information attained from sources to date, the book was being published in Urdu that
would detail the characteristics, features, habits and behaviors of the wanted criminals, so
that all officers could benefit from the information.
The Punjab government has announced reward money of Rs 29 million - including Rs 9.6
million for 14 Sunni terrorists and Rs 7.2 million for 24 Shia terrorists - involved in
suicide attacks and other terror acts. The Red Book is divided into three categories. The
first category names 20 individuals involved in suicide attacks. Out of these, 12 carry
head money, while the CID is still collecting the information on the remaining eight.
In the second category, 37 people belonging to the Sunni sect have been listed. Fourteen
of these have a head money, while the CID is still working on the remaining 23.
The third category names 35 people of the Shia sect, with awards announced for the
arrest of 24.
The terrorists named in the book are wanted by the CID for various high profile terror
acts, including attacks on former president Pervez Musharraf, former prime minister
Shaukat Aziz, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Peshawar superintendent of police
Rajab Ali Shah, Jail Superintendent Rahim Khan, DSP Kausar Gilani, inspectors Qamar
Zaman, Raja Saqlain, Shia leaders Ghulam Hussain Najfi, Majid Raza Gilani, Liaqat
Imrani, Professor Nazakat Ali Imrani, Lahore’s Sabzazar Bilal Mosque prayer leader
Saifullah Khalid, Moulana Qari Sultan Ahmad, Allama Hasan Turrabi, former MPA
Ghazanfar Ali, attacks on the US embassy, suicide attack at GPO Chowk Lahore, Naval
War College, Police Training School, PAF Bus in Sargodha, attacks on various
imambargahs and mosques, churches, Mochi Gate Lahore, Imambargah Najaf Shah in
Rawalpindi, Imambarghah Bhakhar, Imambargah Yaade-e-Hussain Rawalpindi and
Sessions Court Lahore.
The terrorists named in the book are also accused of planning suicide attacks in
Bahawalpur and Mailsi, training recruits, operating terrorist training camps and links with
the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The men have also been named for establishing a factory to
manufacture explosives and suicide jackets. Those named in the book are Matiur Rehman
alias Samad Sayyal alias Chota Ibrahim, Umer Aqdas alias Sohail, Qari Ehsan ul Haq
alias Shahid, Rana Afzal alias Fazalullah, Noor Khan, Abdul Hameed Wattoo, Imran
Khalil, Haroon Akbar Khan alias Moavia, Tayyab Jamil alias Baba Jee, Bilal alias Abdul
Rahim, Hafiz Saeed Ghani, Ghulam Muhammad alias Hamza, Rana Abdul Rehman, Riaz
Ahmad alias Zeeshan, Muhammad Majid, Abdur Rehman, Usman, Farooq, Faiz
Muhammad Kaskat, Qasim and Abdullah alias Saddam.
The terrorists belonging to the Sunni sect are Zakiur Rehman alias Suleman Qari Sahib,
Hafiz Muhammad Yaseen Ilyas Chota Mufti, Hafiz Saleem, Inayatullah alias Jamil Shah,
Nasrullah alias Fazlur Rehman, Muhammad Saleem, Muhammad Safdar, Abdul Wahab
alias Rashid, Hafiz Suleman, Noorul Ameen, Hafiz Naeem Rehman, Qari Abdul Khaliq
alias Sanwal, Muhammad Sarwar, Sajjad, Muhammad Saleem, Rashid Yousaf, Mushtaq
alias Madina, Saifur Rehman, Qari Muhammad Yaseen, Muhammad Zafar alias Qari
Zafar, Aftab Ahmad alias Waseem, Amanullah alias Mufti alias, Abdul Latif alias Colonel
Toofan, Inamullah Butt, Hafiz Muhammad Sagheer, Shahzad, Ali Sher, Kashif alias
Shahid, Qari Gull Muhammad Jafri, Asghar Ali alias Ali, Jamshed Naveed alias Sheru,
Bilal, Muhammad Asif, Sikandar Sultan alias Ashfaq, Ashraf, Kamran alias Kami, Nafees
ur Rehman and Saeed Zakir.
The terrorist belonging to the Shia sect are Ali Rizwan, Baqar Mousavi, Dr Qaisar,
Tanveer Hussain Naqvi, Syed Zulqarnain Haider, Asad Ali Bukhari, Tahir Abbas,
Mujahid, Sarfraz ul Hasan Haideri, Imdad alias Intizar Malhi, Zaheer Abbas alias Dr
Azhar, Zaheer Hussain, Anwar Haider Shah alias Billo Shah, Bilal Saeed, Asad Abbas
Naqvi, Rizwan Ali, Imran Zaidi, Khawar Abbas, Syed Ali Shah, Mureed Abbas alias
Munir, Amjad Abbas alias Bukhari, Saleem, Wawad Ali Shah, Abid Shah, Imran alias
Qais Mehdi, Sharafat Ali, Zulqarnain Raza Naqvi, Haider Ali, Agha Khan Pathan, Zubair
Abbas, Shah Nawaz, Farooq Ahmad, Akbar Hussain Naqvi, Imran Abbas Alvi, Mujahid
Ali alias Nannay Shah, Qari Mohsin, Intizar Ali Imran, Jalil Saqlain and Ibrar Ali.