Tahhawur Rana's confession before a US court which nails the Pakistani establishment but exonorates the Lashkar-e-Tayiba in the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, indicates that all is not well in the Inetr Services Intelligence, says Vicky Nanjappa.
The confession of 26/11 terror attacks suspect Tahhawur Rana before a Chicago court, which nails Pakistani intelligence agency Inter Services Intelligence and the country's government, is a shot in the arm for the Indian government.
Naming the ISI and the Pakistan government repeatedly in the 26/11 Mumbai terror plot and leaving the Lashkar-e-Tayiba out of it clearly indicates that all is not well in the ISI.
Documents and investigations show that Rana, who worked as a doctor in the Pakistan Army for 16 years before settling down in Chicago, was part of the LeT when the 26/11 attacks were carried out in Mumbai.
Rana's confession would put Pakistan in a spot of bother, as once he starts speaking in court the names of several persons associated with the 26/11 attacks and the planning behind it will come out in the open. The onus would then be on Pakistan to bring these persons to justice.
The four names that are expected to come out during the course of the trial are that of Major Sameer, Major Iqbal, Colonel Shah and Major Sayeed -- all part of the ISI and the Pakistan Army. These names had cropped up during the investigations both by Indian and American agencies.
The voice transcripts that have been provided to India by the United States do make a mention of these names and clearly spell out the roles that these men have played.
Headley, for instance, was in touch with Major Iqbal during his operation through emails. The remaining Pakistani officers were part of the planning and execution of the attack.
Colonel Shah was in charge of the maritime aspect of the attack. The Musa Company, an elite naval wing of Pakistan, was used during the attack and its officers were the ones who trained the terrorists who finally carried out the attack.
Another name that India would want out is that of Colonel Abdul Rehman Syed, who goes by the name Pasha. During one of his visits to Pakistan, Pasha introduced Headley to key Lashkar terrorist Ilyas Kashmiri following which the Mickey Mouse project (terror plot against the Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad) was discussed.
Pakistan has always been in denial about the role its establishment had to play in the attack.
The non inclusion of the Lashkar in the Rana confession has brought to the fore tensions between the American Central Intelligence Agency and the ISI. According to reports, in some pockets, Lashkar's militia in Afghanistan have withdrawn from their primary outfit and are fighting alongside the US forces.
This suggests that the Lashkar is splitting up and the ISI is not amused with this new development. There have been efforts on the part of the ISI to keep the terror outfit united but some elements have diverted after being lured by power and money, sources point out.