[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 80 (Wednesday, June 22, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             PAKISTAN SUPPORTS TERRORIST REBELS IN KASHMIR

                                 ______


                           HON. BILL McCOLLUM

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 22, 1994

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of 
the House a very important matter. The role of Pakistan in aiding and 
abetting terrorism in Kashmir is well documented, so much so that the 
administration almost placed the Pakistani regime on the 1993 list of 
state sponsors of terrorism. However, the administration did not take 
such action because it was assured by Pakistan that Islamabad was 
taking credible steps to dissociate itself from the militants in 
Kashir.
  Recent reports however, suggest that Pakistan never stopped its aid 
to the terrorists in Kashir. A report in the Washington Post dated, May 
16, 1994, titled, ``Pakistan Aiding Rebels in Kashmir: Muslims 
Reportedly Armed and Trained,'' by John Word Anderson, datelined 
Muzzaffarabad, gives a first-hand account of such assistance by 
Pakistan to terrorists in Kashmir.
  The State Department has also confirmed this fact in its annual 
report titled, ``Patterns of Global Terrorism'' I quote, ``* * * there 
were credible reports in 1993 of official Pakistani support to Kashmiri 
militants * * *.''
  This fact is further confirmed from a study conducted by The Task 
Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare titled, ``The Kashmir 
Connection,'' which I would like to place in the Record, immediately 
following these remarks which details the extent of Pakistani 
involvement in aiding the terrorists in Kashmir.
  This House should take cognizance of this serious issue particularly 
as some of those who have indicted in the bombing of the World Trade 
Center had also received training in Pakistan.

                         The Kashmir Connection

               (By Yossef Bodansky and Vaughn S. Forrest)

       Chief of staff's note: The following paper was prepared in 
     light of the publication in the Monday, May 16 issue of The 
     Washington Post of an article discussing Pakistan's extensive 
     involvement in rendering support to terrorist elements in 
     Kashmir. That piece revealed the fact of Pakistani 
     involvement, but not the extent. In this paper, and in future 
     papers, the Task Force will seek to explore in-depth 
     Pakistan's role in international terrorism and its profound 
     ramifications for the Central Asian region in general, and 
     India in particular.
       As the rivalry between India and Pakistan has intensified, 
     perhaps no other region has taken on the significance of 
     Kashmir. That province is unique among all the crisis points 
     along the Indo-Pakistani border in that it is not just an 
     area of strategic and economic importance, it is also the 
     object of the ideological passions of the various states in 
     the region. Thus, the following paper will briefly summarize 
     the ongoing rivalry in Kashmir, focusing on Pakistan, Iran, 
     the various Islamist movements, and the military/terrorist 
     dimension of the conflict.
       For Islamabad, the liberation of Kashmir is a sacred 
     mission, the only task unfulfilled since the days of 
     Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. However, Kashmir is 
     equally important in that it serves the domestic interests of 
     the Pakistani Government in three crucial respects. First, 
     tension over Kashmir creates a diversion from frustrations at 
     home. Second, the Kashmir cause allows Islamabad to rally the 
     support of Pakistan's Islamist parties and their loyalists in 
     the military and the ISI, and third, it serves the regime as 
     an important access point to the markets of Central Asia.
       Similarly, Iran considers an escalation of the Jihad for 
     the liberation of Kashmir a key to the assertion of its own 
     strategic prominence, particularly under the auspices of 
     its Islamic Bloc. Indeed, Iran sees Kashmir, because it is 
     the land of the Ayatollah Khomeynia's roots, as sacred 
     ground and is using that fact to instill ideological zeal 
     in the various nationals who make up Tehran's terrorist 
     infrastructure. Not surprisingly, having taken the 
     proverbial tiger by the tail and invested such prestige in 
     the ``Islamization'' of Kashmir, Tehran now finds itself 
     committed to fighting for it.
       Additionally, beyond Iran and Pakistan, the Armed Islamic 
     Movement, as well as several Saudi, Gulf Arab, and other 
     supporters of Islamist causes, put Kashmir high on their list 
     of jihads to be fought. This is not only because of Kashmir's 
     aforementioned material and ``spiritual'' importance, but 
     also because it is seen as a relatively easy target. Being 
     geographically isolated and chocked full of weapons and 
     terrorists cells, many Islamist groups believe that the 
     wresting of Kashmir from India would be a great prize 
     acquired at minimal cost and would inspire their followers 
     and further the cause.
       Whatever the validity of such as assumption, all of the 
     states and organizations engaged in Kashmir have large, 
     highly trained and well equipped forces, and most have not 
     yet been committed to the Kashmiri jihad. Thus, there exists 
     an environment in which ideological zeal and strategic and 
     political considerations have coalesced. Specifically, as 
     already noted, Pakistan needs Kashmir as a distraction from 
     its domestic problems, various terrorist ``Afgahan'' groups 
     are chomping at the bit to move, awaiting only a wink and a 
     nod from the ISI, and Iran and various Arab states stand 
     willing to finance the effort.
       Thus, it is safe to assume that the fighting in Kashmir 
     will escalate significantly, with numerous additional highly 
     trained and well equipped mujahideen many of them 
     professional special forces and terrorists, joining the fight 
     and expanding the struggle into the rest of India. Indeed, 
     there are already in place extensive stockpiles of weapons as 
     well as large sums of money to sustain and support such a 
     conflict.
       Consequently, apparently reassured about the steadfastness 
     of its Islamist support, Islamabad has acknowledged openly 
     the futility of its negotiations with India over the Kashmir 
     issue. At the same time, Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir 
     Bhutto has begun to accede to demands from her military 
     leaders for further increases in the Pakistaini defense 
     budget.


                        the terrorist dimension

       In fact, the rising militancy of Pakistani officials is far 
     from empty rhetoric, for Ismanabad has used the increasing 
     tension in Kashmir as pretext for expanding its terrorist 
     training and support system for operations in Central Asia 
     and elsewhere in the world.
       To that end, the ISI has established the Markaz-Dawar, a 
     center for world wide Islamist activities. Mulavi Zaki, the 
     center's spiritual leader, has told the trainees that their 
     destiny is to fight and liberate ``the land of Allah from 
     infidels'' wherever they might be. The commanders and 
     instructors at Markaz-Dawar are AIM members, primarily Ikhwan 
     from Algeria, Sudan and Egypt, and most of them have more 
     than a decade of combat experience in Afghanistan.
       In early 1992, some of these `Afghans' were transferred to 
     Azzad Kashmir where new camps were being built for them by 
     the Pakistani Army. By early 1993, there were over 1,000 
     `Afghan' mujahideen in the Markaz-Dawar alone. Following the 
     completion of their advanced training, the `Afghans' were 
     sent to Kashmir, Algeria and Egypt. Furthermore, Islamabad's 
     claims to the contrary notwithstanding, the main offices of 
     the Islamist terrorist organizations have remained 
     functioning in Peshawar.
       In addition to the transfers noted above, a series of 
     ``raids'' by police since October 1992 resulted in the 
     shifting of some 200 terrorist operatives, including some 
     wanted by Western police officials, to facilities near 
     Jalalabad, just across the Afghan border. Indeed, in the fall 
     of 1993, an Arab `Afghan' with first hand knowledge of the 
     situation confirmed that Pakistan had ``pushed them out of 
     the door only to open a window for them to return and they 
     come and go as they wish in Peshawar.''
       In the meantime, in the summer of 1993, the ISI had in the 
     Markaz-Dawar another force of some 200 Afghans--mainly 
     Jallalluddin Haqqani's people from the Khowst area--operating 
     under its direct command and earmarked for special operations 
     in Kashmir. According to Muhammad Fazal al-Hajj, a PFLP 
     [Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine] terrorist 
     captured in southern Kashmir in the summer of 1993, 
     additional `Afghans' and Afghan nationals were being prepared 
     by the ISI for a forthcoming escalation in Kashmir. At least 
     400 `Afghans' and Afghan nationals were known to have been 
     organized in one camp, where they were trained by the ISI to 
     augment and provide a leadership core for the Kashmiri Hizb-
     ul-Mujahideen. There was also a corresponding expansion of 
     the preparation of Islamist terrorists for operations in 
     forward bases in Kashmir, with some 600 terrorists, about 
     half of them veteran `Afghans' and Afghans, already at the 
     final phase of their training.
       Indeed, many Arab volunteers continue to arrive in Peshawar 
     almost every day. The preferred port of entry is the Karachi 
     airport. There, a special department run by a Major Amir--an 
     ISI Major with Afghan experience ``turned'' director of 
     Immigration at the airport--oversees the volunteer's 
     ``proper'' entry into Pakistan and quick dispatch to 
     Peshawar. The main Ikhwan facility is the Maktaba-i-
     Khidmat [Services Offices], which was originally 
     established by the late Shaykh Abd Allah Azzam and is now 
     run by his successor, Shaykh Muhammad Yussaf Abbas. The 
     Maktaba-i-Khidmat still processes volunteers for AIM, but 
     at present many of the volunteers are dispatched to the 
     numerous training camps run by Arab `Afghan' militants 
     inside Afghanistan. The ISI continues to provide the 
     weapons and expertise necessary to support this operation.
       Meanwhile, the Government of Afghanistan has also increased 
     its support for terrorist training and preparation. This 
     growing direct involvement is important because the main 
     operating bases for the ISI's activities in Central Asia are 
     in northern Afghanistan. The origins of this arrangement run 
     back to the aftermath of the fall of Kabul. At that time, 
     many Arab `Afghans' returned to Peshawar where they were 
     organized by the Pakistani government to support various 
     Islamist causes in concert with Iran and Sudan. Many of these 
     fighters later returned to Afghanistan as quality forces or 
     to serve in personal guard details.
       Subsequently, in early December 1993, during a state visit 
     to Pakistan, the Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan, 
     Maulana Arsalan Rahmani, elaborated on Kabul's perception of 
     the Islamist struggles worldwide, and especially in south and 
     central Asia. He hailed Afghanistan's active support for 
     Islamist armed causes and stressed that ``we don't consider 
     this support as intervention in any country's internal 
     affairs.'' Maulana Arsalan Rahmani also admitted that 
     Afghanistan was providing military assistance to various 
     insurgencies because, ``we cannot remain aloof from what is 
     happening to the Muslims in occupied Kashmir, Tajikistan, 
     Bosnia, Somalia, Burma, Palestine and elsewhere. . . . We are 
     not terrorists but Mujahideen fighting for restoring peace 
     and preserving honor.''
       Rahmani acknowledged that Afghanistan has also played a 
     major role in a recent development among the Islamist 
     organizations fighting in Indian Kashmir, namely, the merger 
     of the Harakat ul-Jihad Islami and Harakat ul-Mujahideen into 
     the potent Harakat ul-Ansar group. This support for the 
     unification of the two movements, according to Rahmani, was 
     but part of the active support given by Afghanistan to the 
     Islamist fighters in Kashmir, Tajikistan, and Bosnia. ``There 
     are about 8,000 members of Harakat ul-Ansar who are 
     supporting the Kashmiri struggle against Indian occupation,'' 
     Rahmani stated.


                            of men and arms

       The ISI also provides these and other terrorists with 
     new weapons. For example, in the summer of 1993, the 
     Kashmiri mujahideen were provided with powerful long range 
     missiles--called ``chemical missiles'' by the Sikhs who 
     had learned about them while in training in Pakistan. At 
     that time, the Kashmiri and ISI crews were being trained 
     in the use of these missiles in Pakistani Kashmir. In 
     fact, these are Saqr missiles which were developed in the 
     1980s with help from the United States for use by the 
     mujahideen in Afghanistan.
       Subsequently, there has been a significant expansion in the 
     smuggling of quality weapons from Pakistan into Kashmir and 
     as of late 1993 there has been a corresponding change in the 
     tactics used by terrorists, including the use of hit and run 
     strikes by highly trained and well equipped detachments. 
     Among the new weapons now used in Kashmir are 107mm rockets, 
     60mm mortars, 40mm automatic grenade launchers (Soviet and 
     Chinese models), a modification of the 57mm helicopter rocket 
     pods with solar-powered timing devices for the delayed firing 
     of rockets and a LAW-type tube-launched ATMs (Soviet and 
     Chinese models).
       In addition, the Kashmiri terrorists have also begun using 
     sophisticated communications systems including small radios 
     (systems with frequency hopping, selective broadcast, digital 
     burst communications, etc.) and collapsible solar-panels for 
     reload systems, as well as frequency scanning devices for 
     detecting and homing in on military-type broadcasts. All the 
     communication systems are of NATO/US origin, with some 
     components made in Japan. All of these systems have been used 
     by the Mujahideen in Afghanistan, having been provided via 
     the ISI.
       On top of all of this, there has been a large increase in 
     the quantities of small arms provided to the Kashmiris, 
     including Type 56 ARs (PRC AK-47s), several types of 
     machineguns, long-range sniper rifles, pistols and RPGs, all 
     of Soviet and Chinese manufacture. Also, some of the Kashmiri 
     terrorists have begun receiving highly specialized weapons 
     for assassination projects.
       Given this obviously high level of sophistication, it would 
     seem safe to assume that the situation in Kashmir will become 
     increasingly ominous. As Pakistan and India eye each other 
     with rising suspicion, and as other powers come into play, 
     the danger or outright war becomes ever more real. In future 
     reports, the Task Force will examine the full extent of this 
     danger and will explain its ramifications.

                          ____________________