LeT threat opens up possibilities of counter-terror cooperation
NEW DELHI: The rare Pakistani alert of a possible attack by the Lashkar-e-Taiba during Shivratri has opened up possibilities for counter-terror cooperation but security experts believe it is too early to describe the development as a game changer.
Senior serving and retired security officials agreed the warning from Pakistan was unprecedented, especially in light of troubled efforts by the two sides to improve coordination and cooperation on counterterrorism in the past.
“It’s not a game changer but it’s certainly a very good development. It could be the beginning of many possibilities,” said AS Dulat, a former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing.
“The NSAs are in communication and talking, even if it’s on the phone, and they’re even sharing information... But it’s not a game changer, when we play together, then it can change.”
Baqir Sajjad, diplomatic cor-
PAKISTAN’S NSA HAD CONVEYED INFORMATION ABOUT A POTENTIAL STRIKE ON RELIGIOUS SITES AND GATHERINGS BY THE LET TO HIS INDIAN COUNTERPART
respondent of Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, described the intelligence-sharing as “welcome”, saying it could help in “bridging the trust deficit and enable the countries to jointly deal with the menace of terrorism”.
“But how things move from here would depend a lot on how India reciprocates and assists Pakistan in dealing with its terrorist problem,” he told HT.
Pakistan’s national security adviser Nasser Khan Janjua conveyed information about a potential strike on religious sites and gatherings by the LeT to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Saturday.
Rana Banerji, a former special secretary of the RAW and an old Pakistan hand, said, “This sort of cooperation is certainly new. It hasn’t happened before and needs to be taken seriously. It has probably happened because the Pakistani NSA is a person close to authority.”
Janjua, appointed NSA in October, is a retired general who has the ear of army chief Gen Raheel Sharif. More indications of increased cooperation in counter-terrorism emerged in the wake of the Pathankot attack by members of the Jaish-e-Mohammed. Unlike in the past, Pakistan did not deny Indian accusations about the involvement of the JeM.
But the jury is still out on whether Pakistan has turned a corner or if the terror alert was aimed at pushing efforts to revive stalled talks.
“We need more time to assess things – how constant is the change or whether the Pakistani side is playing safe,” Banerji said.
“Our past experiences have not been very good, the sharing of information led to dead ends. This change could have been because of circumstances, international pressure or Pakistan’s internal threat assessments. It’s still early days.”