When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was discussing the Hafiz Saeed issue with Asif Ali Zardari Sunday afternoon, with Pakistan’s President reiterating “lack of evidence” and legal complications involved, Indian intelligence agencies intercepted a wireless message conveying a directive from the terrorist chief.
The intercept couldn’t have come at a more embarrassing moment for Pakistan, which has always avoided taking strong action against Saeed, a protégé of its Inter-Services Intelli-gence.
Top Indian intelligence sources said the conversation was between two top Lashkar-e-Tayyaba commanders on opposite sides of the border: one of them quoted Saeed in giving a direct order to the other to immediately step up violence in the Kashmir Valley.
It is suspected the man who passed on Saeed’s order is Azam Cheema, LeT’s operational chief in India, who is now believed to be in Muridke in Pakistan-occupied Kash-mir. “In all probability it is Cheema’s voice, but we are still getting a voice sampling done. This needs to be taken seriously as a top Lashkar commander is passing on instructions,” an intelligence official said.
The top brass in New Delhi’s security establishment claims this intercept proves there has been no let-up in Saeed’s anti-Indian activities despite the United States offering a $10 million bounty on him. Officials here feel there is reason to believe Pakistan is not serious about acting against Saeed.
Details of this intercept will be included in the updated dossier on Saeed to be presented to Pakistan during the forthcoming home secretary-level talks.