New Delhi, Nov 25 : A nine-member high-level team, comprising officials of India’s Home Ministry and other security agencies, led by no less than then Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta was in Pakistan, when Mumbai was attacked by the LeT terrorists with direct involvement of Pakistan military-intelligence establishment, wrote R.S.N.Singh in the Indian Defence Review. Singh is a former military intelligence officer and later served in Research and Analysis Wing.
The team arrived in Islamabad on Nov 24, 2008, and was due to return two days later, i.e.November 26.The hospitality was extended an extra day, though it was not known.It involved a night in Murree, a hillstation located 60 km northeast Islamabad.
Singh wrote that there are reports that the Pakistani authorities made sure that the team was not in communication at that location during the attack on Mumbai.
Murree housed some of the most important members of India’s security apparatus that were required to make key decisions during the attack.
These included the Union Home secretary, the Joint Secretary for Internal Security, and the Director for Internal Security.Other identities and designations cannot be disclosed due to security and secrecy.
The article stated that one senior official was added to the team at a late stage, and that it was at the request of a senior minister.
This official is believed to have convinced the Home Secretary and other officials to extend their hospitality.
One member of the team was probably the one who smelled the rat and returned to Islamabad, citing urgent engagements at home.It was the same official who was hounded by the police for his stand in the Ishrat Jahan matter, it said.
Partially, Pakistan was able to paralyse the Indian internal security command and control system during the critical hours of attack.
The article states that the “Murree Hijacking” is a classic example of strategic deception by Pakistan.
Conventional warfare includes strategic deception.It is used to convince the enemy of the objective of war.Once forces are joined, surprise is another aspect of war.It said that military history is full of examples of innovative and creative strategies of strategic deception.
It adds that “but this would be the first-time that a nation state has used strategic deception to support terrorist attack by nonstate actors.”
Accordingly, “26/11” is an act of war.China attacked Vietnam in 1978 while Mr Atal Bihari Valjpayee was visiting as Foreign Minister.This was seen as a humiliation for the visiting dignitary.
It added that the “Murree Hijacking” surpasses both humiliation and treachery by leaps.
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