The Intelligence Bureau says after the Akshardham attack in September 2002 the ISI instructed all terror outfits to float new names to divert investigators. The ISI had also made it clear that more persons of Indian origin should be recruited so that it gives the impression that it was an inside job.
Since this directive was issued, many outfits have been born. The Tehriq-e-Qasas claimed responsibility for the Akshardham attack. Responsibility for Mumbai's 11/7 train attacks was claimed through an e-mail by a new group called the Lashkar e Qahar. The Inquilabi Group claimed responsibility for the October 29, 2005 attack in New Delhi while the Lashkar-e-Qaharby claimed it had organised the terror attack in Varanasi in 2006.
The IB says while ISI remains the father figure for all these outfits, the Lashkar-e-Tayiba is key for strikes in India. After the heat on the Lashkar-e-Tayiba was stepped up, the Harkat ul Jihadi Islami was formed with the help of Bangladeshi immigrants. This to a large extent took the pressure off the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, which was being blamed for every terror strike in India.
Phase II of Pakistan's proxy war against India
Image: A member of the Gujarat Commando Force stands guard over a prayer meeting at the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar.
Photograph: Sam Nariman Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images
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