Jaish did Dec 13

India is closely watching the 8216;8216;very significant8217;8217; statement by former ISI chief Javed Ashraf Qazi in the Pakistani parl...

India is closely watching the 8216;8216;very significant8217;8217; statement by former ISI chief Javed Ashraf Qazi in the Pakistani parliament on Friday, admitting that the Jaish-e-Mohammed was involved in the Parliament attack of December 13, 2001, as well as in the deaths of 8216;8216;thousands of Kashmiris.8217;8217;

A former Railways Minister in the Musharraf government before the elections in Pakistan, PML-Q Senator Qazi8217;s statement in today8217;s edition of the Lahore-based Daily Times came on the same day that British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw went on record in appreciation of Musharraf8217;s fight against terror, and days before US Secretary of State Colin Powell arrives in the sub-continent to publicly back the same struggle.

8216;8216;We must not be afraid of admitting that Jaish was involved in the deaths of thousands of innocent Kashmiris, bombing the Indian Parliament, Daniel Pearl8217;s murder and attempts on President Musharraf8217;s life,8217;8217; Qazi said.

A former ISI chief from 1993-95 in Benazir Bhutto8217;s second government, Qazi also pointed out that both Jaish and the Lashkar-e-Toiba had harmed the 8216;8216;Kashmir struggle8221; the most.

There was no formal reaction to Qazi8217;s statement in the capital, but privately Indian officials were somewhat wary about celebrating the Pakistani establishment8217;s public admission of guilt as well as involvement in the 15-year-old proxy war in Kashmir.

Fact remains, the officials said, that Jaish chief Masood Azhar was still a free man and probably living in Karachi. And even though Musharraf may have 8216;8216;tactically understood8217;8217; the linkages between the Al-Qaeda terrorists on Pakistan8217;s western border and Kashmiri terrorists on Pakistan8217;s eastern border, it remained to be seen whether Islamabad had made a 8216;8216;strategic leap of faith.8217;8217;

The assessment here is that the Pakistani admissions of involvement are a result of the 8216;8216;tremendous pressure8217;8217; Islamabad is under to capture high-profile leaders of the Al-Qaeda, especially Osama bin Laden, and that the visits of Straw, Powell and former CIA superspy Cofer Black are an indication that the screws are being tightened.

nbsp;	Only Under Pressure

		nbsp;	8226; Dec 13: Pak says it8217;s shocked 8226; Dec 14: India tells Pak crack down on Jaish. Pak hints Indian agencies did it 8226; Dec 15: Musharraf rejects demand 8226; Dec 17: Jaish denies involvement 8226; Dec 22: US 8216;8216;satisfied8217;8217; with Indian evidence, Bush tells Musharraf: act 8226; Dec 24: Pak, US freeze bank accounts of Lashkar, it changes its chief 8226; Dec 25: Jaish chief Masood Azhar detained 8226; Dec 26: Musharraf tells nation he won8217;t allow terrorists to derail country Story continues below this ad	nbsp;

Sources in Pakistan said Qazi also told the Parliament about competitive politics at home over Kashmir. How in 1994, after the Indian parliament passed its own resolution that 8216;8216;all of Kashmir8217;8217; belonged to India, Benazir asked him in his capacity as the ISI chief to speak to the Opposition, so that Pakistan could do something similar. When Qazi approached Nawaz Sharif with this offer, Sharif wanted to know what he would get in return, Qazi said.

But New Delhi also votes with Senator Qazi, who pointed out that sectarian outfits like the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and the Jaish were products of a hatred campaign and were 8216;8216;producing zombies to kill their Muslim brothers.8217;8217; Qazi said intelligence agencies knew about 10,000 religious institutions inciting Shias and Sunnis against each other.

Qazi denied the Opposition charge that the Army alone had decided on Pakistan8217;s Afghan policy, Qazi said former Interior Minister Naseerullah Khan Babar had first contacted the Afghan commanders. He said Arab countries had always accused Pakistan of harboring terrorists. And that Egyptian president Anwar Sadaat8217;s killer had taken refuge in Peshawar. He said Pakistan had first acted against the terrorists network in 1994.