Geopolitics of terrorism and it’s rising threat

 October 07, 2023 can be considered as a major turning point in the world of terrorism, when Hamas attacked Israel. For the first few hours Hamas terrorists rampaged through the border territory that separates the Gaza strip from Israel and carried out atrocities against humanity through their targeting of civilians, killing over 1200 and kidnapping 248 in this initial attack. Hamas adheres to an extreme ideology of Islamic terrorism blended with Palestinian nationalism that gives a veneer of legitimacy in the Arab world while being dedicated to the destruction of Israel; with its preferred methods to achieve dominance includes rocket attacks, random shootings, kidnappings and suicide bombings. However, since Hamas has not been designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, it receives constant funding from Qatar and Iran that allows it to build grassroots support among the Palestinians in Gaza, while constantly upgrading its military capacity.

 Going backwards in time, it was on 15 August 2021, that the Taliban marched into Kabul and took over Afghanistan as the U.S. military and its allies hastily evacuated that country. This victory of the Taliban over the great Western powers was a major morale boost every terrorist organization across the globe. Regardless of the Doha accord that was brokered by Qatar between the Taliban and USA; the consensus between all terrorist organizations is that the Taliban won a protracted 20-years war against the Western military might and most importantly that their modern military could be defeated. In the West, there is a growing consensus that Afghanistan has become a center of terrorist activities that is already affecting the neighboring regions, with terrorists’ groups having greater freedom of activities without any hindrance from the de-facto administrators of that country.  The influence of the Taliban is today an integral part of the global Islamist terrorist narrative.

 Since retaking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban has transformed the schools into religious madrassas (Islamic schools), where boys are indoctrinated by mullahs in extremist ideology that includes hatred for USA, Israel, and Europe. Former terrorists from Arab states are tasked with drilling recruits in military training and ideological instructions. Their efforts are focused on producing a new generation of well-trained and radically educated extremists. In this context, Hamas had been the first to congratulate the Taliban on their victory in 2021 and the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, in a telephone conversation with Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan and a senior Taliban leader had stated that “the end of the U.S. occupation was a prelude to the demise of all occupation forces, foremost of which is the Israeli occupation of Palestine”. Coming to present times, the most surprising part of Hamas’ devastating cross-border attack was its complexity. Rarely in history has a terrorist organization been able to fight from the air, sea, and land; leaving no doubt that members of the Hamas were trained in battle tactics by various experienced terrorists and that a large number of Taliban and other Arab-origin fighters might have been part of the attackers in this operation.

 Terrorism has the power to destroy peace processes, dangerously escalate volatile situations and push countries onto the path of long and destructive wars. It is said that “Those who forget their history are condemned to repeat it.” It was an assassin’s bullet in Sarajevo that resulted in World War I and produced 40 million casualties, and it was the 3,000 persons killed in New York on Sept 11, 2001 that launched the U.S. led global war on terror in which an estimated 3.6 to 3.8 million have since perished. This current Hamas-Israel conflict already has ramifications far beyond the Middle-East. This terrorist attack should be ringing alarm bells across the world. Every country has its own enemies who seek an opportunity to exploit that country’s social and political divisiveness, civil distractions and security challenges. Fomenting domestic political violence would be one of the foremost strategies, alongwith cross-border terrorism.

 Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel has significant repercussions on the Ukraine-Russia war. While both Russia and Ukraine are seeking political and diplomatic support from international communities, the Hamas–Israel war is taking global attention and resources away from Ukraine’s war efforts. This change of focus by the global community could lead to a diminished economic and military assistance for that country, even though the USA has reconfirmed that it will maintain military and economic support for Ukraine as its strategic priority. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was quick to condemn Hamas’s actions in an effort to clearly align his policy with that of the USA’s position of supporting Israel, but at the same time he wants to avoid alienating the Arab world, especially Saudi Arabia.

 Russia, as a part if it’s multi-polar sphere of influence policy has not condemned Hamas directly, and has blamed the policies of the USA for this current Middle-East crisis. Russia has a longstanding relationship with Hamas. By offering to serve as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians, Russia shows that it is aligning explicitly with the global south, seeking to erode the USA led liberal world order and pushing forth the concept of a growing multi-polar world of global politics, calling for a ‘just solution’ to the Palestinian problem, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

 The two wars of the world; Russia fighting Ukraine, and the Hamas-Israel conflict has pushed up the cost of living across the world and severely diminished the heath and well-being of people, specially those mired in poverty. With growing food insecurity, over 258 million people in 58 plus countries are in a food crisis or in a moderate to severe food insecurity. European countries are facing soaring energy prices, leading to a decline in economic growth. There is also the impact on global financial markets. European countries have suffered large losses, with East Europe affected through disrupted trade links and West Europe affected through their ownership investments. There is no doubt that Europe will feel the long-term financial impact of the war more severely than other countries.

 The Gaza-Israel conflict has already led to a tragic loss of lives and is a severe risk to the fragile peace in the middle-east. The economic repercussions of this crisis will depend on the extent and duration of the fighting, the associated geopolitical effect and the strong possibility of increased terrorist attacks. From the global economic perspective, energy security is the most important issue. The developing situation might lead to severe supply disruption, particularly if the crisis brings Iran into the war directly, or if the general unrest and terrorist attacks in Iraq reduces the oil production there. Apart from the fact that the Middle-east is a crucial supplier of energy, it is also a key shipping passageway. Whether the hostilities remain confined to Gaza and Israel, or escalates to a direct military confrontation between Israel and Iran; the result will be the same; increased cost of energy supplies, slower economic growth and higher inflation.

 Regardless of how this conflict continues, any hope for a stable Middle-East has suffered a set-back, maybe for a long time. The world is today mired in regional conflict that have negative global effects. The two ongoing wars, the US-China trade war, and the rising potential for a conflict over Taiwan, shows that the world is today in a state of constant disruptions, and that geopolitics will drive the economic outcomes across regions.

 The Republic of Bharat (India) has charted its own course during these turbulent times. Bharat has stood firm in its policy of public neutrality towards every country involved in these conflicts, either directly or though the support structure on behalf of the participants. Bharat has consistently called for the “respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states” and for “an immediate cessation of violence and hostilities”. It is constantly advising that “dialogue is the only answer to settling differences and disputes”. Bharat has ascended to the international stage as a great power without committing to any economic or military alliances that might entangle its progress. This ascent is best guaranteed through the path of peace and goodwill when surrounded by competing power centers that can be leveraged to derive benefits amid their mutual rivalries, while keeping its own interests in mind without forming any alliances to realize its geopolitical objectives. Essentially, Bharat prefers a multipolar global order that allows it to maneuver between several diverse blocs, exploiting their differences depending on the issues-at-hand, to secure gains for itself while avoiding permanent alignments with anyone.

 

References:  

https://foreignpolicy.com

https://warontherocks.com

https://www.amjmed.com

https://www.usip.org

https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/

https://www.economicsobservatory.com/

https://www.bloomberg.com/

https://carnegieendowment.org/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Israeli intelligence failure – or a deep rooted conspiracy?

On Saturday 07^th October 2023, the terrorist group Hamas based out of the Gaza strip caught the State of Israel by complete surprise, breaking through an electronically powered physical fence that is supposed to have cost over a billion US dollars in its creation, to safe-guard the security of Israel. The fence was breached at multiple sites and the entire concept of its existence crashed, along-with the credibility of the Israeli intelligence services.

Three issues are glaring prominent in this attack. The 1^st is the speed, training and focus of the Hamas terrorists when they broke through the fence, invaded Israeli territories, captured and transported hostages back to Gaza while indiscriminately killing civilians. The 2^nd issue is the lack of an immediate response by the Israeli Defense Forces. It took the IDF over six hours to enter this battle-field, stripping away the much-publicized fantasy of the IDF being a professionally trained and highly skilled, mobile fighting force. The 3^rd issue was the global reputation of the Israeli intelligence services. “Mossad”, the civilian–military intelligence and anti-terrorist strike force; the “Military Intelligence Directorate” which is to supposed to inform the Israeli government and IDF with intelligence warnings and alerts on a daily basis; the "Shin bet", the organization charged with maintaining internal security, including in the Israeli-occupied territories; the “Combat Intelligence Collection Corps” which is the newest of the IDF GOC Army Headquarters' five corps, created in April 2000 and tasked with collecting combat intelligence; and “Lekem” (Lishka le-Kishrei Mada) which is tasked to collect scientific and technical intelligence abroad from both open and covert sources, and was supposed to have been disbanded in 1986, but never confirmed to have been so.  

All five of these intelligence services seem to have failed their primary purpose of keeping their government informed of the activities of their immediate enemy, the State of Palestine and its armed factions Hamas (specifically it’s Qassam brigades), Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Palestinian Liberation Front, as-Sa’iqa, Fatah al-Intifada, Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine; etc.

Hamas, which started the current attack on Israel, was created in 1987 as an off-shoot of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political movement. The Muslim Brotherhood identifies itself as a Sunni Islamist organization that was founded in Egypt in 1928, by Hassan al-Banna, and Islamic scholar and school teacher. Hamas has been financed regularly by Iran and Qatar, two counties which are seemingly at odds with each other the former being Shi’a and the latter being Sunni. Yet, both have funded Hamas and other terrorist organizations due to their common hatred against Israel.

Iran has had a complex relationship with Israel. This relationship has changed from military and economic close cooperation before the Iranian revolution of 1979, to complete hostility, with Iran supporting Hamas and the Islamic Jihad for Palestine in Gaza, and the Hezbollah in Lebanon. Before the 1979 revolution, when most Arab countries in Middle-East were in opposition to the existence of Israel, the then Shah of Iran supported Israeli settlers in what was considered as Palestine territories.  The Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi recognized Israel as a sovereign state in 1950. Economic, political and military cooperation between these two countries expanded rapidly while tensions between Israel and the Arab countries escalated in the 1960s and 1970s.

Before the Shah of Iran was deposed in 1979, Israel had undertaken a multi-billion-dollar project to sell advanced, surface-to-surface missiles to Iran. This project, code named ‘Flower’, was one of the six oil-for-arms contract signed in Tehran in April 1977 by Shah Reza Pahlavi and Shimon Peres, the then Defense Minister of Israel. The Flower project, involved the production of missiles with warheads weighing 750 Kgs and a tactical range of 480 kms. This joint missile program envisaged shipping the missiles from Israel to Iran, in the form of components for assembly and testing. Operation Flower was just one of the many joint military projects between the two countries. According to de-classified documents available in the USA’s Library of Congress, other projects included advanced radar systems, converting aircraft for maritime surveillance purposes, and enhancing the missiles program to enable their launch from submarines.

Even after 1979, when the Shah of Iran was deposed by the Islamic Revolution, the Iran-Israel military cooperation continued discreetly with Israel supplying arms, ammunition and military aid to Iran during its 10-year war against Saddam Hussain’s Iraq, in the 1980s. Various sources has estimated that, with the tactic approval of the USA, Iran was provided military aid of approximately US$ 2 billion in that period. The clandestine cooperation did not stop there. During the Iran-Contra affair, Israel played a crucial role as a facilitator of arms shipments from USA to Iran in 1985 and 1986.

All this came to an end when Yasser Arafat, the then PLO Chairman signed the Oslo Accords on 13 September 1993, with Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, in the presence of the then President of USA, Bill Clinton. This prompted the Ayatollahs of Iran to begin their campaign to create new armed Islamist groups in Palestine and Lebanon, while increasing their support to existing ones. While Iran is estimated to be funding US$ 100 million annually to Hamas, it has also publicly acknowledged that it is also supplying the rockets used by Hamas to target Israel. In 2012, Iran’s military commanders disclosed that they had provided over 50 thousand rockets and over half a million anti-tank missiles to militants in Gaza; alongwith the technology to manufacture the Fajr-5 missiles in Gaza itself.

It seems hard to believe that none of this was noted seriously by the five intelligence agencies of Israel.

Now, let us look at the role played by Qatar in their support for Hamas. Throughout the last 60 odd years, Qatar has facilitated and funded radical Islamist ideologies and provided a safe haven to their leaders inside Qatar. The entire leadership of Hamas are permanent residents of Qatar, lavishly hosted and richly funded by Qatar’s ruling al-Thani family. Beyond this, Qatar is funding an assertive Islamist social environment in the West through its investment in Islamic education and academic fields in the UK, funding of British schools, universities, community centers and Islamic centers; essentially funding Islamic extremism. Qatar is an unspoken enemy of Bharat [India] through its acts of liberally funding the Pakistani Army, which in turn funds terrorism in Kashmir. Other terrorists that Qatar has openly supported are the Taliban, the Muslim Brotherhood, certain al-Qaeda affiliates and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

With only 350,000 nationals; but with constant access to enormous wealth through its natural gas reserves, Qatar seeks to exercise an international influence that is disproportionate to its geographical size, not only in the Middle-East, but across the world. Qatar’s protection from any global action is insured by its “investments” in the political parties and politicians in the UK, the USA and the EU. Governments of these countries, regardless of which political party is in power, seek to maintain good relationships with Qatar in order to benefit from its huge energy reserves, to sell defense equipment to it, and to attract Qatari investment into key infrastructure and energy projects. Bharat [India] and its ruling politicians are no exception. They allowed an investment of one billion US dollars by the Qatar Investment Authority into Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail Ventures. Beyond this, Qatar has made investments into media houses, real estate, infrastructure, financial institutions and investment funds. So, when thousands of Indian origin construction workers are killed in Qatar under inhuman working conditions or very soon, eight retired officers of our navy are hanged at the whim of Qatar’s ruling family, do not be shocked. According to our Government and our bureaucracy, sacrificing a few Indian lives and our honor and price for the billions in investments; is just the price of doing business with Qatar.  

Qatar’s ruling family, the al-Thani’s have perfected the art of being on all sides of a conflict and supporting everyone against each other. While funding the Hamas and allowing its leaders to enjoy residency in Qatar, it has positioned itself to be a key negotiator for the release of Israeli hostages, and at the same time preserved its close security and economic ties with the USA. Qatar hosts the forward HQs of the U.S. military’s Central Command at the al-Udeid Air base in Doha. This gives Qatar the safety shield that it needs from any military attacks from its neighbors while being publicly praised by USA as its major non-NATO ally, critically important to U.S. foreign policy in the region. This support from USA comes at a cost of tens of millions of dollars that Qatar spends though its lobbyists in Washington DC, and influences the U.S. lawmakers through investments in law-makers constituencies, contributing to their election fund-raising, sponsored visits to Qatar (Minnesota Congress woman Ilhan Omar’s visit to the soccer World cup was fully funded by Qatar) and has been accused of bribing this same Congress woman in exchange for sensitive intelligence information and to influence U.S. policy in its favor.

When caught in illegal acts, Qatar falls back on their policy of threatening to restrict energy supplies to countries that accuse it of corrupt and unethical practices.

The attack on Israel by Hamas has to be considered as a geo-political strategy by Iran and Qatar, working to destabilize the Middle-East peace process for their own gains. The current conflict has successfully stalled and maybe destroyed the Israel–Saudi Arabi Normalization Agreement, allowed Iran to gain prominence in the region’s politics, while putting those Arab states that have signed peace agreements with Israel into a difficult position whereby while trying to honor these agreements they have to deal with the unrest on the ground by their Muslim citizens who are majorly anti-Israel. This works in the favor of Qatar who is opposed to the global influence of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, who have accused Qatar of various crimes in the past. The Hamas offensive has encouraged smaller terrorist groups to attack U.S forces in the region, with rocket attacks on American military installations in Iraq and Syria.

If the current Hamas–Israel expands to become a U.S–Iran conflict, even through the use of proxies, it will affect global economy. Europe which is already under economic recessions due to the Ukraine–Russia war, will be adversely impacted as energy supplies from the Gulf would become scarce. The U.S. economy might also tip into severe recession and higher inflation, leading to a domino effect on other economies of the world that are tied to the U.S. economy. Scarcity of energy resources will mean higher logistics costs, increased production costs and reduced consumer spending.

The first question to be asked is this. At what point will USA, UK and the EU decide to abandon their support to Qatar to stop its funding of terrorists across the world, and try to normalize ties with Iran? Unless the influence of Qatar is removed from the geo-political equation, peace or even a restless peace will not materialize.

Therefore, the unspoken question has to be asked. Did Israel and its allies have complete knowledge of the impending Hamas attack on Israel, but decided to let it happen anyway for a greater geo-political strategy? The other line of thought is that, prior to this Hamas terrorist attack of 7^th October, the politics of Israel was deeply divided. Their current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on trial for corruption, and was being tried in their Court of Law for fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes. Three of his former close confidants have turned State’s evidence and are testifying against him. The current war is a welcome diversion from political problems, even if it has caused the killings of thousands on both sides. So, the moot question arises. Did some interested parties in Israel manipulate intelligence information for party political gains, not realizing that what they might have expected to be nothing more than ‘containable violence’, actually turned out to be a full-scale invasion?

While many will assume these questions to be in the area of an ‘unbelievable conspiracy’, the relationships of the past between the various players in the middle-east, the current relationships between Islamic nations and their fundamentalists, the issues faced by Israeli politicians in their own country, and their singular relationships with the USA; all of these will determine the outcome of the present Hamas–Israel conflict.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canada: Bogged in a swamp of its own making

Much is being said across the world about the massive controversy between India and Canada that was triggered by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement in his parliament, accusing India and its law-enforcement agencies of the targeted killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar; a wanted criminal with a Interpol arrest warrant in his name, who was given safe haven by Canada in-spite of his association to terrorists activities.

 The news agency Associated Press calls him ‘a plumber who was an activist for the formation of a Sikh homeland’. That would be the same as calling the al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden a civil construction engineer. The fact is that Nijjar was a terrorist, a drug distribution gangster and was involved in extortion and murder. Credible evidence to these facts had been provided by the Indian Govt to the Canadians repeatedly; and these reports were absolutely ignored. But, we the readers, know all of this from the media.

 What we are not fully aware of is the role played by the Canadian law-enforcement and Intelligence organizations, specifically the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) which is the equivalent of the Indian CBI, and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) which is the equivalent of India’s Intelligence Bureau (IB) and R&AW, rolled into one.

 Prior to 1984, security intelligence in Canada was the purview of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). However, during the 1970s, there were allegations that the RCMP’s Security Service Division, the predecessor to CSIS, had been involved in numerous illegal activities. These illegal activities included and were not restricted to assault with a weapon, manslaughter, rape, theft, breaking and entering without a warrant, sexual harassment of convicts, sexual and mental harassment of female RCMP employees, a pattern of lying to the Canadian Govt officials and other assorted offenses. For details, click this link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_excessive_police_force_incidents_in_Canada/

 The Canadian Press in its report of 19 September 2023 has stated that the slain terrorist Nijjar was meeting the Canadian Security Intelligence Service officers “once or twice a week” including one or two days before his June 18 killing, with another meeting scheduled for two days after his death. The question is why? Why were the Canadian spy agency officials in regular meetings with a known fugitive from justice?

 Spy agencies recruit criminals (accused or convicted) based on three parameters; greed, revenge and ideology. Njjar would have been ideal for all three categories; the need for money for his activities, revenge against India and propagating the ideology of Khalistan. But what was the advantage that CSIS was hoping to attain? Being a professional agency, it can be assumed that they were building cases against Khalistani terrorists and the Punjabi-Canadian narco-gangs operating within Canada; while in reality their political masters are shielding Khalistani operatives from prosecution within Canada and offering them safe haven and an unrestricted license to operate their divisive agenda. The requirements of the political vote-bank support from the radical Sikh community clearly surpasses the safety and security of the Canadian nation and its people.

 Therefore, the role of CSIS can be construed to be two-fold. One, would be to have an insider man in the Khalistani movement, who could give advance information about threats to the Canadian society within country, and the second could be a puppet to use in foreign policy strategy of the Canadian Govt. The former could be considered as standard operating procedure of any intelligence agency and would not be considered abnormal. However, it is the second reason that raises warning flags for India.

 Historically, Canada has been known to be weak in matters of law-enforcement, military operations and counter insurgency. Being isolated from most of the world by two oceans and protected militarily by their immediate neighbor to the South, the USA; Canada is looked up as a non-dependable and passive member of the global power structure of the Western countries. In August 2005, the deputy Director of Operations of the CSIS, Jack Hooper had testified before the Canadian Senate Committee on National Security and Defense, and had explained to the politicians of that committee, that Canada has a problem with terrorists in general and with home-grown terrorists in particular. His statements were met with disbelief by the Members of Parliament, and it was openly speculated in the media that Hooper was vastly exaggerating. This reaction reflected Canada’s attitude towards terrorism; as somebody else’s problem, and not their concern.

 But the reality is ugly. Whether Canadians realize it or refuse to accept it, Canada has from a long time back, become a source of international terrorism and an operational base for global terror; a country where the world’s deadliest extremists’ movements are active and thriving. According to the 2016 report of CSIS, there are a number of terrorist’s groups operating in Canada; engaging in fund-raising, procuring arms and ammunition, spreading propaganda, recruiting followers and planning cross-border terrorism.

 Armenian terrorists were the first to recognize Canada’s potential as a safe haven, followed by the Khalistanis from India, the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, the Palestine factions and the Hezbollah. By 1998, every major terrorist group in the world was operating in Canada. The Canadian Senate Sub-committee on security and intelligence reported way back in 1999, that Canada had become a ‘venue of opportunity’ for terrorists. So, what are these terrorist organizations doing in Canada? The answer is, everything.

 They have established their own international support network to raise funding for terrorism and spread their ideology through every media channel. With offices throughout their regions of influence; socially acceptable activities that support their organizations with money, false passports and IDs, information, media outreach; and most importantly, their craving for credibility. Canada is the land of opportunity for terrorists seeking funding to finance their campaigns.

 The Khalistan movement in particular, depends on the Punjabi and Sikh diaspora for funding and support, in part due to its tightly knit community structure. Added to this, job opportunities are plenty in Canada and the welfare system is generous. Immigrants are entitled to all the rights of Canadian citizens. As an added advantage to terrorist organizations, until December 2001 it was absolutely legal to collect money in Canada for terrorists’ groups. Canada’s anti-terrorism law now prohibits this, but its enforcement is proving to be a difficult task since the law is not retroactive, which means that it cannot be used to prosecute terrorists for crimes committed before it was enacted.

The other type of fund-raising is through criminal activities. Terrorists groups in Canada are involved in bank fraud, migrant smuggling, human sex slave trafficking, loan frauds, extortion, theft, money laundering and drug distribution. This has resulted in Canadian terrorists killing people across the world.

 The 1993 World Trade Center bombings in New York, the suicide bombings in Israel, political killings in India, the 1985 bombing of Air India’s flight that killed 329 people, the 1996 Colombo truck bomb that killed over 100 civilians, and the Bali bombing of 2002 are some of the known terrorists attacks linked back to Canada. The singular reason why terrorists have unrestricted advantages in Canada is the Canadian government’s long-standing reluctance to confront the challenges of terrorism. As important as this is, its equally important to understand the complacency of the Canadian society towards terrorism. The Canadian society worries more about their government infringing heavily on their human rights and civil liberties. This complacency affects its politicians too. In its handling of terrorist groups operating in Canada, the government has missed opportunities to shut down their activities and has constantly display an astounding level of indifference to countries affected by terrorism. The Canadian branch of Babbar Khalsa (which is internationally designated as a terrorist organization) was allowed to be registered as a charity organization and to issue tax exemption receipts to financial donors.

 The Liberal political party of Justin Trudeau as well as the other political parties of Canada have avoided any public discussion on the role of terrorists in their country. In their logic of sound political strategy, to take a stand against terrorism was to risk losing the support of those groups who buy influence on the promise of delivering the support of ethnic vote-banks. One such influencer group is the New Democratic Party (NDP) which currently gives crucial support and stability to Justin Trudeau’s government. Incidentally, the NDP was formed in 1961 and had supported the minority government formed by Pierre Trudeau’s (Justin Trudeau’s father’s) Liberal Party from 1972 to 1974. The Khalistani influence started on October 1, 2017, when Jagmeet Singh, won the leadership vote to head the NDP. He is the first person of a minority group to lead a major Canadian federal political party on a permanent basis. He is also a self-declared hardline supporter of the Khalistani movement.

 The biggest danger to Canada today is the single-minded focus of its activists, politicians and a large section of the academia, on the rights of those accused of terrorism, without any regard to the right of Canadian citizens to defend themselves from the threat of terrorism. A foreign security official once stated publicly that, “Canada is a land of trusting fools”. Canadian intelligence authorities have been disrupting terrorists’ groups frequently. But, after being caught the worst that happens to these accused terrorists is deportation. And even then, most of those ordered out of the country never leave. Under the Canadian legal system, they are allowed to appeal multiple times against deportation.

 CSIS has been investigating Sikh extremism since August 1984, after the Sikh youth group ISYF, aka the Dashmesh Regiment, had allegedly complied a hit-list of moderate Sikhs in Canada. However, the surveillance tactics of the CSIS left a lot to be desired; and due to their lack of adequate resources, low interest to investigate every scrap of information received and inter-agency bickering with the RCMP, resulted with their on and off surveillance of Talwinder Singh Parmar, whose extradition was sought by India since May 1982. Even with actionable information received in advance of the possibility of an attack against Air India, the CSIS was unable to stop it. After this tragedy, they could never convict Parmar for the planning and carrying out the bombing of Air India’s “Kanishka” airplane, and it was left to the Indian authorities to terminate Parmar permanently in an encounter in Jalandhar, Punjab on 15 October 1992.

 The very same policies that made Canada the safe haven for international terrorists also assisted in the formation of the Punjabi–Canadian organized crime gangs. These Punjabi origin gangs of Canada are today among the top 5 organized crime hierarchy across that nation. The Dosanjh gang of brothers Ranjit and Jimsher Dosanjh, Rajinder Singh Sandhu and Suminder Singh Grewal of the Hell’s Angels, and Gurmit Singh Dhak were some of the early gangsters who developed deep ties with the Khalistani terrorists in those early days of the terrorist–gangster unity. In recent times, a major drug bust conducted in April 2021 broke up an Indo-Canadian trafficking network primarily based in Brampton, Ontario. Of the 28 arrested, the majority were India-born Punjabi men. Police seized $2.3 million worth of drugs.

The main trade of the Indo-Canadian crime groups are murder-for-hire operations, along with arms trafficking, racketeering, extortion, assassinations, and the trafficking of cocaine, heroin, MDMA, methamphetamine and cannabis. 

 Indo-Canadian crime syndicates, are funding secessionist groups, including Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), in a bid to rekindle the Khalistan movement in India. Crime syndicates like Dhaliwal and Grewal gangs, involved in drug trafficking and operating out of the Canadian state of British Columbia, are linked to SFJ leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu. The US based pro-Khalistan SFJ group was banned by the Indian government in July 2019 for its anti-Indian activities. The SFJ, which also has links with Pakistani establishments, has been pushing for a referendum for self-determination by the Sikh community in support of Khalistan. Several key activists of SFJ have been identified in India and as of now over a dozen cases have been registered against each of them.

Pakistan’s spy agency the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) has turned several chiefs of Sikh terror groups into drug smugglers. It is an established fact that the ISI is using Khalistani terrorists to smuggle narcotics and provide funds to terror various groups for anti-India activities. Recently, the Peel Regional Police in Canada arrested more than a dozen people on different charges including mail theft. Most of the arrested individuals are of Punjabi origin. The investigators claimed that the accused parties were stealing mail by breaking into Canada post mailboxes or simply grabbing it from roadside residential mailboxes. They would target cheques, credit cards, and identification documents and often altered and deposited the stolen cheques into various banks before withdrawing the funds.

The Sunday Guardian reported in August 2022, that an attempt for a large-scale revival of the Khalistani movement was being coordinated from Pakistan with the involvement of narco-terrorists in India and Canada. 

It is speculated in foreign intelligence agencies that the Indo-Canadian criminal network has entered and is deeply entrenched within the Canadian law enforcement agencies including the RCMP and CSIS. Pro–Khalistan elements are now exercising significant influence inside Canada’s government offices because of the electoral power that some in their community wields in that country.  

Apart from the radical elements, descendants of Pakistani Army officials, who migrated to Canada in the latter part of 1900 and are now naturalised Canadian citizens, are occupying crucial posts in different offices in Canada and are contributing in nurturing, protecting and expanding the narco-terrorism ring that operates from Canada, and which has now become the biggest hub for sending drugs to European countries and the United Kingdom. 

The deaths of three Khalistani leaders in rapid succession in countries other than India; with two manifest killings and a third that has been brought into dispute, have created a storm of speculation regarding the possibilities of covert operations by India’s external intelligence agency, R&AW. Most of this commentary is devoid of context, and its tone and content are based entirely on the sentiments and affiliations of the media ‘analysts’.

While the death of three Khalistani extremists in widely dispersed locations abroad over a relatively brief period of 45 days is certainly surprising and may call for close police scrutiny, it does fit into a broader context of narco-criminal alliances, and their activities have seen numerous incidents of violence, including killing of each other’s members, in the past. While the possibility of covert operations by state agencies cannot automatically be ruled out, the sudden acquisition of capability and intent, and its abrupt operational usage in multiple cases, does not fit into the profile of a non-violent, slow acting intelligence agency of long-standing.

A careful study of the past deaths of Khalistani terrorists and Indo-Punjabi gang members show a different picture. On November 19, 2022; a prominent Pakistan-based operational commander of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Harvinder Singh aka Rinda, died at a military hospital in Lahore, allegedly due to a drug overdose. Rinda was among the foreign based ‘masterminds’ of the Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters at Mohali in Punjab on May 9, 2022. The incident has also been linked to several gangsters abroad, crucially including Lakhbir Singh aka Landa in Canada, Satbir Singh aka Satnam Singh in Greece, and Yadwinder Singh in the Philippines.

On January 27, 2020, another arms and drug dealer, as well as the then ‘chief’ of the KLF, Harmeet Singh alias ‘Happy PhD’, was killed at the Dera Chahal Gurdwara near Lahore, apparently because of a financial dispute over drug deals with a local Pakistani gang. It is within these murky environments of the Khalistani-narcotics-gangs network, patronized and substantially controlled by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI); that the killing of Paramjit Singh Panjwar needs to be assessed.

Panjwar was deeply involved in the smuggling of heroin, weapons and Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) from Pakistan, even as he sought to keep the KCF alive with the revenues generated from these activities. There is as yet no clarity on who killed Panjwar, and the case is unlikely to be solved in Pakistan, where Panjwar’s existence is not even acknowledged, and where his death was reported as the killing of ‘Malik Sardar Singh’, the identity he had been given by the ISI. Furthermore, Panjwar would not be a very high priority target for Indian agencies, were they to begin drawing up any ‘hit-lists’.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on whose behalf the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken on a political risk with his blatantly false statements in his own parliament; has however, been high among India’s concerns about Khalistani elements in Canada. Nijjar had been accused of two killings in Punjab and for organizing terrorist training camps in Canada itself. Indian intelligence has reported that Nijjar had links with gangster Arshdeep Singh aka Arsh Dalla, to provide the logistics and manpower for several of his operations in Punjab. Nijjar has long been associated with an often-violent Gurudwara politics in Canada, and for his well-known clashes with the principal architect of the Air India flight 182 Kanishka Bombing of 1985, Ripudaman Singh Malik.

On January 23, 2022, at the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Surrey, Nijjar ranted against Malik for over an hour, describing him as a “Qaum da gaddaar” (traitor to the nation) and an “agent”, adding that he should be “taught a lesson.” Malik was killed in a gang-style hit, very similar to Nijjar’s own subsequent killing, by two men on 22 June, 2022. Investigations into Nijjar’s killing are likely to be a dead-end, as were investigations into the Ripudaman Singh Malik’s killing.

When Justin Trudeau publicly accused India for being involved in Nijjar’s death, his credibility dropped even further than usual; since it is from Canada that a continuous separatist campaign is being fueled and funded by Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Indian origin, and where extremists openly flaunt their affiliations with terrorists, and their close connections with Justin Trudeau’s ruling Liberal Party.

In Canada, the Punjabi gangster culture is rampant. Twenty-one per cent of gangsters killed in gang wars or police operations since 2006 are of Punjabi origin, while only two per cent of Canada’s population is Punjabi. Of the eleven individuals identified by the Canadian law-enforcement in August 2022 as those who “pose a significant threat to public safety due to their ongoing involvement in gang conflicts and connection to extreme levels of violence”, nine of these listed gangsters were of Punjabi origin. These gangs have come to dominate organized criminal activity in Canada, with fratricidal conflicts within the Punjabi gangs accounting for much of the present gang violence.

Therefore, the more credible explanation of Nijjar’s killing seems to be differences within their own vicious political and criminal connections, rather than the policy of the Indian government.

 

References:

1.    The Sikh Diaspora www.journals.openedition.org

2.    Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies www.ipcs.org

3.    Canadian Press www.thecanadianpress.com

4.    Wikipedia

5.    Public Safety Canada www.publicsafety.gc.ca

6.    Cold Terror by Stuart Bell

7.    The Wilson Centre www.wilsoncenter.org

8.    JSTOR www.jstor.org

9.    www.justice.gc.ca

 

 

 

 

 

From Disarray to Organized Warfare: The Evolution of Cyber-Crime...

In today’s digital age, cyber-crime has undergone a significant transformation. What once seemed to be isolated incidents of hacking and data breaches have now evolved into a form of organized warfare in the virtual realm. Cyber-crime has been transformed into a complex, organized, and even state-sponsored form of warfare.

In the early days, cyber-crime was largely characterized by individual hackers or small groups seeking personal gains. These were opportunistic attacks targeting vulnerable systems for financial profit or recognition. This disorganized approach made it challenging for law enforcement agencies to track and counter these threats effectively.

Over time, cyber-crime evolved from a solitary endeavor to the formation of cyber-crime syndicates. These criminal groups started operating like modern-day corporations, with specialized roles and hierarchical structures. Their motives expanded beyond financial gain to include corporate espionage, data theft, and even hacktivism.

The distinction between cyber-crime and state-sponsored cyber-attacks has become increasingly blurry. Nation-states have recognized the potential of cyber warfare as a powerful tool for achieving political, economic, and military objectives. This has led to the emergence of state-sponsored hacking groups that are often well-funded, well-equipped, and highly organized.

Characteristics of Organized Cyber Warfare

1.  Sophisticated Techniques: Organized cyber warfare groups employ advanced tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) that are often on par with those of state intelligence agencies.

2.  Economic Motivations: While financial gains remain a motive, organized cyber warfare is often driven by broader geopolitical objectives, including intellectual property theft, disrupting critical infrastructure, and gaining a competitive edge.

3.  Target Diversity: Targets now include government agencies, military installations, critical infrastructure, multinational corporations, and research institutions.

4.  Evasion and Attribution: These groups excel in evading detection and attribution, using techniques to cover their tracks and mislead investigators.

Some cyber-crime syndicates that have been identified are:

1.  Apt28 (Fancy Bear): Linked to the Russian government, this group is known for its involvement in high-profile attacks on political organizations and critical infrastructure.

2.  Lazarus Group: Allegedly tied to North Korea, this group has been involved in cyber heists, espionage, and attacks on financial institutions.

3.  Equation Group: Widely believed to be associated with the United States, this group has been associated with highly sophisticated cyber-espionage operations.

Combating organized cyber warfare requires global cooperation; with governments, private sector companies, and international organizations collaborating to share threat intelligence and develop effective countermeasures.

Enhanced cybersecurity measures have to be developed and every organization needs to implement robust cybersecurity measures, including multi-factor authentication, intrusion detection systems, and regular security assessments.

Legislation and regulations are urgently necessary with governments enacting and enforcing cyber-crime laws that provide a legal framework for prosecuting cyber criminals and their sponsors.

Essentially, the evolution of cyber-crime from disorganized hacking attempts to organized warfare in the digital realm is a stark reminder of the changing landscape of security threats. As technology continues to advance, it's crucial for cybersecurity experts to adapt, collaborate, and stay ahead of these evolving threats. By understanding the tactics and motives behind organized cyber warfare, we can work together to build a more secure digital future.

For more information contact us for your plan-of-action to counter cyber threats to your organization. 

 

 

 

Lessons from a Dog's Life .. and Death

Just three days ago, my pet dog died of natural causes. Even though it was expected due to her old age, it still had a devastating effect on our family.  

Losing a pet is incredibly difficult, as she had become a cherished member of our family. Our pet had a significant impact on our life, and there are several valuable lessons that she taught us, in life and death.

1.     Unconditional Love: Dogs, in general, are known for their unwavering love and loyalty. They teach us to love others without judgment or conditions, reminding us of the importance of showing affection and care to those around us.

2.     Living in the Present: Dogs live in the moment, fully enjoying each experience. They teach us to appreciate the simple pleasures in life and to be present in the here and now.

3.     Forgiveness: Dogs don't hold grudges. They quickly forgive and forget, showing us the value of letting go of negativity and moving forward with a positive attitude.

4.     Empathy and Compassion: Dogs are highly attuned to human emotions. They teach us to be more empathetic and understanding toward the feelings of others.

5.     Loyalty: Dogs are famously loyal companions. They demonstrate the importance of standing by those we care about, through happiness and distress.

6.     Resilience: Dogs often face challenges with determination and a positive outlook. They can inspire us to overcome difficulties and setbacks with grace and perseverance.

7.     Routine and Responsibility: Taking care of a pet, especially a dog, requires consistency and responsibility. My pet taught me about the importance of sticking to routines and being accountable for the well-being of another living being.

8.     Nonverbal Communication: Dogs communicate primarily through body language and nonverbal cues. They remind us of the importance of paying attention to nonverbal communication in our interactions with others.

9.     Joy in Simple Things: Dogs find joy in the simplest of activities, like going for a walk or playing with a toy. They show us that happiness can often be found in the everyday moments.

10.Patience: Dogs teach us patience through their needs and behaviours. Whether it's waiting for a treat or learning a new command, they remind us that good things come to those who wait.

11.Acceptance: Dogs don't judge us based on our appearances, achievements, or mistakes. They accept us for who we are, teaching us the importance of embracing others without prejudice.

12.Teaching Humility: Dogs don't seek material possessions or boast about their accomplishments. They can help us remember the value of humility and not getting caught up in materialistic pursuits.

13. Dignified in Death: In her last moments, my pet isolated herself into a corner and passed away without us having to watch her go. Her dignity in death taught me that we must live every moment of our life with the utmost dignity till our last breath.

Yes, she was just a canine, but she was an awesome companion and a great tutor. May her soul find salvation and happiness where it goes…. 

 

 

Future-Proofing Careers in the Age of Artificial Intelligence:

  

In today’s rapidly evolving landscape of technology, the rise of artificial intelligence (Ai) has brought both opportunities and challenges for professionals at every level. For high-school graduates embarking on their career journey and executives looking to stay relevant and thrive in their roles, future-proofing their careers in the era of Ai is of extreme importance.

Today, we will explore key strategies and actionable steps that individuals can take to adapt, grow, and excel in a world where Ai is transforming industries rapidly and life itself.

Regardless of your current stage in your career, and your age, embracing lifelong learning is the foundation for future-proofing your career. Ai technologies are continuously evolving, and new tools, techniques, and applications are emerging rapidly. High-school graduates and executives alike must commit to ongoing education and skills development to remain relevant in the workforce.

High-school graduates must focus on developing a strong foundation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects, as they form the backbone of Ai- related disciplines. Additionally, they must participate in online courses, coding boot-camps, and internships to gain hands-on experience with Ai technologies.

Executives who want to protect their careers and thrive in the coming years must engage in executive education programs, attend industry conferences, and encourage a culture of learning within their professional lives. They will have to be familiar with Ai concepts and stay informed about its potential impact on their industry and their career growth.

It is important to realize that, while Ai can automate routine tasks, it cannot replicate human creativity, empathy, and critical thinking. All of us must nurture these skills to remain valuable contributors in our respective roles.

It is equally important for high-school graduates to engage in activities that foster creativity and problem-solving, such as participating in art, literature, or debate clubs. Think critically about how Ai can be ethically and responsibly integrated into various fields.

We have to encourage innovation and creativity within our environment. We have to create a work environment that fosters collaboration and diverse perspectives to harness the full potential of Ai while addressing its ethical implications.

Ai is not a standalone domain; it intersects with various industries and disciplines. By developing expertise in Ai- adjacent fields, those graduating from their schools and colleges and executives already in the work domain can enhance their value and future-proof their careers.

We all have to consider pursuing certifications in fields like data science, machine learning, robotics, or human-computer interaction. These disciplines complement Ai and open up diverse career opportunities. At work, we must encourage cross-functional collaboration within our organizations. An additional option is to interact with experts in Ai- related fields to identify innovative solutions and gain a deeper understanding of the technology's potential impact on your industry.

The integration of Ai technologies is already reshaping the workforce and creating new jobs while transforming existing ones. Adapting to this changing work environment is no longer an option, if each of us wishes to future–proof ourselves for the present and the future.

Being open to exploring emerging career paths that might not have existed a few years ago, embracing opportunities in data analysis, Ai development, Ai ethics, investing in up-skilling and re-skilling initiatives for ourselves is a necessity for career survival.

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence presents both opportunities and challenges for all of us at every level. By embracing lifelong learning, cultivating critical thinking and creativity, developing expertise in Aiadjacent fields, and adapting to the changing work environment, we can future-proof our careers and thrive in the era of Ai.

Remember, the key to success lies in staying curious, agile, and open to continuous growth in this ever-evolving technological landscape.

Be safe, be successful.