Lashkar-i-Taiba the fallacy of subservient proxies and the future of Islamist terrorism in India Ryan Clarke

"March 2010."

This paper discusses the foundation of Lashkar-i-Taiba (LeT), the development of its modus operandi, and investigates LeT's activities in India, Pakistan, and the Kashmir region. LeT's fundraising methods and relationships with regional state and nonstate actors such as Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Dawood Ibrahim's D-Company are analyzed. The impact on domestic Islamist terrorism in India are addressed. While LeT has been a vital component of Islamabad's regional strategy in the past, it has grown beyond its former patron's control. It operates independently of the political process, and has expanded its agenda well beyond Kashmir. These developments challenge the long-held notion that sustained use of regulars can achieve limited objectives in an asymmetric conflict and should serve as a clear warning to other state sponsors of terrorism. Contrary to many analyses, LeT is not likely to sacrifice its independence and come under Al-Qaeda's umbrella. Instead, it will continue to evolve into a distinctive, South Asia-centric terrorist actor in its own right while still receiving aid from fringe elements in Pakistan's security and intelligence apparatus and elsewhere. This will not only allow LeT to continue to plan future Mumbai-style terrorist attacks in India from safe havens in Pakistan, but will also allow LeT to guide and assist the predominantly indigenous Indian Mujahideen.