British terrorism and Pakistan

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Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller of MI5 in UK stated in 9 November 2006, in a rare statement in a speech at Queen Mary, University of London, that 30 terror plots threatening the UK and is keeping 1,600 individuals under surveillance. This speech came three days after Dhiren Barot was sentenced to 40 years for his part in the 2004 Financial buildings plot.

She stated that ^[1]:

"Today, my officers and the police are working to contend with some 200 groupings or networks, totalling over 1,600 identified individuals - and there will be many we don't know - who are actively engaged in plotting, or facilitating, terrorist acts here and overseas".

"Today we see the use of home-made improvised explosive devices.

"Tomorrow's threat may - I suggest will - include the use of chemicals, bacteriological agents, radioactive materials and even nuclear technology."

"We are aware of numerous plots to kill people and to damage our economy. What do I mean by numerous? Five? 10? No, nearer 30 that we currently know of."

"These plots often have linked back to al-Qaeda in Pakistan and through those links al-Qaeda gives guidance and training to its largely British foot soldiers here on an extensive and growing scale."

In an editorial, Pakistan's Daily Times takes a note of connection between home-grown British terrorists and Pakistan ^[2]:

"There are two reasons why Pakistan gets mentioned when dangerous developments are under discussion in the UK. First, the Muslim population is almost 70 percent Pakistani and the horrible statistics which prove that the Muslims have not ‘integrated’ into British society apply mostly to them. Second, the British Isles are the ‘domain of contact’ between the ideology that drives Al Qaeda and the Pakistanis, something which is not available in the Gulf region where an even larger number of Pakistanis are resident workers. A third element is that of the presence of Al Qaeda in the vicinity of Pakistan which can be added to Pakistan’s burden; in this case one has to consider that in Pakistan, the ‘conversion’ rate of growth to terrorism is not 80 percent"

"In 2000, London exported to Pakistan an organisation called Hizb al Tahrir whose ‘Paki-cockney’ preachers demanded the killing of President Pervez Musharraf and the setting up of a khilafat as proposed by their Arab leader. No one converted to Hizb al Tahrir, but the man who played a role in the kidnapping, if not the actual killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl was once a member of Hizb al Tahir. He was the British Pakistani called Omar Sheikh".

"That is why one can say that Pakistan may be more sinned against than sinning in this case."