At a time when Pakistan is under the scrutiny of FATF, it quietly released one of the most dreadful terrorists from its prison on 29.12.2020. Now Intelligence agencies across the Globe had their eyes glued on this event but since it was not in popular culture, it was overlooked until something really big was uncovered.

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh is a British terrorist who was arrested and served time in prison for the 1994 kidnappings of Western tourists in India. He was released from captivity in 1999 and provided safe passage into Afghanistan with the support of Taliban in exchange for passengers aboard hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814.

The Sindh High Court in its order said that Sheikh and his three aides – Fahad Naseem, Salman Saqib and Sheikh Adil – who were convicted and sentenced in the 2002 Daniel Pearl Murder case, should not be kept under “any sort of detention” and declared all notifications of the Sindh Government related to their detention “null and void”. It also described the four men’s detention as “illegal”.

Now, here’s the story.

India revoked Article 370 and Pakistan failed to get Global support on their side. Pakistan tried infiltrating more militants into the Valley but since Law & Order is a Union subject now, Indian Intelligence has derailed the militancy to a greater extent. Jammu & Kashmir went into District Development Council Polls in 8 phases from 28.11.2020 to 19.12.2020. ISI tried its best to disrupt the elections and cause instability in the Valley but it failed. 10 days after J&K saw a peaceful election, Omar Saeed Sheikh is released on an urgent basis.

All of this is happening at the backdrop of Afghan Peace Talks in Doha. Haqqani Network, which maintains a strong and close relationship with ISI, is the most important and well-trained arm of Taliban. ISI played a critical role in bringing Taliban to the negotiating table, in order to allow early withdrawal of US Forces from Afghanistan. When India sought to be a participatory party in the Doha negotiations, Pakistan objected to India’s inclusion with a strong voice. Although USA stood firm on its decision to allow India to play a key role in the Peace Talks and eventually the stability of the sub-continental region.

Pakistan-based Haqqani Network, blamed for the terror attack on Sikhs in Kabul in March last year, has discussed the formation of a new joint unit with al-Qaeda, according to the US Treasury Department.

“Senior Haqqani Network figures have discussed forming a new joint unit of armed fighters in cooperation with and funded by al-Qaeda,” the Treasury Department informed the Pentagon in a document dated 04.01.2021.

The Haqqani Network has often been accused of targeting Indian interests in Afghanistan. Some reports have suggested the attack on the Sikhs in March last year was carried out after the terrorists were unable to target the Indian embassy in Kabul.

The Treasury Department concluded that al-Qaeda “capitalizes on its relationship with the Taliban through its network of mentors and advisers who are embedded with the Taliban, providing advice, guidance, and financial support”.

It further said that “elements of al-Qaeda, including affiliate al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), and terrorist groups targeting Pakistan, such as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), continue to use the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region as a safe haven”.

The assessment assumes significance in light of the new US administration’s decision to review the deal with the Taliban to establish whether the Afghan group has cut its ties with al-Qaeda and other terror groups and is taking steps to reduce violence.

Under such circumstances, any possibility of Taliban not collaborating with ISI and Omar Saeed Sheikh to re-fuel militancy in Kashmir cannot and should not be ruled out.