What is the Karachi Project

Many draw a comparison between the Indian city of Mumbai and the Pakistani city of Karachi. Invariably both the cities share a lot in common traits; both historically and even in today's times. Karachi like Mumbai is one of Pakistan's largest cities; it is the main seaport of the country and its financial capital.

However, off late, Karachi has in the news in India for all the wrong reasons. It has become the centre point of an effort being made by anti-India elements within Pakistan. This anti-India nefarious design by terror groups is called the Karachi Project. An official in the Indian Government was quoted in a popular Indian weekly news magazine as stating the "the Karachi project is a planned undertaking that seeks to bleed India through terrorist outrages". The Karachi Project was set up by the Pakistan Army's ISI and groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and HUJI which utilise Pakistani-trained Indian-operatives to plant explosives in selected cities in the Indian heartland.

When did the Karachi Project Begin

Security and Terrorism experts do not agree on when the Karachi project actually began. Some believe that it started as early as 2003. The rise of the Karachi project is seen coinciding with the former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's losing battle against extremism. The new magazine states that the project was approved by two rabid India haters: Jamaat ud Dawa chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and 26/11 master-mind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. The idea behind the Karachi project was to carry out attacks on urban Indian targets.

Experts believe that the Karachi Project, beyond being a fancy name, is actually a clear and detailed blueprint of carrying out attacks at Indian targets specifically planned and executed by the Lashkar-e-Toiba.

Coming to Light and the Consequences

The details of the Karachi Project first came to light during interrogations of the Pakistan-born American David Coleman Headley by the FBI in December 2009. Experts believe that the Karachi Project has been directly responsible for the deaths of over 500 Indians in 10 bomb blasts since 2005.

How does Pakistan gain from the Karachi Project

Under pressure from the United States, Pakistan has been involved in a high intensity war against terror groups operating against NATO troops and the Afghanistan establishment. Pakistan has also been under great internal pressure to crackdown on local terror groups like the Pakistani Taliban who have been aimed to capture power in the country. At such a time, the Pakistani establishment can ill-afford to allow terrorist organisations which it has trained for anti-India activities to be let loose. Hence experts believe that Pakistan will want to divert their attention towards India so that it can focus its attention on its own war against terror.