The ISI ties to terrorists

The NYTimes has a story discussing the ties between Lashkar-e-Taibi and the ISI. There's no new prosecutable evidence on the Mumbai attacks here, but it does sum up the broad intelligence community assumptions of ISI links and protection.

In that same vein, from a WSJ article,

A top security official has said the military would be willing to fight India alongside Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, the man accused of assassinating former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Mr. Mehsud has denied involvement in the murder. The Taliban, too, said it would suspend its fight against Pakistani soldiers to join them a conflict with India.

These groups (Lashkar, Taleban, tribal groups) have been largely developed and allowed to continue by elements of the Pakistani security apparatus because they broadly assist, or have a functional utility against, Pakistan's "existential" enemy, India.

I know it's heresy to say this about "our ally," but, allowing some inexactness, these groups function as Pakistan's Hezbullah.

Later: Pakistan has moved in and arrested a Lashkar figure, but, as the BBC speculates, this probably means he'll be tried and "jailed" in Pakistan and not likely given over to India.

(Watch to see how legitimate this raid was. Was there real open fighting or was it a staged surrender?)