by David Singh
Everyone nodded agreement.
Ashfaq insisted to drive himself, not taking the driver along but the driver cum guide explained him that entire trip would be nothing but trouble without an experienced driver accustomed to the rough terrain along such a long journey. Reluctantly, Ashfaq agreed. Nissar was sitting between Iram Jameel and Masood Ahmed, both ISI operatives in Ashfaq's team. Ashfaq was sitting in the passenger seat beside the driver. Ashfaq soon realized that the driver was skillful and that he couldn't have driven at such speed on such a curvy road. That one thing made him little more comfortable and a bit happy.
The winding road of Highway G318, spiraling around several mountains and overlooking innumerous terraced green fields, took them to Friendship Bridge on China-Nepal border in 6 hours.
'Stop in front of emigration and customs building.' He instructed the driver. The driver complied.
Ashfaq pulled out his cell phone and talked to someone. After a while, a man emerged from the building. Ashfaq came off Tahoe and talked to him briefly. Then he returned back to Tahoe and said, 'what about a tea break here?'
Everyone, shaken with a 6 hours journey on the curvy road at an unusual speed, readily agreed. They all, including the driver, stepped across the road towards a tea stall. Asad ordered tea for all.
The girl was giggling so loud that almost everyone turned and looked at her. She was sitting in the passenger seat and was laughing probably at some joke cracked by her companion behind the wheel of a red 2002 model Jeep Cherokee (KJ). The couple had parked Cherokee next to Tahoe and now they were getting down. Girl had a tight black jeans and tighter red T-shirt on. A black cap was resting on her head and the long loose hair gave her quiet a glamorous look. She was too involved with her partner to notice that everyone around was looking at her – ladies staring and men ogling. The young man with her was strikingly smart. Almost six feet tall with flat sports shoes, a chequered blue jacket over a khaki fatigue gave him an aloof look of a typical carefree tourist. The young man set the camera in his hand over the counter of the tea shop and ordered tea for themselves. Instantly their order was served. While sipping the tea, the girl pointed towards the far off mountains and said something to her partner. He kept his tea cup down on the counter, picked up the camera and reached Ashfaq. 'Excuse me sir. Can you please click our pic with those mountains?'
Ashfaq looked at him and signaled the driver. Driver took the camera and clicked their pictures by the side of the road keeping mountains in the background. The couple thanked him, finished the tea and left.
Ashfaq and party left just after them. After a few kilometers the driver tried to overtake Cherokee. The young couple took that as a little funny challenge and raced with Tahoe. Tahoe's driver welcomed the challenge. After all they were mere tourists from outside and he was a seasoned driver in his familiar terrain. He let the couple drive ahead for a few kilometers and then spotting a sharp bend where the road was comparatively broader, he overtook Cherokee in a flash. Everyone's heart skipped a beat. Iram, losing her balance on the seat, let out a scared cry. Nissar's head bumped into Asad's. Tahoe shot forward like a bullet, leaving Cherokee falling far behind. Soon Cherokee turned into a fly sized speck on the rear view mirror.
'Don't worry sir.' Sensing his mistake, the driver assured, 'you all will reach your destination one piece. I know these roads like the back of my hand.'
'But you are not familiar with the back of my hand.' Nissar warned from the back.
'Sorry sir.' The driver gave in, 'I'll keep it not more than 55 okay?'
Ashfaq growled, 'listen! You driver! What's your name?'
'Mohamed Maaroof, Sir.' Came the meek reply.
Ham-mazhab! (Same religion) – Ashfaq thought then controlled his fury and spoke in a calm but firm tone, 'can I make a request Maaroof?'
'Sure Sir. After all you are our respected customer.'
'We need you to keep your mouth clamped and speak only when spoken to. Clear?'
'Very well sir.' He replied in a low tone looking through the wind shield, literally clamping both of his lips together.
Tahoe slowed down to 50. Slowly Cherokee turned a bit larger in the rear view mirror but it didn't over take Tahoe. They probably didn't want to mess with Tahoe after witnessing its daredevil stunt. Soon three more vehicles came between Tahoe and Cherokee.
Suddenly, Ashfaq commanded, 'Maroof, pull over. Let this jeep takeover and go. Then drive further.'
Maaroof did as asked.
Within a minute all the three vehicles behind, along with Cherokee, overtook them and drove along, disappearing from the sight. Maaroof put Tahoe back in gear.
Following the Bhoti River running parallel to the road they all reached Nyalam – a small town in a deep canyon like huge structure above Bhoti River, with just a single road. While crossing the town they couldn't miss the beautiful view of the three snow topped peaks – Naynang Ri, Pungpa Ri and Shishapangma Ri – in far distance.
Red Cherokee was nowhere in sight. They halted for lunch. ?
It was almost 2 PM.
'We are late by one hour.' Ashfaq said.
'Don't worry sir, I shall cover up.' Maroof assured.
'You drive at a normal speed which is safer.' Iram warned him.
No one spoke on the way. The scenery was breathtaking as Tahoe climbed up to the highway leaving Nyalam behind. Within a while they were running parallel to the Tibetan Plateau desert clearly visible under the bright sun.
By 5 PM they were approaching Tingri town. The highest peaks of the world – Everest, Kang and Cho Oyu were seen rising above the horizon at the end of expansive landscape. There was a huge plateau between them and the mountain ranges. The flat ground ran on either side of the road for about more than 30 kilometers then culminating into rising ground, taking shape of mountains. A few hills were scattered here and there too.
Ashfaq broke the silence in the SUV and addressed the driver. 'See that rough road going down the plateau? Take that road and don't stop until I tell you to.'
They all were familiar with Ashafq's style of working. He always kept the real cards close to heart.
Ashfaq pulled out his satellite phone and spoke into it. 'We have reached.'
Keeping the phone back he tore off the false cushion ceiling and pulled his gun out. Others, except Nissar Malik, followed suit. Nissar wasn't carrying any gun. Maaroof gave them all a nervous look but didn't dare speak a word. He seemed clearly frightened.
'Now, good news for you all.' Ashfaq smiled. 'No more road rash. Our chopper is arriving. That will take us to Shigatse Peace Airport in less than 2 hours. A high speed Ilyushin II 76 aircraft is exclusively waiting there to take us straight to Islamabad in about 1 hour. Neither the chopper nor aircraft are on any official route chart. They will fly incognito at a low altitude to avoid interference with regular air traffic. We all will be having mutton-biryani (dry mutton-rice spicy dish) latest by 9 PM at head office. I gave that commando a chance till here but he seems to have given up. Stop.' This last word he addressed to Maaroof.
Tahoe halted in the midst of expansive landscape. They had come down around 500 meters away from Highway G381.
'Maaroof brother! Our journey together was up till here. Take the car back to Star Hospital and pick up your vehicle from there. Okay?' Ashfaq said, smiling.
'But sir, you have already paid for Lhasa tour, no?' Maaroof found his lost tongue.
'Lhasa some other time my friend and here is your reward for excellent driving.' He offered Maaroof five thousand rupees notes which were pocketed by Maroof with a wide grin and a grateful bow.
They all got down from Tahoe. At a distance, a faint hum of engine and rotors attracted their attention. The hum was slowly turning into a shrill noise.
The way Maaroof began backing up Tahoe showed that he wanted to escape as fast as possible. Abruptly Tahoe's engine went dead. Cursing loudly he got down and opened the bonnet of the vehicle.
The source of whipping rotors and noisy hum of the e
ngine was visible now. It was a sleek white and sky-blue Sikorsky S92 helicopter of China Southern Airline. Pilot's face wasn't visible clearly, behind the glass cabin, from that distance.
'Our transport has arrived.' Ashfaq said.
'Correction. My transport has arrived.'
?
So this is, I guess, E Five Five – Anwar thought squinting through his binoculars, Charminar dangling from his lips. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Tahoe's driver taking out a hand gun from below its bonnet probably taped right below inside some thin cardboard box.
In the vast expanse of flat cold desert, between the highway and the mountain range, were scattered several island-like small hills. He was positioned behind a boulder at the top of one such hill. The distance between him and the four people near Tahoe was around half a kilometer. A helicopter from far west had now approached and was hovering at several feet above the ground probably contemplating to land somewhere near the party. Red Cherokee was parked unseen deeply into the foot of the hill.
Anwar's team in Nepal had no lady operative. His disguise needed a young girl to make it look good and real. A wad of fifty thousand rupees arranged an escort. She was sitting, as instructed, in the jeep. He, earlier, didn't know that back at tea stall it was actually E Five Five who had clicked their picture. He was not surprised when they had let him go ahead. He knew that that was the single road. He had selected this spot to watch the highway, through his binoculars, for them to pass then he could follow them again. But this was a pleasant coincidence that Ashfaq had chosen this same spot to fly off. So close! So very close!
He kept down his binoculars, picked up the rifle by his side and adjusted the telescopic sight's focus for a clear view. Now their faces were very close and distinct. Despite Nissar Malik's makeup, he didn't need any guesswork to recognize Nissar Malik among them. He brought Nissar's forehead in the sight. Perfect shot, but not required since E Five Five had shown up. This was amazingly impressive. He had been travelling with them all the way from Kathmandu; too much of a shock for Ashfaq. The thought brought a smile on his lips.
'E Five Five, you are elusive, unstoppable.' He whispered.
Helicopter was landing slowly a few yards away from them brewing up a semi-transparent maelstrom of dust.
Suddenly, he noticed that Ashfaq had drawn out his gun too and was pointing at Nissar Malik.
?
Everybody turned towards him, shocked. He was standing there with Glock.
Ashfaq was not a man who wastes time in unnecessary curiosity. It was clear as daylight that this commando knew about their travel plan and he had managed, in all probability, by threat to take control of the vehicle from Himalayan Pride to masquerade as their driver. Arranging for a fake driving license was the obvious part of such plans. Even he had such a DL lying in his pocket right now. Most disappointing part however was that by using his powerful position, influence and pre arranged connections he himself had made this man's travel across all check posts easier. E Five Five had fooled them into escorting him smoothly through all check posts.
'Very impressive. Extremely smart.' Ashfaq said keeping his gun pointing steadily at Nissar. 'You move and I will shoot your prized capture now.'
Nissar started on this shocking change in the scenario. He could never have expected Ashfaq pointing gun at him.
'You haven't brought him this far just to dispose this terrorist now.' E Five Five said.
'Try me and see. This man is precious yet expendable. Several others can replace him. If I have to choose, I will save me and my people.'
'Sooar ke bachchey! (You son of a swine),' Nissar hissed in contempt, 'how dare you…'
Ashfaq looked at him and said, 'shut up Nissar or I will shoot…..'
First bullet blew away Ashfaq's head. E Five Five had pulled the trigger several times while diving down to one side. Before dropping flat on the ground his second shot crippled Iram trying to steal out her gun from her purse. Third bullet travelled through Asad's chest. Nissar – the terrorist – stood shivering with terror among the dropped bodies. The incredibly rapid violence shook him. A blink before they all were talking and next moment Ashfaq was dead, Asad was dying and Iram was crying in agony.
E Five Five stood up and shouted at the chopper's pilot readying to escape, 'stop or you die. Freeze now.' A warning shot, that creased pilot's left earlobe, froze him in his tracks. His hands flung up signaling surrender.
Finally E Five Five turned towards the young Al Qaeda commander. 'Nissar Malik….. a miracle and a long way from the avalanche in Turtuk. More than four years.'
The terror in emerald green eyes caught a shade of surprise. ?
Looking at the brief, three seconds, carnage near the helicopter, Anwar now needed no proof that the guy out there was E Five Five. Relieved, he set his rifle down and sucking like a vampire on Charminar whispered to himself, 'Nissar Malik. Welcome to India.' ?
Sikkim, India
In the Himalayas of Eastern Nepal is Kanchanjunga Conservation Area that comprises two peaks of Kanchanjunga. On its north, lies Quomolangma National Nature Preserve in Tibet Autonomous Region and, on eastern side, is Kanchanjunga National Park in Sikkim, India. The park encompasses several valleys including the valley of flowers - Chopta Valley. Its flat, fertile and almost dry landscape made the perfect landing for Sikorsky chopper. It took E Five Five hardly over twenty minutes to cover the distance of 200 kilometers. Taking a turn around Kanchanjunga peak from its northern to eastern side he flew over the national park and landed into Chopta valley.
Nissar Malik was lying, hogtied, on the floor, at the back of the chopper. The chopper had hardly touched the ground when it was surrounded by fifty armed men. Retired Colonel Vir Bhadra Singh was waiting beside an unmarked jeep. As the chopper settled down, E Five Five got down.
'Welcome back Retriever.' Vir Bhadra Singh beamed with a wide grin. He looked extremely delighted on Elite 5's triumphant debut.
Presumably on Vir Bhadra Singh's earlier briefing, the armed soldiers caught hold of the package – Nissar Malik.
E Five Five returned the smile. 'VB, do we need to send a thank you card to Guoanbu for such a nice bird?'
The old man laughed.
Guoanbu, acronym for Guojia Anquan Bu, is Chinese for Ministry of State Security, China; akin to India's RAW.
They boarded the jeep driven by Vir Bhadra Singh himself. This was the liberal Elite 5 culture – a Retired Colonel was driving for a young Major.
'The chopper may have a GPS tracker. It needs a thorough...'
'…Samar, the bird will be debugged and donated to the Rescue guys in Disaster Management Division.' Vir Bhadra Singh replied to the youngest of Elite 5.
?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Saturday December 21, 2013
Special Interrogation Cell, IB – Somewhere in New Delhi 'I know Nissar Malik that you are a seasoned Al Qaeda operative
and you would not speak up easily.' The chief interrogation officer took a brief pause to sip his piping hot coffee before continuing. 'And I am a seasoned interrogator. So, we'll not waste each other's time and energy.'
Nissar Malik, half naked and half dead, was secured to a steel pole with iron chains in the middle of the room. Room was as cold as a Siberian grave and they could hear his teeth clattering. His entire body, especially face, had dark patches of blue-blackish bruises but there was no bleeding. Since morning, thrice, at a set interval, he had been given a methodical thrashing with iron rods by cane experts.
Chief interrogator set down his coffee cup on the steel stool and fished out a small fruit knife from his jacket pocket. Proffering the knife to his subordinate, standing by, he commanded. 'Kukreja, pull out the left emerald if I don't get the answer.'
Kukreja took the knife, grabbed Malik's hair, jerked his face up and rested the sharp tip below his already flinching left eye. A shade of horror marred all the beauty of Malik's eyes.
'Where were you heading to from Birganj? What w
ere your plans? You have three seconds before losing your eye. One second gone.' Kukreja clenched his teeth. His knuckles turned white as fingers clutched the knife firmly. Even a brief two seconds' silence was unbearable when Malik muttered something between his swollen lips.
'What did you say?' Chief interrogator barked. 'Come again!'
'Dandak…' Malik mustered all that was left of his strength, '….aranya.'
PART – 3
DANDAKARANYA OF POLITICS
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
January 10, 2014
New Delhi
'Dandakaranya. More than 90,000 square KM area covering
Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh with Abujhmad hills on its west and on opposite side the Eastern Ghats. Abujhmad Hills is about 6000 square kilometers of dense forest marked with mountains and water streams.' Vir Bhadra Singh maintained a sweeping eye contact with all the five men sitting in front of him and came to the business at hand.
Vir Bhadra Singh was as usual in a black pin striped suite. A touch of smile played over his razor thin lips above pointed chin. Greetings have already been exchanged and everyone had settled down.
'Our next playground?' man in his late twenties, with animated eyes below a broad forehead and above a stout nose, asked. His name was Ram Narayan Gangwar – E Five Four. His broad, strong jaws were the clear evidence of his physical might but few knew that he could, bare handedly, kill six armed men in averagely ten seconds if they were anywhere around him within three feet range.
'Yes, in the heart of Red Corridor. Target, Bhanu Majumdar. Current leader of Naxal's People's War Group.' Vir Bhadra Singh replied. 'You read the files in front of you later. First, I'll give you a brief background then will come to the mission strategy…Red Corridor, region in East India most affected by Maoist-Naxal Insurgency includes Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal.'
Vir Bhadra Singh touched the keyboard and the huge digital screen over the front wall displayed the map of India.