Defying adversary’s conspiracies

Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal

PAKISTAN has been encountering grave internal and external security challenges since the dawn of twenty-first century. Its adversaries, particularly India, have been endeavouring to realize their malicious designs through various illegal and inhuman methods. Premier Narendra Modi openly expressed his earnest desire to ‘isolate Pakistan’. His Hindu Fundamentalist associates in the cabinet have been hatching conspiracies to bleed Pakistan. Nevertheless, the people of Pakistan and their friends courageously defy the evil designs of the Indian ruling elite.
Premier Modi swore that India would isolate Pakistan through a global campaign on September 24, 2016. He stated: “We will isolate you. I will work for that.” He added: “We will intensify it (our efforts) and force you to be alone all over the world.” Subsequently, New Delhi unleashed appalling propaganda against Pakistan at the regional and international forums. Being a host country of 8th BRICS Summit (October 2016) and 6thHeart of Asia (December 2016) conference, India attempted to malign and isolate Pakistan. However, New Delhi failed to convince the participants of both Summit and Conference.
The failure of maligning campaign enraged the Indian ruling elite. New Delhi sabotaged the 19thSouth Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’s summit planned to be held in November 2016 in Islamabad. Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan on the behest of India decided to not participate the SAARC summit. The cancellation of SAARC Summit did not only disappoint the host country, but also exposed the regional bully. Instead of wasting its time on India and its criminal schemes, the Government of Pakistan continues focusing on its other significant diplomatic ventures.
The Government of Pakistan decided to hold three mega events in the beginning of 2017—multinational Naval Exercise ‘AMAN’-17 at the North Arabian Sea; Economic Cooperation Organization Summit in Islamabad; and Pakistan Super League 2017 final cricket match in Lahore. The successful holding of these events, certainly, rout Prime Minister Modi’s pronounced policy to isolate Pakistan. In addition, these events would underscore that Pakistan is safe country for sports and foreign direct investment.
Pakistan Navy successfully hold multinational Exercise ‘AMAN’-17 (AMAN meaning peace in Urdu) in the North Arabian Sea from 10 to 14 February 2017. More than 35 countries ships, aircraft, helicopters, Special Operations Forces, Explosives Ordinance Disposal, marine teams and observers from regional as well extra-regional navies participated in the exercise. The theme of the exercise, i.e. “Together for Peace” was very impressive and thereby well received globally. Consequently, the leading Naval powers, including United States, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, China participated in the naval exercise. The large number of participating nations in the Exercise AMAN-17 demonstrated that international community desires to work closely with Pakistan instead paying any attention to the unsubstantiated denunciation of India. It also manifested a pivotal role of Pakistan in maintaining order, peace and stability as well as prevention of terrorism and piracy at North Arabian Sea.
The failure of India’s systematic diplomatic and propaganda campaign to isolate Pakistan inflamed Premier Modi and his extremist associates. They targeted innocent people of Pakistan with the collusion of their Afghan allies. In February 2017, RAW conducted bloody terrorist attacks in Awaran, Quetta, Mohmand, Lahore, Peshawar and Sehwan. On February 17, 2017 the ISPR spokesman stated: “Recent terrorist acts are being executed on directions from hostile powers and from sanctuaries in Afghanistan. We shall defend and respond.” The primary objective of these terrorist attacks was to terrorize both the people and Government of Pakistan.
The Government of Pakistan did not succumb to the enemies of the people of Pakistan. It took bold initiatives and convened the13th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit on March 13, 2017. The theme of the summit was “Connectivity for Regional Prosperity.” The number of participating states was very encouraging. Importantly, all ECO members attended the summit. Eight states were represented at head of the state or government level. Perhaps, the 13th ECO summit in Islamabad dissipated the negative rhetoric about country’s isolation, which had been fiercely propagated by New Delhi since September 2016.
Premier Nawaz Sharif took a courageous step and permitted to hold the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017 final cricket match on March 5, 2017 (Sunday) at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Renowned foreign players played. The stadium was jam-packed with cricket lovers. The provincial government ensured the security and defied the nefarious designs of terrorist organizations and their local and foreign facilitators. It demonstrated the valour of the people of Pakistan and sent a clear message that they have resilience to encounter enemies. To conclude, the preceding discussion proves that neither India is able to isolate Pakistan in the community of nations nor terrorist groups are capable to terrorise the people of Pakistan.
— The writer is Associate Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
The article was published in Pakistan Observer.

COLD START OR NUCLEAR WINTER

Shahid Raza

A Crisis of Sanity in South Asia

South Asia is no stranger to conflict, for the region has always remained unstable for most of its post-colonial history, mainly due to the two regional powers, India and Pakistan, locking horns in an endless turf battle. It is not a good time for peace advocates on either side of the border simply because the conflict dynamics have created a toxic public perception which feeds ever so politically motivated cross border fanaticism. The situation is creating a noxious impact on the collective psychology of the people in both countries as they are encouraged to perceive the other as their enemy, while those concerned citizens who are not politically affiliated nor act on the behalf of any governmental or nongovernmental agenda and who only advocate peaceful coexistence and dialogue are branded as anti-nationals or even traitors. 

This description of the contemporary situation in South Asia is very important to understand because this particular public perception of the ‘evil neighbor’ is a decisive factor in creating public support for legalizing aggressive policies against their respective neighbor, which most often results in the deaths of young soldiers and civilians caught up in the crossfire. It is done in order to implement the ultra-nationalist ambitions of the political forces in power often seeking an opportunity to ‘talk in the language of bullets’ rather than making efforts to solve the root cause of the conflict through engagement and diplomacy. Having been born and raised in South Asia myself, I feel that this public hatred is not organic because, as a Pakistani, the Indian people I met have only been warm and friendly to me and vice-versa, which leads me to believe that this cross border fanaticism is manufactured by the political elements on each side of the border to augment their own delusional objectives. 

One only needs to look at the native language media in both countries to truly gauge how this malicious trend has taken root in the communal psychology in South Asia and how it has been used and abused to gain public support for destructive policies which seek to destroy the regional peace and stability.

There is absolutely no denying that there are genuine causes of conflict in South Asia like the Kashmir issue and the fact that there have been numerous wars and skirmishes between India and Pakistan over the past seven decades. It is also evident that after both countries gained the declared nuclear weapons capability in 1998, they have opted for another method of fighting each other through the application of proxy warfare. This new strategy is believed to be a ‘cost effective’ and indirect engagement method which is used to achieve perceived state objectives without risking an all out conventional or a nuclear war. Henceforth the ‘concept’ of a limited war under a nuclear threshold has been created and regularly propagated on the native language populist media, seminars, conferences and private gatherings of notables. 

There is a crisis of sanity in South Asia’s decision-making circles as jugglers with loud and extreme political views are finding more and more space on the highest positions and upper most echelons of power. The scholarship which once advocated peace or at least a pragmatic and sustainable détente between Islamabad and New Delhi are being relegated to the bureaucratic labyrinth which is only fit for storing fossils and not decision makers. It is not hard to find very powerful and influential pundits in South Asia to be advocating nuclear war against their neighbor on native language news media in order to ‘teach them a lesson’, and the most depressing aspect about this whole situation is that instead of being branded as nuclear extremists, these elements are gaining more and more influence in the corridors of power. The people of South Asia are only told how they can nuke the other country and live; instead of being told the truth that any such event would most certainly result in Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

Out of this purely sadistic climate of geopolitical hatred comes the idea of a ‘limited war’ under the nuclear umbrella. While the Pakistani military leadership hasn’t revealed any such doctrine officially yet the Generals in India further emboldened by a right wing Hindu nationalist government in New Delhi have convinced themselves that such a war is not only possible but also pragmatic from the point of view of their foreign policy goals. So earlier this year when the new Chief of the Indian Army General Bipin Rawat officially acknowledged the existence of the so called ‘Cold Start Doctrine’, the officials in Pakistan quickly promised a ‘hot finish’ response should this doctrine be deployed against Pakistan as a battlefield strategy. So let’s pause for a moment and try to digest what just happened; India thinks it can invade Pakistan without starting a full scale conventional or a nuclear war in order to capture Pakistan’s Ground Lines of Communications (GLOCs) for drawing concessions on territorial disputes while Pakistan has a declared policy that it will respond with everything it has to defend itself, including its stockpile of nuclear warheads if required. A better example of this crisis of sanity in South Asia can’t be found.

The concerned citizenry in South Asia would have a reason to overlook this show of method-less geopolitical madness only if the two regional giants were not engaged in aggressive purchases of weapons, the buildup of nuclear weapons and ever so sophisticated delivery systems to put their new battle plans into action. India with its growing economy is already the single biggest customer for sophisticated weapons in the world and is also building a nuclear city for the construction of thermonuclear weapons, while Pakistan also continues to rapidly expand its nuclear arsenal, which is expected to start a new nuclear arms race in the region if one isn’t underway already. Personally I am very concerned about this situation which in my assessment is only deteriorating rather than headed in the right direction which may lead to a prolonged mutually agreed de-escalation between the two belligerents.

The world powers like United States, China and Russia are sitting on the bench as casual observers despite the fact that they are fully aware of this rapidly deteriorating situation in South Asia. The outgoing Obama administration voiced their ‘concerns’ over this situation and admitted that according to their projections a nuclear war in South Asia could not be ruled out but it failed to take solid steps to maintain strategic stability in the region in greater international interests of peace and sustainability. I believe that Beijing, Moscow and the new administration in Washington DC needs to take a very serious look at this incredibly dangerous situation developing in South Asia. The World community must take concrete steps to build confidence as well as tactical and strategic balance power between India and Pakistan by creating environment for nuclear and conventional de-escalation of deployed forces, the administration is also encouraged to create solid mechanisms to target specific individuals in India and Pakistan who openly and barefacedly advocate nuclear war in South Asia on native language media in order to encumber the deliberate and sadistic manufacturing of hate. 

The author is of the opinion that the time has come to take active measures to make it costly for individuals and organizations to advocate the use of nuclear weapons in South Asia because they are actively contributing to the self feeding cycle of cross border fanaticism. The author encourages the concerned quarters in the entire world to create specific mechanisms to monitor the native language media organizations and government officials in South Asia which are engaged in propelling the nuclear war bandwagon in the region and put financial, legal and travel sanctions in place to make it expensive for them to continue the hate manufacturing factory. The individuals and organizations engaged in this malicious activity should be publicly named and shamed, their respective Governments too should be requested to limit their activities and create legal avenues to treat them with punitive measures because the very survival of more than 1.5 billion people is at stake. In the end, I hope that this report helps people understand the simmering situation in South Asia and serious efforts are made to return some sanity to South Asia before the Cold Start leads to a nuclear winter.

The article was originally published in Katehon. 

Hussain Haqqani: A Spy in the Guise of Ambassador

Sarah Khan

19 March 2017

In his latest article published in leading US daily, “The Washington Post”, Pakistan’s ex-ambassador to US, Hussain Haqqani appointed by Pakistan People’s Party leadership, has successfully libeled Pakistan at behest of his masters in RAW and CIA. In his recent article, “"Yes, the Russian ambassador met Trump’s team. So? That’s what we diplomats do” Haqqani wrote “The relationships I forged with members of Obama’s campaign team also led to closer cooperation between Pakistan and the United States in fighting terrorism over the 31/2  years I served as ambassador. These connections eventually enabled the United States to discover and eliminate bin Laden without depending on Pakistan’s intelligence service or military, which were suspected of sympathy toward Islamist militants.” In other words, he confessed that he facilitated CIA spies to launch operation inside Pakistani territory.

Osama was killed in Pakistan or not is a different story as US has not given any proof to it but Haqqani’s article and confession depicts the nefarious role played by a Pakistani Ambassador in defaming its country. Moreover, the writing of an article in renowned US daily is a clear indication of his loyalties with his masters in CIA, who want to keep the issue of OBL killing live by publishing the story time and again as they did in case of alleged proliferation by AQ Khan.

Appointing a man of duplicitous character as Pakistan’s ambassador to US was a serious blow to Pakistan’s relations with superpower. And Hussain Haqqani exploited the granted opportunity at its fullest. Haqqani is known for shifting loyalties even in Pakistani politics. He began to develop a coherent argument against the military’s dominance of Pakistani politics. He was in student politics some 43 years ago, affiliated with the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT); he praised General Ziaul Haq in the 1980s as a young journalist before working for Nawaz Sharif. He switched sides and became close to Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari, ending up as Pakistan’s ambassador to the US after a stint in exile during the Musharraf years. His appointment as ambassador to US by PPP was nothing less than a treason again Pakistan. During his tenure, he not only ruined his bilateral ties between two allies but facilitated RAW/ CIA to carry out nefarious activities inside Pakistan.

In an article titled, “Why Are We Sending This Attack Helicopter to Pakistan?” Haqqani wrote for the WSJ, “instead of being deployed against jihadists, American weapons will end up being used to fight or menace India and perceived domestic enemies”. To which Pakistan may have asked, who’s ‘we’? Of late, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US has become the US’s ambassador to Pakistan — if that ambassador were a nagging neocon with an axe to grind. But he can’t be even termed as US Ambassador to Pakistan because mostly US ambassadors to Pakistan have portrayed a positive image of Pakistan in their statements and writings. For instance, Cameron Munter and Robin Raphel always praised Pakistan for playing a positive role at regional and global level.

Though he was nominated as Pakistan’s ambassador to US and his job was to enhance bilateral ties between two countries, instead Haqqani played at the hands of CIA/ RAW to spoil bilateral relations between Pakistan and US. According to media reports, he granted Pakistani visa to hundreds of CIA agents within a few days. Vali Nasr in his renowned book, Dispensable Nation has noted that there is more CIA presence and lesser diplomatic US presence in Pakistan.

After his removal as ambassador from US, he has been playing openly in the hands of Indians. He frequently visits India and attends seminars and conferences, where his only purpose is to deliver anti-Pakistan speeches. His academic critique of Pakistan’s state ideology, and defence and foreign policies must be ridiculed as that of an opportunist, who now works either for the Americans or the Indians, or possibly both. Haqqani is a turncoat and a traitor whose nationality must be revoked by government of Pakistan.

The writer can be reached at ardent.jingo@gmail.com

Modi’s anti-Pakistan propaganda

Excerpt from Ikram Sehgal’s Article, “Yes Deep State Exists Everywhere: But Who Runs the Real Deep State in Pakistan” published in www.globalvillagespace.com on 19 March 2017.

The deliberate anti-Pakistan Army agenda by the “deep state” is not only condemnable but a matter of concern. Those propagating Modi’s anti-Pakistan propaganda are committing (and have committed) treason and must be held accountable in a military court, whoever they are. Covering up treason is also treason.

Holding a public office or being associated with an office holder compounds this felony. Deepening the misunderstanding between the government and the Army creates bad blood. The fake “Cyril Almeida” story was planted by an obnoxious cabal as part of a dirty campaign to create a rift between the civilian and military leadership. The planting of the false information by a willing pawn was not the work of any politician (or at least a mature one), but of someone with influence in the media.

Referred to as “a state within a state”, it can be described as elements within a country’s  internal organs such as the armed forces, intelligence agencies, police, bureaucracy, etc (in essence an “Establishment within the Establishment”) pursuing an agenda separate from the Govt.’s

While bureaucrats are willing to fall on their swords, who was being protected when the Federal Minister for Information Pervaiz Rashid became a convenient scapegoat? What was the motive for this blatantly treasonous propaganda coinciding with Modi’s virulent anti-Pakistan tirades? Consider the cryptic ISPR statement after the last Corps Commander’s Conference about the “Dawn Leaks” being discussed!

Why is the Commission’s report not being published? Where did the perfidy trying to defame the new COAS emanate from? Different from the style of his predecessor, Qamar Bajwa is more substance and quiet emphasis instead of being vocal! The new COAS may listen to advice but is not hostage to anyone’s counsel.

In less than 120 days Qamar Javed Bajwa has shown he is decisive and determined. Calling the Afghan diplomats to GHQ to hand over the list of terrorists being given sanctuary (and support thereof) in Afghanistan over the objections of the Foreign Office (FO) was a very deliberate show of seriousness of purpose in the language they understand.

The corruption, nepotism and customary incompetence of these despicable public servants are a real scourge for Pakistan. This “deep state” further force-multiplies the myriad number of our problems. The influence of this “deep state” must be minimized, otherwise, the State cannot provide services, administer justice, maintain law and order and bring about economic prosperity that our people desperately need.

Pakistan’s political leadership has learned no lessons from the past, it continues to be ill-advised by sycophants who use their proximity to the powerful to create misunderstanding, using any means at their disposal i.e. spreading rumors, feeding leaks and false information, orchestrating events, feeding lies to their masters, etc. “Deep State” thrives in conditions where flatterers and hordes of ‘yes men’ lead the rulers astray. Proxies in the print, electronic and social media carry out their bidding without question. A cursory survey will show that our Information Ministry gives most of the government budget for advertisements to the anti-Army media.

The corruption, nepotism and customary incompetence of these despicable public servants are a real scourge for Pakistan. This “deep state” further force-multiplies the myriad number of our problems. The influence of this “deep state” must be minimized, otherwise, the State cannot provide services, administer justice, maintain law and order and bring about economic prosperity that our people desperately need.

Religious Intolerance Remains Highest in India

Sarah Khan

Apparently a secular state, India remains the worst country in terms of religious intolerence according to United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in the past six years. The State Department 2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices places the strongest emphasis on deteriorating religious tolerance, violence caused by Hindu nationalist groups and the support these groups receive from the ruling BJP party. The insecurities faced by the religious minorities and the lower Hindu castes have also been pointed out in the recent report. Additionally, the report draws attention to restrictive laws on cow slaughter and religious conversions. A special report titled, Constitutional and Legal Challenges Faced by Religious Minorities in India concludes that “During the past few years, religious tolerance has deteriorated and religious freedom violations have increased in some areas of India. To reverse this negative trajectory, the Indian and state governments must align theirs laws with both the country’s constitutional commitments and international human rights standards.”

Moreover, an Indian constitutional provision deeming Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains to be Hindus, contradicts international standards of freedom of religion or belief. Despite gave violations, the report has placed India among the tier 2 countries (countries in which religious freedom conditions do not rise to the statutory level that would mandate a Country of Particular Concern CPC designation but require close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by governments) where the country has been since 2009.

There has been large-scale communal violence against religious minorities in India since 2008, and in recent years the Indian government has not taken any substantial step to address the communal violence against minorities in India. Restrictions on foreign-funded NGOs and religious freedom along with corruption and police and security force abuses are among the most significant human rights problems in India, according to a US report. NGOs and religious leaders, including from the Muslim, Christian, and Sikh communities, attribute the increase to India’s general election and some politicians’ use of religiously divisive language.

In the past decade, extremist Hindus have increased their attacks on Christians and Muslims. There has been worst cases of violence against minorities in India. For instance in 1999, Graham Staines, an Australian missionary who had worked with leprosy patients for three decades, was burned alive in Orissa along with his two young sons. The brutal violence visited on Muslims in Gujarat in February 2002 also brought the dangers of Hindu extremism to world attention. Between one and two thousand Muslims were massacred after Muslims reportedly set fire to a train carrying Hindu nationalists, killing numerous people. Despite these grave human right violations, there has been no incremental step by UN or international community to address religious intolerance in India.

One of the grave concerns regarding human rights violation is forced conversions. The BJP policies on Hindutva and conversion coincide with increasingly violent attacks by Hindu militants on religious minorities. Attacks on Christians, especially in the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Orissa, have surged in recent years. India’s Home Ministry (internal security) and its National Commission for Minorities officially list over a hundred religiously motivated attacks against Christians per year, but the real number is certainly higher, as Indian journalists estimate that only some ten percent of incidents are ever reported. These attacks include murders of missionaries and priests, sexual assault on nuns, ransacking of churches, convents, and other Christian institutions, desecration of cemeteries, and Bible burnings.

The other major target of Hindu extremists is the Muslim community, which is haunted by the fear of recurrent communal riots that have taken the lives of thousands of Muslims and Hindus since Indian independence. During the outbreak of violence in Gujarat in February 2002, many of the victims were burned alive or dismembered while police and BJP state government authorities either stood by or joined in. The mobs had with them lists of homes and businesses owned by Muslims, lists that they could have acquired only from government sources.

Hindu extremism has largely been ignored by international community including the United States. In India, this violence is supported by Hindu extremists and their allies in the Indian government, currently led by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Despite yearly reports by United States Commission on International Religious Freedom on grave violation by BJP led Indian government, India has not been designated as CPC. Moreover, the US government or even UN has never raised the issue as matter of concern with Indian government. The US and international community must address the grave HRVs by Indian Hindu extremists against Muslims and Christians and USCIRF must designate India as CPC to address HRVs against minorities.

The writer can be reached at ardent.jingo@gmail.com

Now or Never – Kashmiris’ Freedom Struggle

By Afshain Afzal

In the recent development, the Indian authorities have chalked out a new strategy to de-link freedom struggle of Kashmiris from Pakistan and Islam and shift the movement in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir to mere Azadi. To achieve this objective Indian forces are relying on fake and self-engineered encounters against Kashmiris, in which beside killing innocent locals by dubbing them as terrorists the Indian security forces are also killed to project the operations as real. One wonders how long Kashmiris on the both side of Line of control (LoC) would bear Indian Security Forces’ atrocities. Although, the number of martyred Kashmiri this year, up to the second week of February 2017, has exceeded 31 and all of them were locals belonging to Kupwara, Baramulla, Srinagar and other areas of occupied Jammu and Kashmir but Indian authorities claims that they have only killed 15 Kashmiris in encounters / operations.

Indian authorities, instead of listening to the grievances of local Kashmiris and extending their rights, have further enhanced their coercive measures to silence the Kashmiri masses. On the condition of anonymity, as per the Police officer posted in Jammu and a DCIO, “the Indian agencies have prepared record of locals who either took part in freedom struggle in 1989 – 1990 or belong to such families who promote pro-Islam and pro-Pakistan views.  Such individuals are indulged in fake case to kill them one by one. Nevertheless, with the exception one or two odd Kashmiris none had past record of militancy.” In the latest incident, a joint operation was launched by troops of 1^st Rashtriya Rifles battalion and Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), in which the house of Ashiq Ahmad Reshi son of Abdul Majid Reshi in Frisal area of Kulgam district was stormed with IEDs and explosives. The Army authorities claimed that they killed  Mudasir Ahmed Ahmed Tantray  resident of Redwani Kulgam; Wakil Ahmed Thokar resident of Harigam Kulgam; Farooq Ahmad resident of Chak Dasand and Younis Ahmad Lone resident of Hawara, Kulgam. To give the fake operation a real touch Lance Naik Bhandoria Gopal Singh and Sepoy Raghubir Singh were also shown as killed in a cross fire.

Interestingly, all the martyred had clean record before the martyrdom of freedom fighter Burhan Wani but after the brutal killing they decided to resist Indian occupying forces in held Jammu and Kashmir state. As a reaction of unlawful operations killing innocent Kashmiris, protests erupted to prevent Indian Security Forces from launching fake operations. During the protests to restrict Indian security Forces from carrying out fake operations, 129 young Kashmiris suffered bullet and pellet injuries. However, the Superintendent of Police Kulgam, Shridar Patil claimed that  about 20,000 people attacked the Indian forces from all the sides to allow militants to escape from the site of encounter.” Indian authorities are also carrying out propaganda that Pakistan is behind the unrest in occupied Jammu and Kashmir state but it has never been substantiated by incriminating evidences. So far Indian Police data reflects that only one militant killed in Sopore on 3 January 2017, namely Abu Umar Khitab, belonged to Pakistan but that too could not be confirmed. The unrecognizable body of Abu Umar Khitab can be son of any Kashmiris mother.

Reacting on fake encounter in Kulgam, top Kashmiri-Pakistani leader Syed Ali Geelani paid glorious tributes to martyred Kashmiris of Redwani Kulgam said that the forced occupation is the root cause of all bloodshed in the state. He said, “These youths are sacrificing their precious lives for a sacred cause. It is a cherished and patriotic mission and we are duty bound to carry their mission to its logical end.” Meanwhile, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressed deep sorrow over the killings in Kulgam operation saying a severe oppression and refusal to acknowledge and engage with the basic political right and aspiration of the people is pushing our young towards armed resistance. Today, the state of affairs in occupied Jammu and Kashmir has reached to a stage where locals have come to an open revolt against the Indian security forces by raising up at the sight of Indian troops entering their villages, forcing the troops to flee. One wonders how long the UNO as a world organization and civilized nations would ignore Indian security forces to genocide of Kashmiris.

The Afghan Connection of Terrorism in Pakistan

By Sajjad Shaukat  

Pakistan’s Armed Forces have broken the backbone of the foreign-backed terrorists by the successful military operation Zarb-e-Azb which has also been extended to other provinces of the country. While, Pakistan’s law-enforcing agencies, especially primary intelligence agency, ISI has broken the network of these terrorist groups by capturing several militants, while thwarting a number of terror attempts. But, the new wave of terrorism which started in the beginning of this year, having connection in Afghanistan has, again, enveloped Pakistan.

In this regard, at least 88 people were martyred and 343 were injured on February 17, this year when a suicide bomber attacked the crowded Sufi shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan, Sindh province of Pakistan. 

Terrorist organisation, the Islamic State group (Also known as Daesh, ISIS, ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack.

On February 15, three suicide bombers targeted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the adjoining tribal areas leaving around seven people dead. One of the incidents occurred in Peshawar where a suicide bomber riding a motorbike hit a vehicle carrying civil judges, while two other suicide bombers blew themselves up at separate locations in Mohmand Agency.

At least 13 people were killed on February 13, this year when a suicide bomber struck outside the Punjab Assembly on the Mall Road in the eastern city of Lahore during a peaceful protest of the chemists and pharmacists against a new law.

The affiliated faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat-ur-Ahrar (TTP-JA also known as JuA) took responsibility for the deadly suicide bombing in Lahore.

Terror attack in Lahore coincided with the incident in Quetta-the provincial capital of Pakistan’s Balochistan province, where at least one policeman was killed and five people were injured on February 13, 2017 in an explosion occurred on Sariab road.

Besides, more than 24 people had been killed in an explosion which ripped through a crowded marketplace in Parachinar Kurram tribal agency on January 21, 2017. Soon after the incident, Afghan-based TTP claimed responsibility for the blast in Parachinar.

At least 65 people were killed when a blast struck at the shrine of the Sufi saint Shah Noorani in Balochistan’s Hub Tehsil on November 12, 2016. ISIL had accepted responsibility for the attack via Amaq, its affiliated news agency.

Earlier, the affiliated group of the TTP, TTP-JA took responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing in Quetta, which killed at least 74 people on August 8, 2016 in a assault at the government-run Civil Hospital.

However, the suicide bombing at Lal Shahbaz Qalandar is the worst single attack since the TTP militants massacred about 150 students at an army school in Peshawar in December 2014. Pakistan’s military and civil high officials strongly condemned the attack and recent terror attacks by pointing out their connection in Afghanistan.

In this respect, a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that senior Afghan diplomats were summoned to the General Headquarters (Of army) over the recent spate of terrorist attacks in Pakistan and asked to ensure that immediate action was taken against the Pakistani terrorists living in safe havens in their country.

The army, which took the lead in dealing with Afghanistan over the terrorist sanctuaries there, had soon after the Sehwan shrine attack announced closure of the border crossings with Afghanistan citing security reasons.

According to the statement of the DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor, on February 17, 2017, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa appealed to the nation to stay calm by saying, “our security forces shall not allow hostile powers to succeed…each drop of nation’s blood shall be revenged, and revenged immediately…no more restraint for anyone.”

Gen. Javed Bajwa had called Gen John Nicholson, commander of the US’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan through telephone to protest continued acts of terrorism in Pakistan perpetrated from Afghanistan, saying that they were testing Pakistan’s policy of cross-border restraint.

Gen. Bajwa told Gen. Nicholson that recent incidents of terrorism in Pakistan had been claimed by terrorist organisations whose leadership is hiding in Afghanistan, and asked him to play his role in “disconnecting this planning, direction, coordination and financial support”.

In a terse message, during the conversation with Nicholson, Gen. Bajwa also informed him of the list of 76 “most wanted” terrorists handed over to Afghan authorities earlier—operating from Afghan territory or hand them over to Pakistan for trying them over their involvement in terrorism.

Taking note of the terror assault in Sehwan, including the recent ones, Pakistan Army targeted a training camp of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and militant hideouts located close to the Pak-Afghan border in areas adjacent to Mohmand and Khyber agencies.

In a similar message to Kabul, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz called Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar to call for strong action against JuA and terrorist’s sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

The Foreign Office of Pakistan said that Afghanistan had been asked to address concerns about presence of terrorist groups on its soil, which are behind the latest wave of terrorism in the country.

It is notable that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while addressing a press conference on February 17, this year claimed that the suspects involved in planning and carrying out the Feb 13 suicide bombing on a protest at Lahore’s Charing Cross (Mall Road) belonged to Afghanistan. Sharif also announced the arrest of the facilitator of the attacker, Anwar-ul-Haq who he said belonged to Fata’s Bajaur Agency which neighbours Afghanistan. The suspect’s confessional statement was aired during the briefing. The suspect stated, “I was associated with Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and they trained me”, adding that he has visited Afghanistan around 15 to 20 times.

The police officers involved in the investigation into the incident of Mall Road, Lahore revealed that Jamaat-ul-Ahrar is an offshoot of the Tehreek-i-Taliban.

Nevertheless, Pakistan has been hit by a series of terrorist attacks since Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) announced its ‘Operation Ghazi’. The Afghanistan-based JuA had in the announcement also hinted at unification of TTP splinter groups.

As regards the terror assault on the Police Training College in Quetta, IG FC Major General Sher Afgun had informed the press that the attackers acted on directions from Afghanistan and the initial investigation suggested that the terrorists were affiliated with the outlawed Lashkar-e- Jhangvi Al Almi militant group. He elaborated, “We came to know from the communication intercepts that there were three militants who were getting instructions from Afghanistan.”

Notably, as part of the dual strategy, CIA, RAW and Mossad are in connivance with the Afghan intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS) and other terrorist groups. With latest capture of six NDS supported terrorists in Balochistan, the number of NDS backed terrorists arrested and killed by Pakistani intelligence agencies has crossed over 126. These external secret agencies are particularly supporting the TTP which is hiding in Nuristan and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan. Reportedly, Mullah Fazlullah led TTP was being prepared to carry out a fresh wave of terror activities inside Pakistan, as the latter has become center of the Great Game owing to the ideal location of Balochistan.

Located on the southwestern coast of Pakistan, Balochistan’s Gwadar seaport is close to the Strait of Hormuz from where more than 17 million barrels of oil passes every day. Its location among South Asia, the oil-rich Middle East, and oil and gas-resourced Central Asia has further increased its strategic significance. Besides, Balochistan’s abundant mineral resources irritate the eyes of the US, India and Israel which intend to weaken Pakistan for their collective aims, as the latter is also the only nuclear country in the Islamic World.

In case of Balochistan, every Pakistani knows that the militant outfits like ISIS and separatist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and their affiliated groups, including Jundollah (God’s soldiers) and Lashkar-i-Janghvi which have been creating unrest in the Balochistan get logistic support from RAW and Mossad with the tactical assistance of CIA. In the recent years, these terrorist outfits massacred many persons through suicide attacks, bomb blasts, targeted killings and sectarian violence. These externally-supported insurgent groups had kidnapped and killed many Chinese and Iranian nationals in Pakistan including Iranian diplomats. They have claimed responsibility for a number of terror assaults, including those on Shias in Balochsitan and Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan.

As a matter of fact, like Syrian war, as part of the dual strategy of their countries, CIA, RAW and Mossad are especially using ISIS terrorists who are behind the latest blasts in Balochistan to obtain the covert aims of their countries against Pakistan, China and Iran.

It is of particular attention that arrest of the Indian spy Kulbushan Yadav in Balochistan has exposed Indian undeclared war against Pakistan. While addressing a joint press conference with the then Federal Minister for Information Pervaiz Rasheeda and former Director General of ISPR Lt. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa said on March 29, 2016, “Kulbushan Yadav’s arrest is a rare case that does not happen very often.” He disclosed that Yadav was an active officer of the Indian Navy prior to his joining RAW. He also served as a scrap dealer and had a jewelry business in Chahbahar, Iran, after he joined RAW in 2013.

A video was also shown during the press conference in which Yadav confessed that he spied for India. Yadav admitted that he was assigned with the task to create unrest in Karachi and Balolchitan by stating, “I supported the individuals who worked to destabilize Pakistan…I promoted the criminal mindset that was there in Balochistan.” Another task assigned to him was to target the Gwadar Port. Yadav also confessed—funding Baloch separatists along with other terrorists. During investigation, RAW agent Yadav admitted that during his stay, he contacted various Baloch separatist leaders and insurgents, including Dr Allah Nazar Baloch, to execute the task to damage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s security agencies uncovered another ring of Indian spies in the country, working as under covert agents, found involved in subversive activities to destabilize Pakistan. In this connection, on November 2, last year, Islamabad disclosed that five Indian diplomats who were serving at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad found to be part of the RAW spy network and were involved in subversive activities by facilitating and funding terrorism. They were declared as persona non grata and expelled from the country. 

Undoubtedly, almost all the terrorists or terrorist groups and insurgency in Pakistan, especially have their connection in Afghanistan. The porous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is frequently used by human and drug traffickers, criminals and terrorists. Their easy access through unguarded porous border provides opportunity to miscreants to cause havoc inside Pakistan and Afghanistan. For effective counter terrorism measures strong border, control management is vital at Pak-Afghan border. But, Afghan rulers are using delaying tactics in this respect.

Taking cognizance of the anti-Pakistan intruders, Pakistan’s army had decided to build a fence along the border, and to control the border crossings. The strategic project of 1,100-kilometre-long trench with the cost of Rs14 billion which was initiated along Pak-Afghan border in Balochistan by Frontier Corps in 2013 has been completed last year. In the next phase, the project will be extended to the entire long border with Afghanistan which had opposed this plan.

While, from time to time, controversy arises between Afghanistan and Pakistan when Afghan officials refused to recognize the Durand Line which is the 2640 kilometer long and porous border, situated between both the countries.

The issue again came to the limelight on June 12, 2016 when Afghan security forces started unprovoked firing at Torkham border crossing, resulting in injuries to more than 16 Pakistani citizens, including the martyrdom of some Pakistani security personnel. The aim was to stop Pakistan from construction of a gate. 

Durand Line has not been drawn by Pakistan, but it was declared border line by British representative Sir Durand and Afghan Ameer Ghazi Amanullah Khan in 1919. People of Pakistan’s province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA (Tribal Areas) opted to join Pakistan in 1947. So, it is a declared border line and Afghan government has no right to object on any construction along with the Durand line.

There is no doubt that escalation of tension at Pak- Afghan border is deliberately engineered by the elements opposed to peace talks and improvement of bilateral relations between Islamabad and Kabul.

Pakistan is committed to tackle the problem of terrorism mainly emanating from Afghanistan. Therefore, the effective border management becomes imperative to control all the terrorism-related infiltrations, drug smuggling etc.  Moreover, effective border management will also facilitate both countries to come out of blame game, as it would offer a strict check on both sides to counter the free movement of terrorists and drug mafia lords, who are the important factors of deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and its obvious backlash on Pakistan.

Besides, Afghan peace and reconciliation process is a reality despite of its slow pace and continual interruptions. The positive trajectory of constructive relations between Islamabad and Kabul raised alarm-bells amongst the US-led adversaries who are attempting to affect the progressive Pak-Afghan relations through smear and sinister scheming.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have previously suggested many initiatives to resolve their differences. However, as fast as these solutions had emerged, they have disappeared due to lack of follow-up. Afghanistan and Pakistan have no other option, but to cooperate and resolve their differences through political and diplomatic dialogue. And there is a huge lack of trust between the both sides. Hence, it is imperative for both the countries to develop a framework for strategic dialogue, focused on short, medium and long term solutions. As a trust building initiative, an effective border management mechanism will be beneficial for the two countries. Such an establishment will also plug in many loop holes, being manipulated by the terrorist outfits to conduct cross border terrorism. 

We may conclude that besides the previous terror-events, the recent incidents of terrorism in Pakistan have connection in Afghanistan.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

Email: sajjad_logic_pak@hotmail.com

Courtesy Veterans Today