By Sajjad Shaukat
India has a history of
surprise attacks by terrorists, grown at its home or supported by its secret agency
RAW. In most of the cases, the aims behind are political. Therefore, India has
always blamed Pakistan for various subversive acts. In this regard, on July 27,
this year, three gunmen dressed in army uniforms killed at least seven people,
including three civilians and four policemen in the Indian district of
Gurdaspur, Punjab—after a siege at a police station which was brought to an end
by security forces after 12-hour-long gun battle. Without any investigation,
Indian high officials and media started blaming Pakistan, its banned militant
outfits and intelligence agencies for the Gurdaspur incident. Indian Police
believe that the attackers are from Indian-held Kashmir, and some said that
they were Sikh separatists, while Indian Punjab police chief claimed that the
three gunmen were Muslim, but as yet unidentified.
Contradicting speculations,
India’s Home Minister Rajnath Singh told parliament that the gunmen came
from Pakistan. Besides Indian renowned newspapers and TV channels also covered
the Gurdaspur event by saying that the terrorists belong to Pakistan-based
banned groups Lashkar-e-Jhangvi or Jash-e-Mohammad. Rejecting New Delhi’s false
accusations, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah said,
“Pakistan has condemned the Gurdaspur attack…it is unfortunate that India is pointing
fingers even before the investigation is complete…Pakistan being a victim of
terrorism itself is against all forms of terrorism.” Meanwhile, Khalistan
Movement Chief Manmohan Singh stated that the Gurdaspur incident is a conspiracy
of India’s RAW to defame Pakistan.
However, in the recent past,
prior to the US President Obama’s second visit to New Delhi, Indian intelligence
agencies orchestrated a boat drama to defame Pakistan, allegedly reporting that
a Pakistani fishing boat as a Pakistan-based outfit group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
was intercepted by Indian Coast Guards, off the coast of Porebandar, Gujarat.
And Indian Coast Guard crew set the boat on fire and it exploded. But, its
reality exposed Indian terrorism, because, some Indian high officials admitted
that there was no such boat which came from Pakistan. Similarly, India intends
to obtain various hidden purposes by accusing Pakistan for Gurdaspur terror
attack. First of all, it wants to divert the attention of the international
community from the involvement of RAW which has been arranging terrorist
activities in Pakistan.
In this respect, RAW has
well-established its network in Afghanistan, and is fully assisting cross-border
incursions and terror-activities in various regions of Pakistan through Baloch
separatist elements and anti-Pakistan groups like Baluchistan Liberation Army
(BLA), Jundullah and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) including their
affiliated outfits. They also abducted and killed many Chinese and Iranian
nationals. On a number of occasions, these insurgent groups claimed
responsibility for their acts of sabotage. In fact, RAW is making efforts to
weaken Afghanistan, Tibetan regions of China and Pakistan, particularly
Balochistan by promoting subversive activities, sense of dissent, political
volatility, sectarian violence and arousing sentiments of separatism. It is
mentionable that India which has already invested billion of dollars in
Afghanistan, also signed a wide-ranging strategic agreement with that country
on October 5, 2011.
The then President Hamid Karzai had also
signed another agreement with New Delhi to obtain Indian arms and weapons.
While, under the cover of these agreements, India has further strengthened its grip
in Afghanistan. By taking advantage of lawlessness in Afghanistan, India is up
to its usual tirade to foment an environment by conducting terrorist attacks in
that country to prove that Pakistan is creating trouble for Afghanistan. While,
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani realized that Afghanistan and Pakistan are facing
similar challenges of terrorism and will combat this threat collectively. On
May 18, 2015, the two countries signed the security agreement—Pakistan’s
primary spy agency ISI and Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS)
to share intelligence and conduct coordinated operations against terrorists.
And, frequent visits of Pak-Afghan civil and military leaders to each other’s country
also annoy India.
It is notable that
Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif accompanied by the DG of
ISI went to Kabul on December 17, 2014. During his meeting with his Afghan
counterpart, President Ashraf Ghani and the ISAF commander, he presented the
evidence of linkage between the massacre of children at Peshawar school and TTP
sanctuaries in Afghanistan. He also asked about action against the TTP and
handing over of its chief Mullah Fazlullah to Pakistan. In response, Afghan
government and US have started taking action against the TTP. A number of TTP
militants have been killed and captured in Afghanistan, while Fazlullah
survived in a drone attack. Meanwhile, Washington has also designated Mullah
Fazlullah as a global terrorist and seized his bank accounts. And, waging a
prolonged war in Afghanistan, the US and other NATO countries have realized that
after the withdrawal of foreign troops, Afghanistan would be thrown in an era
of uncertainly and civil war. They recognize the fact and terrorism or
stability in Pakistan and Afghanistan is interrelated.
Hence, US-led developed
nations which also spent billions of dollars for the development of Afghanistan
have repeatedly agreed that without Islamabad’s help, stability cannot be
achieved there. In this connection, a meeting was hosted by Pakistan between
the Afghan officials and representatives of Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan in
Murree (On July 8, this year) and dialogue were conducted for an Afghan-owned
peace and reconciliation process, while the representatives of China and
America also participated in the meeting. The participants expressed their
collective desire to bring peace to Afghanistan and the region—agreed to continue
talks through the next meetings. In this backdrop of growing engagements of
Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and US, Indian desperation in Afghanistan is
increasing. Moreover, New Delhi is trying to sabotage the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC). Recent terror-attacks in Pakistan and Balochistan
might be noted as instance. In this context, Indian backed Baloch secessionists
have been directed to step up their activities on the CPEC project. Indian RAW
has also created a heavily funded China-Pakistan and Afghanistan specific desk
to target growing Pak-China-Afghanistan relations.
Furthermore, on the
direction of the Indian leader of the fundamentalist party BJP and Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, Indian forces have accelerated unprovoked shelling across the
Line of Control and Working Boundary, while creating war-like situation between
Pakistan and India. Notably, Islamabad has decided to raise the question of
Indian cross-border terrorism and RAW involvement in Pakistan, with strong
evidence in light of open statements of Indian defence minister and Prime
Minister Modi who recently confirmed assistance to anti-Pakistan elements including
separation of East Pakistan. Nevertheless, due to the new developments which
favour stability in Pakistan and other regional countries, India in
frustration, blames Pakistan for Gurdaspur terror attack.
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@yahoo.com
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