Pakistan is going through hard times. It is confronted with several contentious challenges: militancy, political turmoil, economic meltdown. Such a situation has provided a golden opportunity to Pakistan’s erstwhile opponent, India to fish in troubled waters. The suspicion to see New Delhi’s imprint in almost every development that tends to strike at the very roots of Pakistan’s stability, is transforming in reality.
Western powers that advise Pakistan to stop taking India as threat and to move its forces from its eastern border for deployment on the western front are only manifesting their own selfish motives. They have no concern for the safety of people of Pakistan against a neigbour that has waged three wars, helped to bisect the country in 1971 and is still massively involved in encouraging forces to destabilise the country. The western powers’ portrayal of India as friend of Pakistan is only a figment of their imagination that is keen to pursue an agenda that would promote their own interest in the region. South Waziristan provides the latest example to illustrate that India’s spy agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has been actively engaged in fomenting trouble wherever possible in Pakistan but its focus is on Federally Administered Tribal Area(FATA) and Balochistan. RAW’s nefarious role in Malakand Division has been halted, to a great extent, by the valiant soldiers fighting Raw-backed militants in operation Rah-e-Raast. South Waziristan was considered stronghold of the militants led by Hakimullah Mehsud. Nonetheless, Pakistan army’s inroads into this region have thrown up irrefutable evidence that RAW was actively supporting the militants who were up in arm against the country’s security forces. The army, in a short period of 21 days, has taken full control of the epicentre of militancy. It includes Srarogha, the town where the late Tehrik-e-Taliban founder Baitullah Mehsud spent most of his time planning attacks against the interest of Pakistan: Kotkai, the village that houses ancestral home of TTP’s new head and Baitullah’s successor Hakimullah Mehsud. Kotkai has assumed importance on another count. It is also the village of Qari Hussain, one of the most dreaded commanders known as “Ustad-i-Fidayeen” (tutor of suicide bombers). Ladha, Makeen, Kaniguram are other important villages now under the custody of security forces. The conglomerate of these villages was considered a stronghold of the militants where the writ of the government had dis appeared since 2002. All attacks and sabotage activities that were launched in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi were planned and prepared in this area. The area had a number of training grounds where teenage recruits were prepared armed with weapons explosives, suicide jackets and sent to cities to create havoc there. The degree to which RAW was involved in helping anti-Pakistan elements can be gauged from the fact that during operation Rah-e-Nijaat troops have seized weapons and explosives that bore Indian marking. Ipso facto, the bore of the guns that were stacked in the militants-made 5-metre long tunnel was used only by the Indian army. Additionally, the militants who were taken into custody by the authorities have disclosed their links with Indian intelligence puppeteers. Under an agreement India is allowed to transport containers containing weapons and other goods for the ISAF in Afghanistan. On their return, however, it was discovered that some of the containers were loaded with weapons and explosives which were to be unloaded at desolate places in Pakistan for delivery to militants fighting Pakistani security forces. It may be recalled that in the recent past, a few containers on way back from Afghanistan to India were found abandoned near Quetta. It was the strong odour emanating from the containers that revealed presence of 100 dead bodies of Afghans and an equal number of unconscious men loaded in the containers which should have been empty. This is how the transit facilities provided to India are misused. That India has an active hand in supporting militancy in Pakistan had been discovered as early as 2006. It was taken lightly by the concerned quarters. On the other hand India has never missed an opportunity to orchestrate Pakistan as manufacturer and exporter of militancy. 26/11 Mumbai attack can be cited as an example where Pakistan has been unnecessarily maligned. That India has its hand in almost all sabotage activities in Pakistan has been duly recognised by the American head of armed forces. US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen was compelled to admit that Pakistan’s concern about Indian doings had substance to it. However a mere statement from the chief of American forces would not prevent India from fomenting trouble in Pakistan. It is time for Washington to take up with New Delhi in the strongest terms to desist from supporting militancy in Pakistan. If Washington can ask Pakistan time and again to “do more’ in the war against terror despite the fact that more than 2000 soldiers have laid their lives in accomplishing the same mission, why it cannot ask India to stop putting spanner in the wheel and stop its support to the anti-Pakistan militants? Also, the Afghan government whose people were provided protection in Pakistan from the onslaught of Russian forces since 1979 should reciprocate the gesture by asking India to stop using Afghan soil for supporting militancy in Pakistan. New Delhi has mastered the art of painting Pakistan as perpetrator of militancy while cleverly hiding its own role in this field. On 7 November Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a public meeting that he had not received any information from Pakistan over a reported Lashkar-e-Taiba terror plot to attack India and called for collective international action to combat terrorism in the South East Asian region. Meanwhile the Indian Defence Minister AK Antony pointed to a Pakistan link to a reported Lashkar-e-Taiba terror plot. It is time Pakistan took up with Washington the negative role India was playing to support the very forces that Pakistan, as an American ally, was fighting. Could Pakistan, despite its sacrifices, succeed in the global war against terror when its neighbour is poking it from the eastern and western direction, one may ask the Americans.
Western powers that advise Pakistan to stop taking India as threat and to move its forces from its eastern border for deployment on the western front are only manifesting their own selfish motives. They have no concern for the safety of people of Pakistan against a neigbour that has waged three wars, helped to bisect the country in 1971 and is still massively involved in encouraging forces to destabilise the country. The western powers’ portrayal of India as friend of Pakistan is only a figment of their imagination that is keen to pursue an agenda that would promote their own interest in the region. South Waziristan provides the latest example to illustrate that India’s spy agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has been actively engaged in fomenting trouble wherever possible in Pakistan but its focus is on Federally Administered Tribal Area(FATA) and Balochistan. RAW’s nefarious role in Malakand Division has been halted, to a great extent, by the valiant soldiers fighting Raw-backed militants in operation Rah-e-Raast. South Waziristan was considered stronghold of the militants led by Hakimullah Mehsud. Nonetheless, Pakistan army’s inroads into this region have thrown up irrefutable evidence that RAW was actively supporting the militants who were up in arm against the country’s security forces. The army, in a short period of 21 days, has taken full control of the epicentre of militancy. It includes Srarogha, the town where the late Tehrik-e-Taliban founder Baitullah Mehsud spent most of his time planning attacks against the interest of Pakistan: Kotkai, the village that houses ancestral home of TTP’s new head and Baitullah’s successor Hakimullah Mehsud. Kotkai has assumed importance on another count. It is also the village of Qari Hussain, one of the most dreaded commanders known as “Ustad-i-Fidayeen” (tutor of suicide bombers). Ladha, Makeen, Kaniguram are other important villages now under the custody of security forces. The conglomerate of these villages was considered a stronghold of the militants where the writ of the government had dis appeared since 2002. All attacks and sabotage activities that were launched in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi were planned and prepared in this area. The area had a number of training grounds where teenage recruits were prepared armed with weapons explosives, suicide jackets and sent to cities to create havoc there. The degree to which RAW was involved in helping anti-Pakistan elements can be gauged from the fact that during operation Rah-e-Nijaat troops have seized weapons and explosives that bore Indian marking. Ipso facto, the bore of the guns that were stacked in the militants-made 5-metre long tunnel was used only by the Indian army. Additionally, the militants who were taken into custody by the authorities have disclosed their links with Indian intelligence puppeteers. Under an agreement India is allowed to transport containers containing weapons and other goods for the ISAF in Afghanistan. On their return, however, it was discovered that some of the containers were loaded with weapons and explosives which were to be unloaded at desolate places in Pakistan for delivery to militants fighting Pakistani security forces. It may be recalled that in the recent past, a few containers on way back from Afghanistan to India were found abandoned near Quetta. It was the strong odour emanating from the containers that revealed presence of 100 dead bodies of Afghans and an equal number of unconscious men loaded in the containers which should have been empty. This is how the transit facilities provided to India are misused. That India has an active hand in supporting militancy in Pakistan had been discovered as early as 2006. It was taken lightly by the concerned quarters. On the other hand India has never missed an opportunity to orchestrate Pakistan as manufacturer and exporter of militancy. 26/11 Mumbai attack can be cited as an example where Pakistan has been unnecessarily maligned. That India has its hand in almost all sabotage activities in Pakistan has been duly recognised by the American head of armed forces. US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen was compelled to admit that Pakistan’s concern about Indian doings had substance to it. However a mere statement from the chief of American forces would not prevent India from fomenting trouble in Pakistan. It is time for Washington to take up with New Delhi in the strongest terms to desist from supporting militancy in Pakistan. If Washington can ask Pakistan time and again to “do more’ in the war against terror despite the fact that more than 2000 soldiers have laid their lives in accomplishing the same mission, why it cannot ask India to stop putting spanner in the wheel and stop its support to the anti-Pakistan militants? Also, the Afghan government whose people were provided protection in Pakistan from the onslaught of Russian forces since 1979 should reciprocate the gesture by asking India to stop using Afghan soil for supporting militancy in Pakistan. New Delhi has mastered the art of painting Pakistan as perpetrator of militancy while cleverly hiding its own role in this field. On 7 November Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a public meeting that he had not received any information from Pakistan over a reported Lashkar-e-Taiba terror plot to attack India and called for collective international action to combat terrorism in the South East Asian region. Meanwhile the Indian Defence Minister AK Antony pointed to a Pakistan link to a reported Lashkar-e-Taiba terror plot. It is time Pakistan took up with Washington the negative role India was playing to support the very forces that Pakistan, as an American ally, was fighting. Could Pakistan, despite its sacrifices, succeed in the global war against terror when its neighbour is poking it from the eastern and western direction, one may ask the Americans.
Comments
Post a Comment