India’s hidden strategy against Pak, China
Sajad Shaukat
India which had jumped on American anti-terrorism enterprise since the
September 11 tragedy and covertly supported the US global agenda of
neo-conservatives is acting upon a hidden strategy to destabilize
Pakistan and China. In 2007 until February 2008 a continued wave of
suicide bomb blasts inside Pakistan and an intermittent war against the
local Taliban in Waziristan and Swat, resulting in unrest might be cited
as an example. Regarding the assassination of Ms. Benazir Bhutto Gen.
Hameed Gul and some other political experts indicated that it was an
international conspiracy to destabilize and denuclearize Pakistan. Even
Asif Ali Zardari, the Co-chairman of the PPP, in his recent interview
with the Guardian pointed out against an external hand in that
connection. Nonetheless, American CIA, Indian RAW and Khad of
Afghanistan might have prepared that plan to weaken the federation of
Pakistan. They are also creating instability in Pakistan by supporting
some separatist elements in the Frontier province and Balochistan to
fulfill their common strategic agenda. In these areas, kidnappings and
especially killing of Iranians and Chinese engineers in the recent past
might be noted as an instance. On August 8, 2007 Major Tanvir Hussain
Syed (R), the former parliamentary secretary for defence accused the
American CIA of killing Chinese nationals in Pakistan to harm the
cordial relations between Islamabad and Beijing.
Besides, Indian-backed separatists belonging to the Jundollah (God’s
soldiers) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) are working against the
cordial relationship of China and Iran with Pakistan. After Bugti’s
death his grandson, Brahmdagh Bugti is currently operating against
Pakistan from Kabul. It is of particular attention that military scholar
Lt Col Ralph Peters writing in the June 2006 issue of The Armed Forces
Journal of the US had suggested Washington about the creation of a
“Greater Balochistan” which would integrate the Baloch areas of Pakistan
with those of Iran—and the Frontier province should be incorporated into
Afghanistan, thereby leading to a process of fragmentation in both Iran
and Pakistan.
New Delhi is following almost a similar pattern in case of China. On
March 10, 2008, anti-government protests by Buddhist monks erupted in
Tibet’s capital, Lhasa and later on flared up in the nearby provinces,
killing 18 innocent civilians. Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet
who has lived in exile in India since a failed revolt against Chinese
rule in 1959 has been tacitly encouraged by New Delhi, enabling him to
mobilize armed groups and international support to spread anarchy in
China. Nevertheless, indicating the official stand, taken by the Indian
government tactfully, the Dalai Lama, revealed that he wants to talk to
China for autonomy, but not outright independence for his homeland. But
in fact both New Delhi and Lama covertly planned bloodshed in Tibet
including other adjoining provinces, motivating the people for
independence. As regards RAW, more than 25 Indian foreign offices,
established along the north-western border of our country and more than
20 information centers inside Afghanistan, are supervising saboteurs to
conduct militant activists in Pakistan. In this respect, on March 1,
2008 the former interior minister, Lt Gen. (R) Hamid Nawaz Khan in an
interview with an Arab TV channel disclosed that “the United States,
India and Afghanistan are involved in creating lawlessness in Pakistan”
by “backing militant outfits involved in terrorism”.
In case of Beijing, the official Chinese People’s Daily, on July 27,
2006, denounced the Dalai Lama as a “splittist” and pointed out that he
has “collaborated with the Indian military and American CIA to organize
the “Indian Tibetan special border troops to fight their way back into
Tibet”. The Daily further pointed out that the “so-called spiritual
leader’s violence is part of a bid for the independence of Tibet” and
“to ruin the upcoming Olympics Games in Beijing”.
There are other fundamental reasons behind Indian hidden strategy to
subvert Pak-China ties and to destabilize these old friends by
encouraging separatism. The next cold war is likely to be waged between
two blocks, one led by the Russia and China on one side and the other
one by the US and India. Fast growing economic power of China coupled
with her rising strategic relationship with the Third World has irked
the eyes of Americans and Indians. Owing to this jealousy, America
desires to make India a major world power to counterbalance the power of
China in Asia.
It is pertinent to note that on 16 August 2007 during an annual summit,
leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) which consists of
Russia, China and four Central Asian states including Pakistan and Iran
as observers, displayed their strength in a firm challenge to the rising
dominance of the US in the region as well as for a multi-polar system in
the world. During the recent visit of President Pervez Musharraf to
China, vowing to enhance cooperation in defence, energy and trade,
Chinese counterpart President Hu Jintao described ties with Pakistan as
a “high priority relationship” and hoped that “these would be further
strengthened” in future. Under the new proposed deal, China will be able
to use the Karakoram Highway and ports of Gwadar (developed with Chinese
help) and Karachi for transporting its goods to the Middle East, Africa
and Afghanistan.
While President Musharraf was in Beijing all major media outlets in the
USA were running stories about the so called “training camps” in
Pakistan which are also trying to cause trouble for China in the
Muslim-majority region of Xinjiang. India has also been propagating
secretly in this context. At a weekly Foreign Office briefing on April
18, 2008, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi disclosed that “some
external forces were trying to weaken China-Pakistan strategic ties” by
“creating misunderstandings”. Despite American opposition, Pakistan
continued its efforts for the Iran-India-Pakistan (IPI) gas pipeline
project. As India was delaying its finalization, pursuing a double game
has now become flexible as Islamabad invited China to join the project.
While New Delhi stood watching, China would also be successfully
improving its own regional connections by building rail tracks in Burma,
Thailand and Nepal etc. Meanwhile, victory of the Communist Party led by
the Maoists in the recent elections of Nepal has given a greater blow to
the Indian-backed old Hindu monarchy which is likely to be abolished as
pledged by the Maoist leader. It is another factor that India has
intensified the goals of its hidden strategy against China. Hence, most
of the Chinese see India as a “future strategic competitor” rather than
a partner.
Besides, Indian and Jewish lobbies are collectively working in America
and other European countries, exploiting the double standards of the
west in relation to terrorism and human rights vis-à-vis Pakistan and
China. In this regard, north-western areas of Pakistan and Tibetan
regions of China are special targets. Indian policy makers have the
Taliban and the Tibet cards, they have chosen to use. In this context,
the failure of the US-led NATO forces in coping with the Afghan
insurgency and the very presence of the Dalai Lama in India along with
120,000 Tibetan refugees have provided New Delhi with a phenomena to
manipulate the hostile elements in Pakistan and China.
As Islamabad has decided to review its support to US war against
terrorism by negotiating a peace deal with the Taliban leaders and by
refusing to allow NATO strikes on the tribal areas, India will avail the
opportunity to exploit this situation in widening the gulf between
Pak-US ties so that Washington could directly attack the Frontier
Province. New Delhi will also try to castigate the peace talks or deal
with the local Taliban to achieve its nefarious strategic designs.
Without any doubt, India is playing a double game with Islamabad and
Beijing as part of its hidden strategy. Overtly, in all subsequent
Pak-India and China-India joint statements, New Delhi has insisted upon
further improvement of bilateral relations with the two neighbouring
countries, while covertly, following anti-Pakistan and anti-China
policies for the disintegration of these two countries.
—The writer is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible
Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations. |
