Sikandar Noorani
IT is quite intriguing that after successfully fighting out the deep rooted hard core terrorist organizations, Pakistan has to strive at FATF forum while being at grey list. There could be possibly many flaws in financial scanning and tracking mechanism but none of it reflects any impurity in Pak intent to eradicate foreign sponsored terrorism. Pakistan has always been loud and clear that politically motivated activism of New Delhi must be kept out of FATF procedural manifestations. A state like India, indulged to the core in brutal atrocities against Kashmiris, cannot be taken as an unbiased party at a forum like FATF while dealing any matter about Pakistan. This is no coincidence that prior to upcoming FATF meeting, Indian media has started stereo type propaganda campaign against Pakistan with poorly fabricated stories of cross border terrorism. Funny parts of these stories are addition of alleged terror funding and weapon supply from Pakistan. This is an entirely new twist in terrorism stories fabricated by Indian establishment and media. Recently Lt General BS Raju Commander XV Corps has informed media that Indian troops were put on alert after detecting a drone at LoC presumably sent to drop weapons by ISI or Pak Army. A few days back, Indian media shouted at the top of voice that money was discreetly disbursed to the militants through tiffin boxes carried by women recruited as over ground workers by Pak agencies. No body from Indian media dared to ask a question from their security establishment that why weapons and money had to be sent through hard means once fighters were already infiltrating from Pak side as per previous claims? We have not heard about any such drone which is capable to carry and drop weapons at desired distant locations?
These baseless stories and hollow claims fabricated in New Delhi’s propaganda mills are precisely aimed at strangulating Pakistan during upcoming FATF session. There is no other option for Pakistan except entering the arena with full preparations. As per media reports, progress on pending points has already been intimated to FATF authorities for which Pak government got a few additional months due to pandemic. Legislation related to FATF met a tough response from opposition at upper house and led to traditional exchange of blames and non-serious verbosity. Political polarization must never be allowed to hinder the acceleration on sensitive national issues pertaining to economic survival and security. Our archrival adversary seems jubilated over FATF legislative deadlock in Pak upper house. In the recent past, Indian media revealed New Delhi’s advance consultations with international law experts to deeply trap Pakistan in FATF blacklisting.
Decision makers at Islamabad should not lose sight on such dangerous designs of New Delhi. All significant developments on regional front are closely inter-linked to each other and rapidly evolving in larger crises. More than a year has passed to Indian unwise assault on Kashmir’s autonomy! Now, BJP-led cult is dangerously pursuing the next phase of demographic change through bulk issuance of domiciles to non-residents of Kashmir. Standoff at Himalayan mountains has gone much beyond a routine hand to hand combat! Indian CDS General Bapin Rawat, without mincing the words, has threatened China to solve the dispute by using military force. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is over excited with the arrival of first batch of five Raffaele jets and calling it a game changer in battlefield against China and Pakistan. Though, Indian establishment and trigger happy ministers are fully aware of their combat handicaps for a two-front war but an aggressive posture is must to keep the internal audience calm.
What to talk of 35 French jets, India will not be able to fight China in next two decades with current economic state. However, recent military build-up at LAC in the garb of China will eventually give an upper edge against Pakistan at LoC which remains an unfulfilled dream for Indian hawks. Indian obsession with proxies in Afghanistan is well known fact! Undesired ouster from ongoing peace process is not acceptable to hawks of Indian establishment. Pak coercion from Afghan soil through attacks in Western tribal belt and Balochistan needs no elaboration. Hands holding the strings are no more an unrevealed secret. Why all brands of terrorists and so called nationalists-cum-activists are seen unified against Pakistan at this particular point in time? Who is patronizing such a grand multi-frontal proxy war against Pakistan? It is so intriguingly obvious and meaningful to see the killers of Kashmiris and demolishers of Babri Masjid concerned about Balochis, Pushtoons and Sindhis. New Delhi is trying to shroud atrocities in Kashmir by exaggerating the issue of enforced disappearances in Pakistan. BJP hawks are trying to divert the world attention from RAW-sponsored terrorism by fabricating stories of terror financing and cross border terrorism against Pakistan. It is about time to expose the real abhorrent face of Indian establishment and extremist ruling cult. India should be dragged to the FATF as financier and patron of hard core terrorist organizations involved in countless attacks on Pak LEAs and innocent public.
—The writer is a freelancer who often contributes in national newspapers.
