Salahuddin Haider
India wants to be a regional power with a permanent Security Council seat but continues to be hostile to its neighbours. Pakistan tops the list, Nepal, Bhutan and even Bangladesh follow with complaints against a country that is 8 to 10 times bigger.
History of the last 73 years is full of testimony of Indian hostility towards Pakistan, Repeated violation of Control Line in Kashmir, opposition at United Nations, FATF, and many other major fora. But ever since the BJP government of Nirender Modi has been in power, tension has mounted manifold. The reason is simple Modi’s support to Hitlerite RSS, who, by their extremism are creating problems of Muslims and other minorities, Sikhs included.
The return of the December as the last month of the Calendar year, reminds us to innocent deaths during the terror attack on Army Public School, in north-western city of Peshawar, in which 149 people perished, including 132 children, and a couple of school teachers who set the example for other with their supreme sacrifice. The school headmistress refused to leave the children alone in that hour of peril, and so did another lady teacher. That was an act of extraordinary courage and bravery.
During last few years, Pakistan has been a special target of Indian-sponsored terrorism, airports, and naval bases were attacked. Even ISI headquarters was not spared, Senior military officers, and Junior, or non-commissioned officers, uniformed soldiers were martyred. Number of civilian casualties, and the wounded have been extraordinarily large.
While soldiers received bullets in chests, fell prey to bomb blasts, but showed to the world what mettle they are made of. The worst in the long list of such nefarious plots, was the attack on Army School, Peshawar in which 149, including 132 children and couple of teachers died.
“Terrorist attacks staged in Pakistan have killed over 70000 people caused material damage to the Pakistani economy totaling greater than $67 billion. ,Recently, a *dossier has been issued by Pakistan on Indian sponsored terrorism in Pakistan* which include very specific information such as bank accounts and Indian nationals involvement in terrorism. It also include number and places of training camps for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Baloch miscreants and other groups.
Indian intelligence (RAW) spent $1 million for the merger of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) with four other militant groups for terrorism in Pakistan. New Delhi has also been funneling money to Baloch separatists / activists through think tanks in Afghanistan and other means.
Indian spy agency RAW is also investing very heavily to disrupt the progress of CPEC by attacking its projects through different groups, The mastermind of the APS Peshawar attack was Mullah Fazal Ullah (killed), other collaborators were Gul Zaman Orakzai, Omar Narai (killed) and Muhammad Khurassani (in Afghan custody). Tthey were in touch with RAW and NDS handlers in Afghanistan
Turning to APS attack,, it is to be said without fear that this was another 9/11. After this incident Pakistan Army decided to launch Major operations against terrorist and eliminate them. It had to because psychological impact of the attack APS was horrible.
Just for refreshing public memory it is recalled here that in December 2014, six gunmen affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) conducted a terrorist attack on the Army Public School in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. The militants, all of whom were foreign nationals, comprising one Chechen, three Arabs and two Afghans,[8] entered the school and opened fire on school staff and children,[6][9] massacring innocent faces,
budding youngsters, who would have been builders of tomorrow’s bright and glorious future. The children, ranged between eight and eighteen years of age making it the world’s fourth deadliest school massacre. A rescue operation was launched by the Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG) special forces, who killed all six terrorists and rescued 960 people.
According to various news agencies and commentators, the nature and preparation of the attack was very similar to that of the Beslan school hostage crisis that occurred in the North Ossetia–Alania region of the Russian Federation in 2004.
Pakistan responded to the attacks by lifting its moratorium on the death penalty, intensifying the War in North-West Pakistan and authorizing military courts to try civilians through a constitutional amendment. On 2 December 2015, Pakistan hanged four militants involved in the Peshawar massacre.[19] The mastermind of the attack, Omar Khorasani, was believed to have been killed in a drone strike in eastern Afghanistan on 18 October 2017, but was added to the U.S State Department’s Rewards for Justice wanted list on March 7, 2018, indicating that he is still alive. The Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld the death sentences of two more convicts involved in the attack in the Said Zaman Khan v. Federation of Pakistan case on 29 August 2016.
