The speed and manner with which New Delhi has reacted to the Pahalgam attack in Occupied Kashmir have lent credibility to the widely held belief that it was a false flag operation by India to malign Pakistan and the legitimate freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people, while strengthening its illegitimate hold on the disputed region.
This is evident from the fact that, pending investigations and reliable evidence, India announced a series of anti-Pakistan measures just a day after the attack, including the immediate suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) and the closure of the Attari border check post, ultimatum to Pakistanis in India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme to leave the country in 48 hours while others could return by May 1; defence personnel at the Pakistani High Commission in India asked to leave the country in a week and staff at the high commissions would be reduced.
All this is in line with India’s track record of putting blame on Pakistan for every untoward incident in that country and use such episodes as an excuse to camouflage its state-sponsored terrorism against people whose only fault is to demand their birth right (self-determination), which has also been guaranteed to them by the relevant UN resolutions.
India also uses such incidents to gain sympathy of the international community and take advantage of the situation to increase its repression against Kashmiris.
How on earth India succeeded in establishing linkage of the terrorist attack to Pakistan as has been claimed by its Defence Minister after meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, within a day of the incident?
In the past as well India lost no time in blaming Pakistan for attacks like those on the parliament and Jaffer Express but later it was proved beyond any doubt that these attacks were planned by Indian agencies to achieve different objectives.
Pakistan is, no doubt, championing the cause of its Kashmiri brothers but this support is strictly within the framework of the international law and relevant UN resolutions.
As for punitive measures, these also fit well within the overall strategy of the Modi Government which uses such occasions to initiate anti-Pakistan rhetoric to exploit nationalist sentiments of Indians to gain political support.
The Indus Basin Treaty was brokered by the World Bank and despite serious violations of its terms, the accord has, by and large, served its purpose but India has all along been threatening to stop Pakistan’s share of water under the treaty.
However, diplomats point out that India can neither suspend or terminate the treaty unilaterally.
Bilateral trade is already suspended between the two countries and, therefore, closure of Attari border makes no difference.
However, the overall reaction by New Delhi and its venomous propaganda against Pakistan speaks volumes about nefarious designs of our eastern neighbour.
Pakistan, therefore, must remain vigilant as there are apprehensions that India might use the terrorist attack as an excuse for so-called ‘surgical strike’ within Pakistan.
We have demonstrated capability to respond to such threats in kind and the nation is fully behind its armed forces to defend the motherland.
There are also fears that the Pahalgam incident is a conspiracy to launch an all-out brutal operation against resistance forces in Occupied Kashmir on the pattern of what Israel did to Palestinians in Gaza.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has pledged a firm and coordinated response to Indian unwarranted actions and hopefully these will demonstrate the will and determination of the nation to thwart nefarious designs of the enemy.
The seriousness of the situation demands Pakistan should immediately approach the UN Secretary-General sensitizing his organization about dangers to the peace and security of the region due to Indian actions and increased repression against Kashmiri people.
It is also the responsibility of the Foreign Office and our missions abroad to rebut effectively Indian propaganda aimed at maligning Pakistan on the issue of terrorism.
