Dr Muhammad Khan
OPERATION Zarb-e-Azb was the last blow against the well-entrenched terrorist organisation; Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in 2014. This military operation uprooted terrorism from North Waziristan Agency (former FATA) in its entirety with a complete defeat of this terrorist outfit. Thereafter, Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, the intelligence based military operation by Pak Army launched in 2017 further eliminated the terrorists network. The operation is on-going with active participation from all security forces and intelligence agencies. From 2016 to-date there have been many efforts by India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Afghan intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) to reorganize and regroup this terrorist group and restart terrorism in Pakistan.
There are confirmed reports that RAW-NDS nexus is making renewed and dedicated efforts for reorganizing and regrouping some of the terrorist organizations to start a new phase of militancy and destabilization of Pakistan. In this regard, TPP and its splinter groups; Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Hizbul Ahrar have formed an alliance on Afghan soil under the patronage of RAW and NDS. This alliance is primarily aimed at carrying out terrorist attacks on security forces of Pakistan all along the Pak-Afghan border and targeting vulnerable areas, prominent personalities elsewhere in the country. The premium intelligence agency of Pakistan; ISI has very timely exposed this RAW-NDS nexus. It is worth mentioning that in November 2019 once Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated historic Kartarpur Corridor for the facilitation of Sikh community to visit Gurdawara Darbar Sahib in Narowal District, RAW and NDS tried to sabotage the event through terror. Thanks to the vigilance of ISI and Military Intelligence that RAW-NDS plan was spotted well in time and later neutralized without any damage.
The current meeting of these terrorists’ organizations was held on August 16, 2020 in Paktika and Kuntar areas of Afghanistan. This meeting was attended by senior officials of the RAW and NDS. Besides, this meeting was also attended by Ikramullah Turabi of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. This terrorist was recently released on bail by a court. Turabi was arrested by ISAF in Afghanistan on December 13 and was handed over to Pakistan. During the meeting of these militant organizations and RAW and ND officials, it was decided to attack the Pakistan Army, Police, Rangers, FC and other law enforcement agencies to create panic and chaos; a situation Pakistan faced from 2007 to 2010. It was a bad luck to these terrorists’ organizations and more to RAW and NDS that, Pakistani intelligence apparatus once again detected their activities and future plan of action.
Apart from their plan to restart terrorist activities in Pakistan, RAW and NDS are sabotaging the peace process in Afghanistan. Indeed, in case there return peace and stability in Afghanistan, India loses the pretext to stay there anymore. Thus, in collaboration with NDS, which indeed is an off-shoot of RAW it is disrupting the peace process in Afghanistan. A continued infighting and mayhem in Afghanistan suits India. This is very unfortunate that, current Afghan regime under Ashraf Ghani is being exploited by NDS and RAW and the people of Afghanistan have been made as hostage in their own country by these two spying networks. Since Pakistan helped US in inking a peace deal between Washington and Taliban, in February 2020, therefore, RAW and NDS are all out to discredit that. A nefarious conspiracy has been hatched to sabotage the joint efforts of Pakistan and the United States. It has been exposed that the militant outfits have decided to regroup Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) during the meeting held on Afghan soil. Moreover, the RAW and NDS-sponsored alliance had planned to sabotage on-going efforts of establishing durable peace in Afghanistan by Pakistan and the United States.
Indeed, while being in Afghanistan, the main terrorist group; Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is administered, financed, trained and harboured by Afghan spying network, NDS in collaboration with RAW and some international spying networks. According to Lieutenant General John W Nicholson, former Commander of US Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan since March 2016, a sizable part of TTP has joined the Daesh (IS Khorasan Chapter). He said, “These IS-K (Islamic State-Khorasan) fighters are primarily Pakistani Pashtun (TTP)” supported by RAW and NDS. Being the longest-serving commander of NATO and US forces in Afghanistan, General Nicholson has the insight of Afghan problems and he was frank to share this information in front of US Armed Services Committee. Today, the TTP hard-core terrorists constitute the nucleus of Daesh in Afghanistan. While TTP operates with the help of NDS and RAW, the Daesh (IS-K) operates directly, all aims to weaken Pakistan internally through; terrorist’s attacks, promoting sub-nationalism, sectarian strife, ethnic and provincial divide and political upheavals.
Despite the covert and overt terrorist activities of RAW and NDS through TTP and its splinter groups, the security forces and intelligence agencies of Pakistan are successfully countering their activities. RAW-NDS nexuses aim to make Pakistan bleed internally, entangled into internal discord like Libya, Iraq, Syria, finally ending into Yemen like situation. The brave and determined Armed Forces of Pakistan have done immensely well in countering, combating and retreating the terrorism, orchestrated by these transnational spying networks.
The new efforts of RAW and NDS for reorganization of terrorist organizations to restart a new phase of terrorism in Pakistan is a serious challenge. The security forces of Pakistan though physically defeated these militants from 2004 to 2016; however, there are sleeper cells of these organizations are looking for an opportunity for reactivation. Besides armed forces of Pakistan and its intelligence set-up, it is responsibility of entire nation to watch the activities of the terrorist organizations or their sympathizers. Let’s synchronize the nation once again to defeat the unholy nexus of RAW and NDS against Pakistan. Besides, let’s be vigilant of resurgence of the activities of TPP and its splinter groups; Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Hizbul Ahrar all over Pakistan to foil the revival of terrorism.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad.
