Dr Muhammad Khan
FOR the past one decade, Pakistan has been constantly asking the United Nations (UN) and the international community to stop India from using Afghan soil against it. In this regard, Pakistan provided irrefutable evidence of Indian involvement in terrorist attacks against it to UN in November 2020. On 14 November 2020, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Babar Iftikhar, addressed a joint Press conference in Islamabad. They gave irrefutable evidence of Indian state sponsored terrorism in various parts of Pakistan. Pakistan has compiled a dossier containing “irrefutable evidence” of Indian state sponsored terrorism in Pakistan and demanded that international community must take notice of it in order to maintain peace and stability in nuclear South Asia. From its aggressive and terrorist acts, India is clearly presenting itself as world’s biggest rogue state. Mr Qureshi clearly said that Pakistan has the solid information which clearly indicates that India is fanning state terrorism in Pakistan with the sole purpose of destabilizing it.
In its 27th Report, the UN Analytical and Monitoring Team found that the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has undertaken over 100 cross-border attacks in Pakistan from Afghan soil in last three months. For the last five years, TTP has stationed in Afghanistan under the patronage of NDS and RAW. This UN report also acknowledged the Pakistani efforts against terrorism as part of its drive against global war against terrorism. Pakistani efforts against terrorism have also been acknowledged by the US. In a recent report sent to the US Congress by two US officials, confirmed the presence of TTP in Afghanistan. The report also appreciates the constant support Pakistan rendered to the US and Afghan forces against Daesh (IS). The Daesh group in Afghanistan is operating with the name of Islamic State (Khorasan Province).
It is worth mentioning that Pakistan has been a target of Indian-sponsored terrorism for decades. In order to terrorize Pakistan, there is a strong collaboration between Indian RAW and Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS). Both are largely collaborating with the common mission of making Pakistan a sandwich through terrorism. These spying networks are devotedly involved in the training, narrative making, financing and patronage of the banned outfits against Pakistan. These banned organizations include: Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Jamaatul Ahrar (JuA), Hizbul Ahrar (HuA) and other sub-nationalist groups of Balochistan. RAW is making a dire effort for establishing a consortium between TTP, JuA, HuA and sub-nationalist groups of Balochistan Province (BLA, BLF and BRA).
This all is done through a ‘Grand Indian Design’ against Pakistan. Pakistani security forces have already defeated these organizations in its drive — the global war against terrorism. Most of the terrorist elements of these organisations took refuge in neighbouring Afghanistan during the counter-terrorism drive of Pakistan from 2004 to 2017. Indian RAW is trying to breathe life into these terrorist outfits once again by making a consortium of these groups. India has made a huge budgetary allocation for revamping and re-grouping these terrorist organizations against Pakistan. They are being supplied with needed training, finances, weapons and ammunition to target the already earmarked personalities and locations. With regard to financing terrorism in Pakistan through Afghan soil, India has allocated huge budget. “India paid $820,000 to TTP leadership through its collaborators.” There have been repeated meetings between RAW officials and the hard core TTP leadership in Afghanistan.
The above-mentioned facts provide just a few indicators of grand Indian designs being implemented through terrorism and aggression. Indian military cannot face Pakistani military directly and legally Pakistan stands at a very high pedestal on Kashmir. Therefore, fearing a swift, stringent and a bold military response from Pakistan, India is resorting to attack the sovereignty and solidarity of Pakistan through indirect warfare. In fact, the long-term grand Indian designs are aimed to create a chaos, social unrest, rise in militancy and economic crisis in Pakistan. Already Pakistan has paid heavy price of its war against global terrorism. From 2001 to 2020, Pakistan faced 19,130 terrorist attacks on its soil. It has suffered over 83,000 human losses which include over 8000 personnel of security forces. Besides, Pakistan has suffered unprecedented economic losses amounting to over 129 billion USDs.
As per Foreign Office of Pakistan, the UN and US reports, “vindicate our long-standing position on threats posed to Pakistan and the region by groups like TTP, Jamaatul Ahrar (JuA), Hizbul Ahrar (HuA) and their affiliates, based in Afghanistan”. After repeated conformation of Indian terrorism against Pakistan, it is incumbent upon the United Nations and major powers to put sanctions on India for sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan. Let there be no double standard adopted by the UN and major powers over the menace of terrorism. International law does not allow any state to use the soil of a third country against its neighbour. Through its terrorist acts against Pakistan, India is seriously violating the UN Charter and international law which must be taken seriously by the United Nations and the United States.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad.
