Syed Saqib Ali Shah
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s anti-Pakistan speech on the independence day of his country was sheer violation of charter of United Nation which many international analysts viewed as an act of war against Pakistan. His remarks regarding Balochistan were clear indication of his obsession of hate campaign against Pakistan and the antagonist plans of his handpicked security team would endanger South Asian peace and stability. Certainly, the recent warmth in Indo-US relations will also bolster the war mongering of Modi’s government against Pakistan. Ironically, US leadership has been wooed by the man whose visa was once banned under American laws on religious freedom due to his involvement in 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots in Indian state of Gujarat, prior to becoming Prime Minister.
The Indo-US Defence Pact was not enough for Modi’s government as it had exclusively started a new nefarious scheme, “Your One Rupee has the Power to Destroy Pakistan”, for Indian Army battle and weapon purchase, which is already spending US$ 52.2 billion on defence. The Indian government has opened bank account where people can donate funds directly to Army which will be used for purchasing weapons for the Indian Army. Kumari Mayawati, an Indian politician who served four terms as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and is also the national president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has stated that the BJP-led centre may trigger war against Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir and terrorism in a bid to divert attention from its failure in India to win elections. The statement of Mayawati was embedded in the clearly defined objective of Indian intervention and intention of waging war against Pakistan.
Indian government and its security establishment earlier also explicitly initiated conspiracies against Pakistan, reference for which was made by the Indian National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval about Indian strategy of weakening Pakistan by promoting terrorism from Afghanistan and sponsoring separatist movements. The threats emanating from Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s statement to inflict Pakistan with pain on his selected time and place also reflect the current strategic thinking of Indian security establishment about Pakistan. These public statements of Indian leaders are available on social media that backed RAW to collude with terrorists to create trouble inside Pakistan. Moreover, Indian intelligence agency RAW is operating through its Afghan consulates and is blatantly involved in destabilizing Pakistan. Now, it is well known that Baloch sub-nationalists and separatist militants are fully backed by India for provocation of Baluchistan separation and sabotaging Western route of CPEC.
Reportedly, RAW has also established a special desk on CPEC project in Afghanistan. As long as the CPEC remains on the Indian agenda, the interest to Pakistan is real as it involves sabotage and subversion through sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan. The arrest of RAW agent Kulbhushan Yadav from Pak-Iran border in Baluchistan carries a lot of significance in this regard. Yadav confessed that he was in Pakistan to aggravate insurgency in Balochistan. The western route of CPEC and Gwadar port are said to be crucial targets of Indian intelligence agency. However, it is pertinent to mention here that the Baloch people’s message was loud and clear as the entire Baluchistan is protesting against Mr. Modi and challenged all those who dared to speak against Pakistan.
Domestically, BJP led Hindu violence has not been confined to Muslims only but all other minorities in India including Dalits, low caste Hindus and Christians are also impacted. Indian forces violence and abuse include mass killings, enforced disappearances, torture, rape and sexual abuse, political repression and suppression of freedom of speech in Kashmir. Until 2012, the Prime Minister Modi was not allowed to enter the UK due to his alleged involvement in the massacre of Muslims in the Indian state of Gujarat. Sikhs, Muslims, Christians and members of the Dalit community came together in mass demonstrations to protest against Narendra Modi’s visit to the UK in November 2015 for what they believe is discrimination against Indian minority groups and people of Indian held Kashmir. Similarly, several Indian-American groups staged protest rallies in September 2015 against Modi under the banner of Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA), outside the SAP Center in San Jose to expose the realities behind Modi’s nefarious handling of minorities and Kashmiri people.
Against the backdrop of these violent extremist policies of BJP government, many analysts believe that Modi’s anti-Pakistan sentiments and hasty Indo-US coalition will jeopardise regional stability. The development of the agreement signed by US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and his Indian counterpart Manohar Parikar is seen as part of efforts by the two countries to counter growing maritime assertiveness of China, especially in the South China Sea. However, the Indo- US civil nuclear deal in 2005 and recent defence agreement are noteworthy in the context of overall India-US relationship. India came out as the principal beneficiary of this deal. The deal fulfilled India’s longstanding geo-strategic objectives, it’s nuclear and missile predominance, and it’s aggressive and evil designs in the region. The deal turns out to be unfair and discriminatory in the sense that it has bestowed India with all the benefits of a nuclear weapons state without any international obligations. Moreover, the qualitative and quantitative improvement of India’s nuclear arsenal would adversely affect the balance of power in South Asia. This strategic imbalance would lead towards a devastating arms race in the region which is already facing multi-furious security issues, Pakistan’s foreign office has accordingly cautioned the international community about possible negative implications of this Indo-US deal.
Indian government has been stalling the peace talks for years and instead opted for anti-Pakistan maneuverings. The brutal handling of the ongoing insurgency in Indian held Kashmir fairly indicated that the government of India has made up its mind to take the gloves off to fight against the people of Kashmir who demand their right of freedom. The international community has to come clean on how it views the Kashmiris’ movement for self-determination, which is part of the UN agenda. There is no better time than now for world leaders to ponder over this question with the UN General Assembly session, just around the corner. Moreover, the issue of terrorism sponsored and supported by India has already been raised by Pakistan government at international level to expose India as a financier and abettor of terrorism. Last year, a meticulously prepared dossier of proofs and evidences against India was shared with the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the US President Barack Obama.
The terrorism emanating from Afghanistan is a threat to the regional and international peace. The Indian strategy of using terrorism against Pakistan is counterproductive for the international fight against terrorism. Therefore, it could not be treated as solely Pakistan’s concern but international community must urge Indian government to halt its terrorist activities in Pakistan. RAW’s involvement in terrorism can reverse the gains made by the sincere efforts of Pakistan and international community, in uprooting terrorism from the region. International community must also take notice of extremist policies of BJP and it should exert pressure on India to give up its nefarious activities against Pakistan, as the elimination of terrorism is an internationally shared objective.
