Amna Razzaq
It is no secret that Pakistan is a building block with the ability to pool together many nations that it shares history, culture, geography and religion to create a very strong confederation, alliance that would be both profitable and stabilising for the wider region. It is no secret that Pakistan has constantly met obstacles in trade, espionage, internal manufactured threat and external manufactured threat to not allow it to reach to a point where it can influence the politics and economy of the region. But India tries every opportunity to destabilize Pakistan in one way or the other. India fans ethno-sectarian and secessionist tendencies, funds, trains and proliferates terrorism through proxies. It was in the wake of 9/11 that India increased its clandestine operations in Pakistan with full support and encouragement from the United States, Israel and other western countries that unleashed their wrath on the Muslim world. Post 9/11 alliance between the US and Pakistan granted India leeway to enhance terrorist activities in Pakistan as during this time the latter allowed foreign intelligence agencies uninhibited territorial access. After having secured and strengthened its footing in the beleaguered areas the CIA made it easier for RAW functionaries to cross the threshold. Indian intelligence agency RAW has reportedly been planted its operatives in Indian consulates / embassy who are in contact with elements of TTP and Baloch insurgents. They are posing serious security challenges to Pakistan by conducting various terrorist attacks across the country for more than a decade. With the start of 2016, frequency of terrorist incidents has increased manifold indicating the frustration of the spoiler after her proxies were uprooted from Pakistani soil. Moreover, people of Afghan also feeling wary of protracted proxy warfare, strife and lawlessness in their country and are desirous for peace. Hence Indian nexus with TTP leaders like Hakimullah Masood and revelation of Latifullah Mahsood, Mulla Fazalullah and APS incident, exploitation of Baloch sub nationalists, Ajeet Doval’s offensive-defensive doctrine anti-Pakistan statements of Indian/ BJP leadership etc. India has been exposed as the only spoiler in Afghanistan, which is exploiting TTP, ISIS, ETIM etc against Pakistan and China . Latifullah Mehsud in a video had revealed that India is the biggest enemy of Pakistan and regional stability as she is carrying out terrorist activities covertly and they are giving money to Ameer of Mohmand Agency Abdul Wali and also training these TTP commanders with an aim to destabilize Pakistan. Similarly, former US defence secretary had revealed that India has over the years financed TTP commanders to create problems for Pakistan.
It is to remember that Hamid Karzai’s 13 years rule mostly remained troubled, corruption ridden, limited to certain areas, intrigue for realpolitik and marked with unusual antagonism towards ‘once upon a time his savior’- Pakistan. His excessive accommodation of India in Afghan chessboard and Machiavellian maneuvers to please extra regional powers are clear manifestation of a mischievous mind desperate to augment power through “jugglery” of intrigues and stratagems. Karzai allowed India to build an un-proportionate presence of four consulates and an embassy in the country, inked strategic partnership agreement and provided Afghan soil for all sorts of nefarious activities targeting Pakistan. Besides, Indian secret agency RAW has well-established its network in Afghanistan, and with the tactical assistance of anti-Pakistan secret agencies, it is fully backing cross-border incursions including terror-activities in Balochistan province and other regions of Pakistan, and is also destabilizing China and Iran. As regards Balochistan, based in Afghanistan, particularly RAW has continuously been assisting the Baloch separatist groups like BLA to create lawlessness there. In this regard, Indian former Army Chief Gen. VK Singh openly admitted that during his tenure, he supervised special army unit, Tactical Support Division (TSD) to sponsor acts of sabotage, especially in Balochistan. It is worth mentioning that New Delhi which has already invested billions of dollars in Afghanistan, also signed a wide-ranging strategic agreement with that country on October 5, 2011. And, the then President Karzai had also signed another agreement with India to obtain Indian arms and weapons. However, under the cover of these agreements, India has further strengthened its grip in Afghanistan. Similarly emergence of ISIS in Afghanistan (to counter-weight Taliban) has also connections with Indian security agencies, as majority of the groups, announcing allegiance with it, enjoyed good contacts with Indian RAW and were exploited as proxies against Pakistan. Recently, ISIS claimed incident in Jalalabad (Suicide attack) has also traces of Indian linkage. In fact, India through ISIS in Afghanistan is trying to counter Taliban. Moreover, RAW and anti-China secret agencies may step up activities by strengthening East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) along Pak-China border to support terrorism in China. Undoubtedly, Indian secret function in Afghanistan has been exposed.
Hence it is very naïve to imagine that Pakistan is seeking an unstable Afghanistan. Pakistan has harbored three million Afghan refugees for three decades and is still looking after about two million of them. Sufferings of the people of Pakistan are unmatchable in the backdrop of protracted proxy wars of regional and extra forces which exploit Afghan soil as a cockpit for their maneuvers. Undoubtedly, the beneficiaries of an unstable Afghanistan are those forces, which desire to expand their strategic ditches to legitimize their presence and relevance in the regional environment and continue to encircle China and wage proxies against Pakistan. The evolving situation in Afghanistan is an indicative of callous ignorance and non-sensitivity of Afghan leadership in responding to the problems. To divert their public intention, they deliberately continue to blame Pakistan without acknowledging Afghan shortcomings, increasing mischievous activities of Karzai-RAW-NDS-Abdullah Abdullah nexus. Notably, India has not made any investment for the war torn country since 2012, which exposes its sham sincerity and commitment for Afghanistan. Pakistan has always desired for a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan and endeavored to foster friendly, cooperative and progressing relations. Serious and sinister attempts have been made to undermine Pakistan’s inextricable role in Afghan imbroglio however, it was Pakistan which facilitated the stakeholders to kick start dialogue process between Afghan government representative and Afghan Taliban in Murree. Well-timed and deliberate announcement of death of Mullah Omar by the NDS on July 29 caused derailing of peace talks, thus straining Pak-Afghan relations. It would be prudent for Afghan government and people to remain alive to the situation and differentiate between their friends and foes. The situation also warrants a mature role from US, China, Pakistan and Iran to facilitate resumption of intra-Afghan dialogue as it is the only available option in undoing the Afghan quagmire.
