- Maryam Imran
On December 31, 2014, Indian security agencies orchestrated a terror-related fake boat drama to defame Pakistan in the world. In this regard, Indian media and high officials unfolded the drama on the New Year’s eve by allegedly reporting that a Pakistani fishing boat as a Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was intercepted by Indian Coast Guards, some 356 km. off the coast of Porebandar, Gujarat. Taking a new twist which overturned Indian aspersions in accusing Pakistan, the Indian government had claimed that it had foiled another 26/11-type attack of Mumbai. The Pakistani media said that the Indian media was playing up the incident without establishing proper links to terrorism. The incident was strongly rejected by Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam, terming it mere propaganda aimed at tarnishing Pakistan’s image. She elaborated, “Pakistan expects India to conduct a transparent probe to ascertain the facts of the boat incident while highlighting that its own investigation has shown that there was no sound evidence to substantiate India, assertions. On the so-called terror boat incident, India has not approached Pakistan through diplomatic channels.”
However, the boat incident has stirred a controversy within India itself. Indian National Congress has stated that it has doubts on government’s version of Porebandar incident. The BJP, in response, has stated that Congress is lending credence to Pakistani stance. In this context, hitting at Congress, BJP President Amit Shah asked the opposition party, whether it was fighting elections in India or Pakistan. It is notable that 48 hours after the incident, the Indian officials have started portraying another version by suggesting that the boat, which had left Keti Bandar, Karachi might have belonged to small time smugglers. And, it is not possible that 30 HP boat could run four state-of-the-art Indian Coast Guard ships. The media clips show only fire damage to the boat, whereas, in case of an explosion, as suggested by the Indians, complete boat which was small in size, would have torn to pieces. Indian officials said that wreckage and dead bodies could not be recovered due to bad weather, whereas open source Met data forecasted fair weather. The argument is supplemented by the fact that small boats do not operate in deep open waters unless weather is clear.
Nevertheless, we cannot see the event in isolation. The aim of that stereotype Indian orchestrated boat drama was to create an aura against Pakistan prior to US President Barrack Obama’s visit (25-27 Jan. 2015) to India and put pressure on Pakistan government on Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi’s bail issue and allege LeT as an organization, posing regional threats. Prior to Obama’s visit, Indian propaganda was also part of overall plan to malign Pakistan of sponsoring terrorist activities in India. New Delhi, for the last few months, was propagating conduct of terrorist activities by LeT inside India.
It is noteworthy that on December 13, 2001, Indian parliament was attacked by five terrorists. Without any evidence, Indian top officials and TV channels started a blame game against Pakistan by involving the banned Lashkar-e-Tayba and Pakistan’s primary intelligence agency ISI in relation to the parliament assault. While, regarding the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks, Indian rulers and media had again started a blame game against Pakistan, propagating that Indian Mujahideen, the banned Lashkar-e-Tayba and ISI were behind the Mumbai carnage. Availing the pretext of the parliament attack and Mumbai catastrophe, New Delhi had, twice, suspended the process of dialogue with Islamabad in wake of its highly provocative actions like mobilization of troops. Pakistan had also taken defensive steps to meet any Indian prospective aggression or surgical strikes. But, India failed in implementing its aggressive plans, because Pakistan also possesses atomic weapons.
Moreover, the investigations were carried out and an inquiry was filed against DIG BK Loshali who was the chief of staff at that time. The Indian minister of defence, Manohar Parrikar said, “I will check if he has made the statement properly, word to word, whatever is reported. We will take action against the person if required.” BK Loshali was finally made to face a court martial due to his act in September 2015. “Given the severity of the officer’s action, he will face a court martial. The inquiry had recommended stringent action against him,” said an anonymous person from the ministry of defence. “The BOI had called for strict action. The General Court Martial Proceedings against DIG B K Loshali will start in September,” said anonymous person from the ministry of defence. According to the Indian Express, the intelligence and the government sources clearly declared “use of disproportionate force” against the fishermen by the coast guard. After the board of inquiry was inducted in August the court martial regarding the boat attack and false allegations on Pakistan was carried DIG BK Loshali was appointed to Coast Guard’s Zonal headquarters. The news did not hit social media in particular but according to anonymous sources BK Loshali was immediately dismissed from the Indian Coast Guard.
It is established fact that as part of anti-Pakistan move, BJP-led government which is continuously manipulating the double standards of the US-led Western countries in relation to New Delhi and Islamabad arranged fake boat drama to not only to defame Pakistan in the world, but also to obtain Indian sinister designs against Pakistan.
