Hira Irfan
Pakistan has been facing an onslaught of terrorist incidents during the last three decades or so. While these incidents began after the 1971 Indo-Pak war, they increased in their intensity and force after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. However, their deadliest phase emerged after the emergence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in 2008. The proofs and evidence collected over the last four decades clearly show that terrorism in Pakistan has been openly and covertly supported by powers inimical to the existence of the country. Presently, the major onslaught is three dimensional; targeting the tribal belt and the rest of the country, targeting specifically Balochistan and targeting Karachi exclusively.
South Asian states especially those bordered with India have been suffering at the hands of terrorists, insurgents, extremists and separatists since decades. India, an extremist Hindu ideological state remains the exporter of terrorism in its neighbouring countries. In the recent past, Hindu extremist Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has stated that India will use terrorism to counter terrorism from other countries. The statement of Indian defence minister is open and blatant admission and declaration of sponsoring terrorism. Indian defence minister specifically mentioned that regulation will not be used to quell terrorist activities and terrorism will be promoted instead. The statement of using terrorism as a tool in other countries by a government official of India is indicative of New Delhi’s involvement in spreading terrorism in the region.
Furthermore, No one said making peace between India and Pakistan would be easy. The two countries are sitting atop a reservoir of painful history, bitter memories, hate and mistrust. They have active war-mongering constituencies that benefit from their hostility. We know the competing narratives. India never accepted Pakistan and so broke it up in 1971. RAW funds militants in Fata and creates trouble in Balochistan. Ajit Doval’s strategy of using terror as a weapon against Pakistan is on YouTube. For the other side, Pakistan initiated all wars. It promotes separatists in India, does a Kargil when India extends a hand of friendship and nurtures non-state actors as instruments of policy to unleash terror in India. Now Pathankot can either reinforce these narratives or become an opportunity to break from them.
Let us highlight the obnoxious and odious activities of the TTP, which is not a simple organization but has tentacles rooted in the philosophy to destroy Pakistan and its armed forces. The organization is responsible for the killing of more than 70,000 Pakistanis and armed forces personnel during the past eight years or so. Does it comprise only a clique of tribal simpletons that turned against Pakistan and carried out a war against the country’s armed forces and civilians, including women and children in the name of Islam? No, it does not. While it has been headquartered in one of our neighbouring countries, it was funded and run by the other neighbour that supported the TTP hordes and gave them directions to attack strategic installations in Pakistan, including Kamra and Mehran air bases. The attacks on bazaars, educational institutions and religious places, which made an easy target, did not come out of the blue. Also, it is no longer a secret that who were actually behind the attack on the Army Public School and College, the GHQ and Parade Lane mosque where not less than 14 children were martyred. The TTP terrorists are abusing the golden principles of religion on a massive scale and twisting the religious teachings to further their despicable designs. Moreover, their foreign support is no longer a secret. The footprints of the enemy are visible all over terrorist incidents in the KP and the rest of the country.
In Pakistan, Operation Zarb-e-Azb’s successes apart, we have been warning in this space that the problem has not gone away. The TTP terrorists have been pushed across the border from their safe havens in FATA or driven underground in the rest of the country. Similarly, Balochistan has been targeted during the last decade by terrorist organisations funded chiefly by a neighbouring country. Who was responsible for the killing of thousands of settlers, minorities and law enforcement personnel in Quetta and the rest of Balochistan? Which country mainly provided weapons and funds to the Baloch rebels? Which South Asian capital has openly supported the proxies in Balochistan and whose media portrays Balochistan a separate entity from Pakistan? Luckily, because of the FC operation, the terrorist groups in Balochistan are now facing a reversal of fortune.
On the other side, whenever Pakistan makes strides towards creating peace in Afghanistan, Indian extremists carry out terror acts on Pakistan and Afghanistan territory in order to create hurdles in the way of peace and prosperity in the region. This time RAW and its proxies even staged attacks in their own country (Pathankot Air Base) to halt the comprehensive peace process which was likely to be initiated after visit of Modi to Pakistan. The timings of attacks in Afghanistan and India are very critical. In Afghanistan, Pakistani Chief of Army Staff met President Ashraf Ghani to revive peace dialogues with Taliban and soon after its announcement Indian consulate was attacked by spoilers of peace. In India the attack on Pathankot, air base occurred only few days after surprise visit of Indian PM Modi to Pakistan and revival of comprehensive dialogue between India and Pakistan. India’s extremist Hindus started to point fingers towards Pakistan which will again halt the peace process. Pakistan Army is putting its sincere efforts to revive peace in the region but extremists in the region remains big hurdle for which India and Afghanistan need to play their role.
Given the focus of the personnel of law enforcement agencies on counter terrorism strategy and dealing with terrorists and subversive outfits throughout the country, the menace of terrorism has been controlled to a large extent. But there is no question that in case of any terrorist activity in the country, the responsibility would squarely rest on the shoulders of India and its intelligence agencies.
