By Sajjad Shaukat
Although Pakistan has become special arena of
the different war, being waged by the security forces against the ruthless
terrorists, yet country’s armed forces have capabilities to foil the
terrorists’ attacks.
In this respect, May 22 reminds the day when in
2011, 15 terrorists of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al Qaeda attacked
on the headquarters of the Pakistan Navy (Airbase), PNS Mehran in Karachi.
Two American-built P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft were also destroyed.
An intense gunfight broke out between the
terrorists and the security forces including army personnel and naval
commandos, and it continued for 16 hours. There was a series of loud
explosions. This fact proved that the perpetrators were armed with automatic
weapons, grenades and rockets. Despite the continued firing of the gunman on
the troops, the valiant security forces successfully coped with the militants
and were able to take back the related naval airbase. It was due to their
boldness that the attackers failed in damaging the whole airbase or taking
hostages. During the operation, 18 military personnel were martyred and 16
wounded. Spokesman Navy said that the terrorists were killed.
Regarding the terror-attack on the Mehran base
Karachi, sources indicated the involvement of Indian intelligence agency, RAW
which conducted that assault with the help of some anti-Pakistan secret
agencies. In this respect, these agencies got the services of a group of Al
Qaeda and TTP, based in Afghanistan. An investigation pointed out that at the
time of the attack, there were six Americans at the base, but terrorists did
not take them hostages.
Like previous and present subversive acts, the
TTP took responsibility for assault of the naval airbase, Karachi.
In this regard, various terror-attacks indicate
that Indian RAW has been waging guerilla warfare in Pakistan through its
well-trained insurgents, especially of the TTP which conducted attacks in
various cities of the country.
After sponsoring bomb blasts and suicide attacks
in the past, a perennial wave of the same in 2009-particularly in the last 18
months clearly proves that RAW has modified its tactics of subversion in
Pakistan. Apart from direct suicide events, militants, armed with hand
grenades, machine guns and other weapons also come to help the explosive-laden
vehicles so as to penetrate the security at the target points. Sometimes,
exchange of fire takes place between the saboteurs and the security guards, and
sometimes, purpose is to directly kill the security personnel of our country. A
number of terror-events in Pakistan endorse that RAW’s agents have been acting
upon the guerilla techniques. In most of the terror-tragedies, huge quantity of
explosives has also been used, as noted in case of navy’s airbase, Karachi
In Lahore, similar tactics of exchange of fire
were occurred in connection with many terrorist incidents, as the militants
reached their directed targets with latest weapons. In this respect, on March
3, 2009, terrorist attack which targeted the bus of Sri Lankan cricket team in
Lahore had killed 8 persons after a continuous gunfire by the militants.
Pakistani officials confirmed that “grenades and rocket launchers had been
recovered” which were of foreign origin. Afterwards, official inquiry disclosed
that RAW was behind that attack. On May 27, 2009, more than 30 people were
killed in Lahore when an explosive-laden Suzuki van exploded near Rescue 15
building of the police which was completely destroyed. It also damaged the
building of the Lahore Capital City Police Office (CCPO) and that of the Inter
Services Intelligence (ISI) which was the main target, but could not be hit due
to heavy firing by the security guards on the terrorists who were firing at
them. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said on the same day that Indian
involvement in “suicide attack in Lahore cannot be ruled out.”
Similar types of terror-tactics were applied by
the culprits in relation to the Pearl Continental hotel in Peshawar and the
Marriot Hotel in Islamabad.
Another guerilla technique of the RAW-trained
terrorists is that they camouflage themselves by wearing the uniform of
Pakistani security forces so as to deceive the security guards. The militants
who attacked the GHQ, Rawalpindi on October 10, 2009 were wearing army
uniforms.
It is mentionable that regarding the 2009
simultaneous terror attacks in Lahore and that of the GHQ, the then Spokesman
of the ISPR, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and other TV
commentators had indicated Indian involvement behind the attack, remarking:
“Hakimullah Mehsud and other terrorists are “the enemies of the state” and “are
mercenaries who receive arms from Afghanistan to destabilize the country.”
Similarly, on March 30, 2009, the Manawan Police
Academy in Lahore was attacked and captured by an estimated 12 gunmen who also
seized hostages. Despite the continued firing of the gunman on the military
troops and police, the valiant security forces successfully coped with the
militants and were able to take back the building. On November 2, 2013, suicide
bomber targeted a checkpoint at Wagah in Lahore and like other terror-assaults,
Indian-supported TTP claimed responsibility. Afterwards, investigations proved
Indian involvement in this attack. As regards the most brutal incident, TTP
took responsibility for the massacre of 132 school children at Army Public
School and College in Peshawar on December 16, 2013. In the recent past, TTP
again accepted responsibility in relation to two suicide attacks on the
churches in Lahore.
Particularly, in August 16, 2012, when nine
militants disguised in security forces’ uniform, equipped with latest weapons
attacked Pakistan Air Force Base at Kamra, the valiant personnel of Pakistan
Air Force and Special Service Group (SSG) of Commandoes of Pak Army foiled the
assault by killing all the terrorists. Only one soldier was martyred.
On May 13, this year, at least 45 people were
killed after the gunmen brutally opened fire on a bus of the Ismaili community
near Safoora Chowrangi area of Karachi. Without any doubt, Karachi bus incident
is a handy work of RAW to sabotage the China-Pakistan economic Corridor (CPEC)
by showing that if Pakistan government is not able to provide security to its
citizens, how it can protect CPEC. Ismailis belong to Hunza (Gilgit/Baltistan)
or have a spiritual linkage with this area, are Pakistanis. The CPEC would also
originate from the same region.
As a matter of fact, based in Afghanistan, RAW
with technological support of Israel and other anti-Pakistan countries have
been sending the culprits to Pakistan so as to weaken the latter, as it is also
the only nuclear country in the Islamic world.
Undoubtedly, Pakistan is in the state of new
war, being waged by the Armed Forces and intelligence agencies against
terrorists. In this connection, our Armed Forces have almost obtained their
objectives in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) through military operation
Zarb-e-Azb against the terrorists who had challenged the writ of the state, and
had frightened the entire nation by their terror-acts. In Balochistan, Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, Karachi and other parts of the country including tribal areas, our
security forces are successfully coping with the militants.
It is mentionable that in his book, “Fighting
Power: German and U.S. Army Performance, 1939-1945”, Creveld identifies the
elements of ‘moral force’, whom he calls “fighting power, the willingness to
fight and the readiness, if necessary, to die.” The greater these elements, the
less vulnerable an armed force will be to demoralization. ‘Moral force’, then,
is the crucial factor in determining the combat power of any belligerent.
No doubt, it is due to the elements of “high
moral force” that like other similar terror-assaults, Pakistan’s courageous
soldiers of the Armed Forces foiled the Karachi naval base attack. Hence, May
22 is reminiscence of this very day which shows capabilities of these forces.
Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs
and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power:
Dangerous Shift in International Relations
Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com
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