By
Sajjad Shaukat
At least 13 people were killed and 85 injured on
February 13, this year when a suicide bomber struck outside the Punjab Assembly
on the Mall Road in the eastern city of Lahore, Pakistan during a peaceful
protest of the chemists and pharmacists against a new law.
Seven police officials, including two senior
officers—SSP Operations Zahid Gondal of Punjab Police and DIG Traffic Lahore
Capt (retd) Ahmad Mobin were among those killed in the attack.
The affiliated faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP), the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat-ur-Ahrar (TTP-JA) took
responsibility for the deadly suicide bombing in Lahore.
Terror attack in Lahore
coincided with the incident in Quetta-the provincial capital of Pakistan’s Balochistan province, where at least one policeman was killed and five
people were injured on February 13, 2017 in an explosion occurred on Sariab
road.
It is mentionable that the
final cricket match of the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL), being played in
Dubai (United Arab Emirates) was to be held in just a few weeks’ time at Lahore’s
Gaddafi Stadium—nearly six kilometers away from the blast site. The return of
cricket to Pakistan was being touted as a successful demonstration of the PSL
final in Lahore—a move which could have presented the country as a safe nation
to the world.
PSL chairman Najam Sethi, on many occasions, had
said that foreign players participating in the league have signed contracts
which abide them to play the final in Lahore; however, they have always quoted
security as an issue. Hopefully Sethi and the Chairman of Pakistan Cricket
Board (PCB) Shaharyar Khan and the Pakistani players were helping to convince
the foreign ones to come to Pakistan for the PSL final match. Hence, apart from
other sinister aims, especially India is behind the latest explosion in Lahore
to sabotage the final cricket match.
Besides, at least 24 people had
been killed and over 50 injured in a powerful explosion that ripped through a
crowded marketplace in Parachinar Kurram tribal agency on January 21, this
year. Soon after the incident,
Afghan-based TTP claimed responsibility for the blast in Parachinar.
At least 65 people were killed and more
than 100 others were injured when a blast struck at the shrine of the
Sufi saint Shah Noorani in Balochistan’s Hub Tehsil on November 12,
2016.
The Middle East-based movement of the Islamic State group (Also known as Daesh, ISIS,
ISIL) had accepted responsibility for the attack
via Amaq, its affiliated news agency. ISIS had also claimed responsibility
for a terror assault on the Police Training College in Quetta, which left at
least 60 individuals dead on October 24, 2016.
Earlier, the affiliated faction of the TTP,
TTP-JA took responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing in Quetta, which killed
at least 74 people on August 8, 2016 in an attack at the government-run Civil
Hospital.
In fact, the armed forces of Pakistan have broken the
backbone of the foreign-backed terrorists by the successful military operation
Zarb-e-Azb which has also been extended to other parts of the country,
including Balochistan. And Pakistan’s primary intelligence agency, ISI has
broken the network of these terrorist groups by capturing several militants,
while thwarting a number of terror attempts.
Since the government of the Balochistan province
announced general pardon and protection to the Baloch militants as part of
reconciliation process, many insurgents and their leaders have surrendered
their arms and decided to work for the development of Pakistan and the province,
peace has been restored in Balochistan, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,
FATA (Tribal Areas) and Karachi. But, it is due to lack of effective management
mechanism at the Pak-Afghan border that as part of the double game, the US-led India and Israel have again started acts of
sabotage in Pakistan to destabilize the latter. They are also trying to
sabotage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
It was part of ploy that two terrorist groups
accepted responsibility for the terror assault at the Police Training College
in Quetta to divert the attention from the US-led India and Israel.
Based in Afghanistan,
operatives of CIA, Mossad and RAW which are well-penetrated in the terrorist
outfits like ISIS, TTP and their affiliated Taliban groups are using their
terrorists to destabilize Tibetan regions of China, Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan
and Pakistan’s Balochistan by arranging the subversive activities.
As regards the terror assault on the Police
Training College in Quetta, IG FC Major General Sher Afgun had informed the
press that the attackers acted on directions from Afghanistan and the initial
investigation suggested that the terrorists were affiliated with the outlawed
Lashkar-e- Jhangvi Al Almi militant group. He elaborated, “We came to know from
the communication intercepts that there were three militants who were getting
instructions from Afghanistan.”
Notably, as part of the dual strategy, CIA, RAW
and Mossad are in connivance with the Afghan intelligence agency, National
Directorate of Security (NDS) and other terrorist groups. With latest capture
of six NDS supported terrorists in Balochistan, the number of NDS backed
terrorists arrested and killed by Pakistani Intelligence agencies has crossed
over 126. These external secret agencies are particularly supporting the TTP
which is hiding in Nuristan and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan. Reportedly,
Mullah Fazlullah led TTP was being prepared to carry out a fresh wave of terror
activities inside Pakistan, as the latter has become center of the Great Game
owing to the ideal location of Balochistan.
Located on the southwestern coast of Pakistan,
Balochistan’s Gwadar seaport is close to the Strait of Hormuz from where more
than 17 million barrels of oil passes every day. Its location among South Asia,
the oil-rich Middle East, and oil and gas-resourced Central Asia has further
increased its strategic significance. Besides, Balochistan’s abundant mineral
resources irritate the eyes of the US, India and Israel which intend to weaken
Pakistan for their collective aims, as the latter is also the only nuclear
country in the Islamic World.
As regards Balochistan, every Pakistani knows
that the militant outfits like ISIS and separatist groups like the Balochistan
Liberation Army (BLA) and their affiliated groups, including Jundollah (God’s
soldiers) and Lashkar-i-Janghvi which have been creating unrest in the
Balochistan get logistic support from RAW and Mossad with the tactical
assistance of CIA. In the recent years, these terrorist outfits massacred many
persons through suicide attacks, bomb blasts, targeted killings and sectarian
violence. These externally-supported insurgent groups had kidnapped and killed
many Chinese and Iranian nationals in Pakistan including Iranian diplomats.
They have claimed responsibility for a number of terror assaults, including
those on Shias in Balochsitan and Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan.
As a matter of fact, like Syrian war, as part of
the dual strategy of their countries, CIA, RAW and Mossad are especially using
ISIS terrorists who are behind the latest blasts in Balochistan to obtain the
covert aims of their countries against Pakistan, China and Iran.
It is of particular attention that arrest of the
Indian spy Kulbushan Yadav in Balochistan has exposed Indian undeclared war
against Pakistan. While addressing a joint press conference with Federal
Minister for Information Pervaiz Rasheed, Director General of Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR) Lt. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa said on March 29, 2016,
“Kulbushan Yadav’s arrest is a rare case that does not happen very often.” He
disclosed that Yadav was an active officer of the Indian Navy prior to his
joining RAW. He also served as a scrap dealer and had a jewelry business in
Chahbahar, Iran, after he joined RAW in 2013.
A video was also shown during the press
conference in which Yadav confessed that he spied for India. Yadav admitted
that he was assigned with the task to create unrest in Karachi and Balolchitan
by stating, “I supported the individuals who worked to destabilize Pakistan…I
promoted the criminal mindset that was there in Balochistan.” Another task assigned
to him was to target the Gwadar Port. Yadav also confessed—funding Baloch
separatists along with other terrorists. During
investigation, RAW agent Yadav admitted that during his stay, he contacted
various Baloch separatist leaders and insurgents, including Dr Allah Nazar
Baloch, to execute the task to damage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
project.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s secret agencies uncovered
another ring of Indian spies in the country,
working as under covert agents, found involved in subversive activities to
destabilize Pakistan. In this connection, on November 2, last year, Islamabad
disclosed that five Indian diplomats who were serving at the Indian High
Commission in Islamabad found to be part of the RAW spy network and were
involved in subversive activities by facilitating and funding terrorism.
They were declared as persona non grata and expelled from the country.
Undoubtedly, almost all the terrorists or
terrorist groups and insurgency in Pakistan, especially have their connections
in Afghanistan. The porous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is
frequently used by human and drug traffickers, criminals and terrorists. Their
easy access through unguarded porous border provides opportunity to miscreants
to cause havoc inside Pakistan and Afghanistan. For effective counter terrorism
measures strong border, control management is vital at Pak-Afghan border. But,
Afghan rulers are using delaying tactics in this respect.
Taking note of the anti-Pakistan intruders,
Pakistan’s army had decided to build a fence along the border, and to control
the border crossings. The strategic project of 1,100-kilometre-long trench with
the cost of Rs14 billion which was initiated along Pak-Afghan border in
Balochistan by Frontier Corps in 2013 has been completed last year. In the next
phase, the project will be extended to the entire long border with Afghanistan
which had opposed this plan.
While, from time to time, controversy arises
between Afghanistan and Pakistan when Afghan officials refused to recognize the
Durand Line which is the 2640 kilometer long and porous border, situated
between both the countries.
The issue again came to the limelight on June
12, 2016 when Afghan security forces started unprovoked firing at Torkham
border crossing, resulting in injuries to more than 16 Pakistani citizens,
including the martyrdom of some Pakistani security personnel. The aim was to stop
Pakistan from construction of a gate.
Durand Line has not been drawn by Pakistan, but
it was declared border line by British representative Sir Durand and Afghan
Ameer Ghazi Amanullah Khan in 1919. People of Pakistan’s province of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa and FATA (Tribal Areas) opted to join Pakistan in 1947. So, it is a
declared border line and Afghan government has no right to object on any
construction along with the Durand line.
There is no doubt that escalation of tension at
Pak- Afghan border is deliberately engineered by the elements opposed to peace
talks and improvement of bilateral relations between Islamabad and Kabul.
Pakistan is committed to tackle the problem
of terrorism mainly emanating from Afghanistan. Therefore, the effective border
management becomes imperative to control all the terrorism-related
infiltrations, drug smuggling etc. Moreover, effective border management
will also facilitate both countries to come out of blame game, as it would
offer a strict check on both sides to counter the free movement of terrorists
and drug mafia lords, who are the important factors of deteriorating security
situation in Afghanistan and its obvious backlash on Pakistan.
Besides, Afghan peace and reconciliation process
is a reality despite of its slow pace and continual interruptions. The positive
trajectory of constructive relations between Islamabad and Kabul raised
alarm-bells amongst the US-led adversaries who are attempting to affect the
progressive Pak-Afghan relations through smear and sinister scheming.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have previously
suggested many initiatives to resolve their differences. However, as fast as
these solutions had emerged, they have disappeared due to lack of follow-up.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have no other option, but to cooperate and resolve
their differences through political and diplomatic dialogue. And there is a
huge lack of trust between the both sides. Hence, it is imperative
for both the countries to develop a framework for strategic dialogue, focused
on short, medium and long term solutions. As a trust building initiative, an
effective border management mechanism will be beneficial for the
two countries. Such an establishment will also plug in many loop holes,
being manipulated by the terrorist outfits to conduct cross border
terrorism.
Returning to our earlier discussion, with the
assistance of CIA and Mossad, particularly Indian RAW is behind the terror
attack in Lahore.
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_pak@hotmail.com
Courtesy Veterans Today
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