India sabotaging Taliban peace talks

India sabotaging Taliban peace talks

Sultan M Hali

 Pakistan has made numerous peace overtures to India. It has bent backwards in suggesting mechanism to ensure lasting peace. There have been offers of a no-war pact, withdrawal of forces from the international boundary as well as the Line of Control, perpetual cease fire, no first use of nuclear weapons but each gesture has been rudely spurned. Instead, Pakistan is painted in a bad light as an aggressor, the harbinger of terrorism and master of proxy wars. Whereas the truth is far from it.

Pakistan’s sincerity in improving relations with India is beyond any doubt, however, Indian deep seated animosity against Pakistan and her hegemonic designs spoil all efforts to hold meaningful talks to bring sustained peace in South Asia. India has always explored ways to harm Pakistan through direct actions or using surrogate wars to destabilize Pakistan. Ample evidence now exists that the December 13, 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, the 2007 carnage on board the Samjhota Express and the 2008 Mumbai Attacks were all orchestrated by Hindu extremists while Pakistan was blamed for the assaults. So much so that in the wake of the December 13, 2001 attack on Indian Parliament, Indian forces were launched to take punitive action against Pakistan. It was only swift deployment of Pakistani troops for a possible riposte and international pressure that kept the Indians at bay. In the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, Indian air force fighter aircraft were dispatched for surgical strikes against Muridke, the alleged headquarters of Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, who has been portrayed as being the mastermind behind the Mumbai attacks. Again it was the timely interception of the Indian fighter aircraft by Pakistan Air Force air defence system that thwarted the Indian adventurism.

The advent of 9/11 provided India with a fresh tool to whip Pakistan. Initially Indian leaders tried to ally themselves with the US, offering their airspace and air bases to support operations against Afghanistan and also club Pakistan in the terror triangle. Pakistan’s timely action to support anti terror operations wrecked Indian machinations but later Indian Chanakyan maneuvers created fresh opportunities for them. Indian political leadership derives sadistic pleasure as Pakistan suffers at the hands of terrorism while its intelligence agencies leave no stone unturned to destabilize Pakistan. Indian RAW conducts subversive activities and runs proxy war inside Pakistan using Pakistani dissidents and Afghan conscripts. The reports by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies and detailed information presented by Pakistani media proclaiming that Indian agencies are involved in different terrorist attacks in Pakistan were not only ignored for lack of evidence but also termed as stereotype.

In the guise of development and reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, India strategically placed its intelligence operatives, who recruited, trained, armed and launched miscreants in Pakistan to launch a war of insurgency in Balochistan and terror attacks in Pakistan’s major cities through FATA and the tribal belt. Criminal elements were attracted to this clandestine operation, as they had access to state-of-the-art weapon systems, communication equipment and unlimited funds. They found it expedient to operate as India’s stand-ins in its heinous plot against Pakistan.

The ongoing dirty war is continuing to bleed Pakistan, inflicting losses to the law enforcing agencies including the Pakistan Army, Rangers, Police and the intelligence organizations. The odious Indian machination through its substitutes is hurting the innocent civilians, women and children alike and taking a huge toll of lives besides maiming and injuring them. Pakistan’s exterior maneuver has been found wanting. Whereas the hard evidence implicating the Indian spy agency RAW was painstakingly collected and collated by Pakistan’s intelligence organizations, the same was not effectively presented to either the UN or international organizations. On the other hand, Indian Foreign Office and media have been on the same page, painting Pakistan as aggressors.

Acting on the Chanakyan dictum of “tell a lie so often that it appears to be the truth”, Indian agencies have managed to present Pakistan in the worst image and have gained the upper hand. Pakistani side remained somewhat defensive in providing evidence to India for supporting terrorism inside Pakistan, fearing that peace process with India may get damaged, though many incidents revealed clear signs of Indian involvement. On the other hand India found it convenient to further blackmail Pakistan on the peace process. Indian scholars and writers openly suggested that a proxy war inside Pakistan would accrue India benefits beyond proportion as Pakistan will be weakened. Consequently Indian hidden efforts continue to destabilize Pakistan by supporting terrorists from TTP and those belonging to Afghanistan for conducting acts of terrorism inside Pakistan.

A peace process between the Government of Pakistan and TTP is imminent despite setbacks. Such developments are abhorrent to Indian leadership, who not only disapprove such talks but also make overt efforts to support some TTP leaders to undertake suicide attacks or use IEDs for blasts in sensitive areas in an attempt to sabotage the dialogue prospects. Recently US led NATO ISAF commander endorsed Pakistan’s assessment and viewpoint that Kabul-New Delhi nexus was harboring safe havens across Durand Line. He further contended that Indian agencies in connivance with Afghan NDS conduct subversive activities inside Pakistan to derail the peace process between Government of Pakistan and TTP.

In this regard arrest of Latifullah Mehsud by US Special Forces revealed that terrorist attack in Upper Dir targeting Major General Sanaullah Khan Niazi was undertaken by Indo-Afghan nexus. He further proclaimed that terrorist attacks against Peshawar Church, in Qissa Khawani Bazaar and on an official bus of Peshawar Secretariat were also planned and sponsored by Indian intelligence agencies working in Kabul. The aim was to derail the peace process between Government of Pakistan and TTP. While the Pakistani Parliament is recouping after the successful targeting of TTP Commander Hakimullah Mehsud and contemplating taking the dialogue process with the TTP forward, the need of the hour is to remove the detriments in the path of peace. Indian plot to subvert the peace process must be exposed and condemned by all and sundry including the media.

The writer is retired PAF Group Captain and a TV talk show host.