NOVANEWS
By Sajjad Shaukat
In this regard, June 15, 2013, was the blackest day in the history of Pakistan, as the
insurgents of Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) carried out the most dastardly terror
attack on Quaid-e-Azam residency in Ziarat. Next day, in Quetta, these ruthless terrorists
targeted a bus of the Sardar Bahadar Women’s University and Bolan Medical Complex.
BLA and the extremist sectarian group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) felt pride in claiming
It is notable that during his trip to Beijing, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang signed eight agreements on July 5, 2013 in various
fields. The most important one envisages the establishment of an Economic Corridor
between deep Gwadar seaport of Balochistan and the historic Silk Road city in western
regions-Xinjiang of China. By rejecting US growing pressure, Pakistan has handed over
the control of Gwader seaport to China. Earlier, a day before Chinese Premier Li Keqiang
arrived in Islamabad; Chinese engineers being driven through Clifton Block-1 in Karachi
escaped a major bomb attack. In June, the TTP claimed responsibility for killing 10
foreign mountain-climbers including several Chinese at a base camp of Nanga Parbat.
Now, a majority of people have understood that Balochistan’s mineral resources and geostrategic location with deep Gwadar seaport, connecting rest of the world with Central
Asia have further annoyed the US and India because China has already invested billion
of dollars to develop this seaport. It is due to multiple strategic designs that the US which
signed a nuclear deal with India in 2008 seeks to dismember both Pakistan and Iran.
It is mentionable that entrenched in Afghanistan external secret agencies like American
CIA, Indian RAW and Israeli Mossad have perennially been supporting bomb blasts,
suicide attacks, abductions, target killings, ethnic and sectarian violence in various
parts of the country through TTP, BLA, Jundollah (God’s soldiers) and their affiliatedinsurgent groups to destabilize and denuclearize Pakistan, because it is the only nuclear
country in the Islamic World. These militant outfits which have connections with each
other including some Baloch feudal lords (Sardars) want to fulfill the secret strategic
designs of US, India and Israel at the cost of Pakistan, China and Iran. Besides martyring
several personnel of law-enforcing agencies and security forces in Balochistan, Khyber
Pakhtoonkhwa and Karachi, these foreign-backed entities kidnapped and massacred
many Punjabis, Pushtuns, Shias, people of Hazara community. In the past few years, they
abducted and killed a number of Chinese and Iranian nationals in Pakistan.
In this regard, Karachi which is Pakistan’s financial hub with the largest commercial
markets, collecting 70 per cent of the country’s tax revenue has become special target of
the subversive activities of the external-backed culprits and the TTP.
The targeted operation which continues unabated by the Rangers against terrorists, target
killers and kidnappers, launched by the present government, after obtaining consensus
of all stakeholders like media, business community and political parties whose leaders
participated in the All Parties Conference (APC).
The operation is rapidly achieving successes. But, it is regrettable that some analysts are
using media to create misperception that operation in Karachi will fail. These are the real
game spoilers. On the other hand, without any discrimination, the Ranger’s personal,
and those of Police who have sacrificed their lives have arrested several criminals and
terrorists besides capturing huge catches of arms and weapons in Karachi.
The game spoilers also propagate that the government and Army were not on the same
page, as Army wanted to use force against militants, while prime minister favored
dialogue. Army wanted the talks to be held as per Constitution of Pakistan and all nonstate actors were required to lay down their arms before the start of dialogue, while no
such pre-condition was laid by APC. They opined that all past peace accords with the
Taliban failed and APC consensus on the option of dialogue is also likely to fail.
Nevertheless, now situation has entirely changed after the terror-attack at the church in
Peshawar and assault by the TTP insurgents who assassinated Maj-Gen. Sanaullah Khan.
Now, a majority of people and members of the civil society are talking about the foreign
conspiracy against Pakistan, and support military action against the Taliban militants,
especially of the TTP, who sometimes accept peace offer, while sometimes, retreat from
their offer. Their duplicity indicates that they will continue to weaken Pakistan, as their
recent terrorist activities have proved.
Notably, besides acts of sabotage, a deliberate propaganda campaign also keeps on going
against Pakistan by the foreign-enemies who intend to achieve their desired goals. And
these Taliban provide every opportunity to external elements in tarnishing the image
of the country through their criminal acts. In this context, since the attack on Malala
Yousufzai by the TTP, US-led foreign countries have perennially been manipulating the
event to distort Pakistan’s image. Meanwhile, suicide bombings at church in Peshawar
further tarnished country’s image abroad. In this respect, Pope Francis led several
thousand people in a special prayer for the victims of the church attack in Pakistan, and
western media and political leaders condemned the assault on the Christians, saying
Christians are not safe in our country.
So, the target of the terrorists is Pakistan instead of Christian community, as other
subversive acts of the Taliban, supported by anti-Pakistan conspirators show.
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
