NOVANEWS
By Sajjad Shaukat
India has a history of surprise attacks by terrorists, grown at its home or supported by its secret
agency RAW. In most of the cases, the aims behind are political. Therefore, India has always
blamed Pakistan for various subversive acts.
In this regard, on July 27, this year, three gunmen dressed in army uniforms killed at least seven
people, including three civilians and four policemen in the Indian district of Gurdaspur,
Punjab—after a siege at a police station which was brought to an end by security forces after 12-
hour-long gun battle.
Without any investigation, Indian high officials and media started blaming Pakistan, its banned
militant outfits and intelligence agencies for the Gurdaspur incident. Indian Police believe that
the attackers are from Indian-held Kashmir, and some said that they were Sikh separatists, while
Indian Punjab police chief claimed that the three gunmen were Muslim, but as yet unidentified.
Contradicting speculations, India’s Home Minister Rajnath Singh told parliament that
the gunmen came from Pakistan. Besides Indian renowned newspapers and TV channels also
covered the Gurdaspur event by saying that the terrorists belong to Pakistan-based banned
groups Lashkar-e-Jhangvi or Jash-e-Mohammad.
Rejecting New Delhi’s false accusations, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi
Khalilullah said, “Pakistan has condemned the Gurdaspur attack…it is unfortunate that India is
pointing fingers even before the investigation is complete…Pakistan being a victim of terrorism
itself is against all forms of terrorism.”
Meanwhile, Khalistan Movement Chief Manmohan Singh stated that the Gurdaspur incident is a
conspiracy of India’s RAW to defame Pakistan.
However, in the recent past, prior to the US President Obama’s second visit to New Delhi, Indian
intelligence agencies orchestrated a boat drama to defame Pakistan, allegedly reporting that a
Pakistani fishing boat as a Pakistan-based outfit group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was intercepted by
Indian Coast Guards, off the coast of Porebandar, Gujarat. And Indian Coast Guard crew set the
boat on fire and it exploded. But, its reality exposed Indian terrorism, because, some Indian high
officials admitted that there was no such boat which came from Pakistan.
Similarly, India intends to obtain various hidden purposes by accusing Pakistan for Gurdaspur
terror attack. First of all, it wants to divert the attention of the international community from the
involvement of RAW which has been arranging terrorist activities in Pakistan.
In this respect, RAW has well-established its network in Afghanistan, and is fully assisting cross-
border incursions and terror-activities in various regions of Pakistan through Baloch separatist
elements and anti-Pakistan groups like Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA), Jundullah and
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) including their affiliated outfits. They also abducted and
killed many Chinese and Iranian nationals. On a number of occasions, these insurgent groups
claimed responsibility for their acts of sabotage.
In fact, RAW is making efforts to weaken Afghanistan, Tibetan regions of China and Pakistan,
particularly Balochistan by promoting subversive activities, sense of dissent, political volatility,
sectarian violence and arousing sentiments of separatism.
It is mentionable that India which has already invested billion of dollars in Afghanistan, also
signed a wide-ranging strategic agreement with that country on October 5, 2011. The then
President Hamid Karzai had also signed another agreement with New Delhi to obtain Indian
arms and weapons. While, under the cover of these agreements, India has further strengthened its
grip in Afghanistan. By taking advantage of lawlessness in Afghanistan, India is up to its usual
tirade to foment an environment by conducting terrorist attacks in that country to prove that
Pakistan is creating trouble for Afghanistan.
While, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani realized that Afghanistan and Pakistan are facing similar
challenges of terrorism and will combat this threat collectively. On May 18, 2015, the two
countries signed the security agreement—Pakistan’s primary spy agency ISI and Afghanistan’s
National Directorate of Security (NDS) to share intelligence and conduct coordinated operations
against terrorists. And, frequent visits of Pak-Afghan civil and military leaders to each other’s
country also annoy India.
It is notable that Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif accompanied by the DG
of ISI went to Kabul on December 17, 2014. During his meeting with his Afghan counterpart,
President Ashraf Ghani and the ISAF commander, he presented the evidence of linkage between
the massacre of children at Peshawar school and TTP sanctuaries in Afghanistan. He also asked
about action against the TTP and handing over of its chief Mullah Fazlullah to Pakistan. In
response, Afghan government and US have started taking action against the TTP. A number of
TTP militants have been killed and captured in Afghanistan, while Fazlullah survived in a drone
attack. Meanwhile, Washington has also designated Mullah Fazlullah as a global terrorist and
seized his bank accounts.
And, waging a prolonged war in Afghanistan, the US and other NATO countries have realized
that after the withdrawal of foreign troops, Afghanistan would be thrown in an era of uncertainly
and civil war. They recognize the fact and terrorism or stability in Pakistan and Afghanistan is
interrelated. Hence, US-led developed nations which also spent billions of dollars for the
development of Afghanistan have repeatedly agreed that without Islamabad’s help, stability
cannot be achieved there. In this connection, a meeting was hosted by Pakistan between the
Afghan officials and representatives of Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan in Murree (On July 8,
this year) and dialogue were conducted for an Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process,
while the representatives of China and America also participated in the meeting. The participants
expressed their collective desire to bring peace to Afghanistan and the region—agreed to
continue talks through the next meetings.
In this backdrop of growing engagements of Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and US, Indian
desperation in Afghanistan is increasing. Moreover, New Delhi is trying to sabotage the China-
Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Recent terror-attacks in Pakistan and Balochistan might be
noted as instance. In this context, Indian backed Baloch secessionists have been directed to step
up their activities on the CPEC project. Indian RAW has also created a heavily funded China-
Pakistan and Afghanistan specific desk to target growing Pak-China-Afghanistan relations.
Furthermore, on the direction of the Indian leader of the fundamentalist party BJP and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, Indian forces have accelerated unprovoked shelling across the Line of
Control and Working Boundary, while creating war-like situation between Pakistan and India.
Notably, Islamabad has decided to raise the question of Indian cross-border terrorism and RAW
involvement in Pakistan, with strong evidence in light of open statements of Indian defence
minister and Prime Minister Modi who recently confirmed assistance to anti-Pakistan elements
including separation of East Pakistan.
Nevertheless, due to the new developments which favour stability in Pakistan and other regional
countries, India in frustration, blames Pakistan for Gurdaspur terror attack.
