Where are the proofs?

Setting the house in order should be our priority

India is successfully conducting a campaign to isolate Pakistan internationally by accusing it of sheltering persons declared terrorists by the UN. Despite China’s defence of Pakistan at a meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) last week, India, with the help of the US, managed to ensure that Islamabad was kept under scrutiny to comply with the UN Security Council provisions. The provisions require Islamabad to freeze the economic resources of Hafiz Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim, both declared terrorists by the UN, and that of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi’s.

Instead of abiding by the UN decisions Islamabad relies on counter allegations against India of involvement in acts of terrorism inside Pakistan. While the accusations are likely to be true, those required to collect the proofs have failed to perform their duty. For the last many months, the country was being assured that Pakistan had collected enough material to substantiate the charge against India. Pakistan’s Permanent Representative at UN was summoned avowedly to take up the issue at the UN. During a recent visit to Washington, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary said that Pakistan had evidence of India’s involvement in such activities. From what State Department spokesman told media on Wednesday, it appears that Islamabad has not shared with the US any evidence of India’s involvement in terrorist activities inside its territory.

For decades Pakistan’s intelligence agencies have claimed to have foiled dozens of Indian plans against the integrity of Pakistan. Now that solid proofs are needed to substantiate the case against India at international forums, the government looks to foreign newspapers and countries for the evidence needed. This is a sad reflection on the performance of the Pakistani agencies. There is a perception that these agencies continue to focus more on Pakistani politicians and on making and breaking political alliances than collecting evidence against foreign agencies who indulge in terrorist activities inside Pakistan. It is time those who matter shut down the agencies’ political cells and direct them to concentrate on hostile countries’ activities.