Naked aggression and hostility
Since the revelation about the arrest of a RAW agent Kulbhushan Yadav, who is a serving officer of the Indian Navy and had links with Baloch insurgents, myriad of speculative news stories about his activities and antecedents were circulating in the media. While the investigating agencies were engaged in interrogating him, the Pakistan government had lodged a formal protest with the Indian government through diplomatic channels. To put the record straight and remove some of the ambiguities, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting and DG ISPR in a joint press briefing on Tuesday evening unravelled the confessions made by the agent during interrogation and also played a video recording of his voluntarily made confessional statement. Contradicting Indian claims that the person was a retired officer of the Indian Navy, he categorically stated that he was a serving officer and was to retire in 2022. He mentioned his contacts with the Baloch insurgents, providing finances to them and also arranging their training for subversive activities and acts of terrorism. He also confessed his links with terrorist entities in Karachi and involvement in the acts of terrorism, including killing of some police officers. The most startling revelation made by him was that he had direct access to the National Security Advisor and Deputy Chief of RAW. According to DG ISPR, one of his assignments was also to sabotage CPEC and in this respect the Baloch insurgents were planning an attack on the Gwadar Port in the near future.
Ever since the re-emergence of insurgency in Balochistan, Pakistan has been complaining about Indian involvement and in the recent past some dossiers were also shared with the UN and US. The arrest of a serving officer of the Indian Navy who has confessed the Indian involvement has corroborated and authenticated the Pakistani claims about Indian designs against Pakistan. India played an active role in the dismemberment of Pakistan and the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Gulf States did boast about it. Some of the Bangladeshi parliamentarians, who were arrested along with Mujib in the famous Agartala Conspiracy case, have also confessed about collusion between Awami League and India in this regard on the floor of the Bangladesh parliament.
India actually has a track record of fomenting and supporting insurgencies in the neighbouring countries to establish its hegemony in the region. Through RAW it trained and supported Tamil insurgents in Sri Lanka and at the dying stages of the war, Indian Air Force also undertook operation to help the besieged Tamil Tigers in the town of Jaffna. Out of its six neighbours it has had border disputes with five countries including China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. That is indicative of the Indian designs not only against Pakistan but almost all its neighbours. Indian aversion to CPEC is also a well-known reality. Modi during his visit to China also raised this subject with the Chinese leadership taking the plea that CPEC would pass through the disputed territory therefore China must not go ahead with the project. As is evident, India has been doing everything that it could do to harm Pakistan.
Pakistan needs to raise this issue at all the international forums, particularly with US and its allies who under the Indian influence have invariably been toeing the Indian line in regards to terrorist acts within India. Since the agent has also confessed Indian attempts to sabotage CPEC, Pakistan must also sensitise China about the Indian machinations. Pakistan has rightly sought Iranian help in this regard since Kulbhushan was based in Chahbahar, Iran from where he was controlling the network and orchestrating the acts of sabotage.
This development does not augur well for the ongoing process of bonhomie between the two countries that started with a meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of the International Climate Conference in Paris and subsequent developments that raised hopes for ending tensions between the two countries and resolution of the outstanding disputes.
Pakistan has shown sincerity of purpose in mending fences with India in the backdrop of the Pathankot episode. Immediately after the incident, PM Pakistan called the Indian Prime Minister and assured him of Pakistan’s full cooperation in apprehending the culprits. He convened a high level meting which was also attended by the COAS, DG ISI and National Security Advisor to deliberate on the situation in the backdrop of the Pathankot attack. The meeting condemned the attack in the strongest possible words, re-affirmed Pakistan’s commitment to cooperate with India for elimination of terrorism, vowed not to allow anyone to use Pakistani soil for terrorist activity in any part of the world, reviewed progress on the leads provided by India and expressed the hope that the two countries would remain committed to a sustained, meaningful and comprehensive dialogue, building on the goodwill generated by the recent high level contacts between the two countries. The outcome of the meeting confirmed the fact that unlike in the past, the political and military leadership in Pakistan were on the same wavelength in regards to mending fences with India; a very propitious omen indeed. An FIR was registered and a joint investigations team was also constituted to work on the leads provided by India. The team is in India now to complete the investigations.
Pakistan has an avowed policy of not allowing non-state actors to use its soil for attacks in other countries. Pakistan knows the pain and agony that terrorist acts inflict. Pakistan itself has been a victim of terrorism and has suffered enormously as a front line state in the war against global terrorism. The military campaign against terrorists on its soil and action against militant outfits and religious extremists is a ranting testimony to its unswerving commitment to eliminate the scourge of terrorism. It is actively and sincerely engaged in promoting the process of reconciliation in Afghanistan, tackling terrorism and is cooperating with other regional powers and US in this regard — a role duly acknowledged by them as well as the UN — which reinforces its credentials as an honest crusader against the menace of terrorism. India needs to appreciate and acknowledge these facts without any reservations.
Both India and Pakistan have very high stakes in promoting peace and security in the region as well as in the resolution of disputes between them. These objectives can only be achieved through mutual sincerity of purpose and giving up proxy wars and acts of sabotage against each other. The continuation of confrontation will not only harm both of them but would also have destabilising impact on the security situation in the region. It is said that a war like state, no matter how big, cannot survive for long. So it is in India’s own interest to revisit its hostile policies towards its neighbours, especially Pakistan.