India’s dirty game against Pakistan

ISLAMABAD – Since 1947, Pakistan-India relations have generally remainedtense due to India’s unfair policies towards Pakistan. This includes Indianleaders’ statements against the creation of Pakistan, delays in and unfairdistribution of assets, and illegal occupation of the princely state ofJammu and Kashmir that resulted into 1947/48 war. The war ended only whenthe United Nations Security Council (UNSC)brokered a cease fire through its1948/49 resolutions.

Indian policies have created a perception that India was working to weakenPakistan to endanger its existence. Pakistan further felt insecure whenIndia did not cooperate with the UNSC to hold the plebiscite in Jammu andKashmir so that the Kashmir is could decide through a vote whether theywanted to join Pakistan or India. India’s unjust policies towards Pakistanand its hegemony-driven ambitions led to the 1965 war. India’s militaryaggression in 1971 in East Pakistan also dismembered Pakistan.

Then in May 1998, both countries became nuclear powers. Thus a strategicbalance was created and Pakistan felt much secure against any Indianmilitary intervention, and did not feel any fear of further harm coming toits territorial integrity. Pakistan became confident that after nuclearparity, mutual issues will be resolved through negotiations and peace willprevail in the region.

India’s RAW is sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan. This was evident when RAWoperative Kulbushan Yadav, who was arrested from Balochistan, confessed tohis involvement in creating unrest and sponsoring terrorism to destabilisePakistan

But, instead of seeking a negotiated peace, India is still bent uponestablishing its hegemony by pursuing an indirect strategy to underminePakistan’s nuclear status,and harm its integrity by destabilising itinternally and weakening its economy. This Indian strategy comprises ofattempts to tarnish Pakistan’s image, isolating it diplomatically,sponsoring instability in Afghanistan and blaming Pakistan to breedhostility from the US. India has been sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan tocreate the perception that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are unsafe. It hasaslo tried to hinder Pakistan’s economic progress by sponsoring terroristacts along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route.

To implement this strategy, India is using all means at its disposal,including its diplomacy, media houses, intelligence agencies, and itsgeopolitical and economic clout.

To isolate Pakistan diplomatically, Indian Prime Minister Modi has beenspearheading India’s diplomatic effort to blame Pakistan for supportingterrorism in the region. In his speeches and diplomatic interactions atinternational forums and with world leaders, Modi invariably blamesPakistan for supporting terrorism.

Equally part of its anti-Pakistan terrorism branded diplomacy, India alsorefused to attend SAARC Summit 2016, which was to be held in Pakistan. Thispressured other regional members, such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh andBhutan to also opt out of the Summit. India is likely to do the same todisrupt the next SAARC summit scheduled in Pakistan during 2018. This ismeant to distort Pakistan’s image and disturb its relations with SAARCmember countries.

Indian writers and think tanks are extensively writing against Pakistan andblaming it for sponsoring terrorism. In international conferences, Indianthink tanks openly propagate – without any evidence – that Pakistansupports terrorism in the region. And, now they are doing it incollaboration with US think tanks to lobby against Pakistan in the US.

Indian media also continues to carry out propaganda against Pakistan. Forinstance, India Today recently aired the programme *India First* where aconspiracy theory was propagated that Pakistan’s ISI is now roping inTehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists to wage war in Jammu and Kashmir.Indian media hardly talks about India’s own state terrorism in Kashmir.

Through its sponsored publication,RAW keeps on propagating nonsense againstPakistan. Some recently negative published articles project that Pakistaniterrorists are waiting near the Line of Control (LoC), and are to belaunched from Lepa Valley. Another claim says that the ISI is providingprotection to the co-founders of the Indian Mujahideen. And one more saysthat Pakistan has acquired a Chinese missile tracking system.

To counter India’s designs, so far Pakistan’s strategy has been muted. Atthe international level, government functionaries and media have shownreluctance in fully exposing India’s destabilising activities in theregion. In this context, it is suggested, that while focusing on buildingeconomy, internal cohesion and establishing a negotiated peace in theregion, Pakistan should also resolutely expose and fail India’sPakistan-specific evil designs.

*BY: Colonel (R) Hanif, The writer is a former Army officer and formerResearch Fellow, Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), Islamabad*