'Pakistan trying same tactic as Hamas': Former Pentagon official on Pahalgam terror attack
NEW DELHI: Former US Pentagon official
Michael Rubin
on Thursday said that the recent attack in
Jammu and Kashmir
's Pahalgam was akin to the
October 7 attacks
in Israel by militant outfit
Hamas
.
Rubin claimed that Pakistanis were trying the same tactic as Hamas to attack a specific religion and specifically "the most liberal" amongst them.
"That is exactly what went on when the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. It was directed specifically against Jews, and not only against Jews, but among the most liberal Jews who were most prone to wanting peace and normalcy with the Gaza Strip," Rubin said.
"Targeting a vacation resort, middle-class Hindus, it is evident that the Pakistanis are trying the same tactic now. It should be no more successful for Pakistan than it was for Hamas," he added.
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Rubin also called upon India to plan an Israel-style retaliation against Pakistan and wipe out the leadership of the ISI.
"And frankly, it's now the duty of India to do to Pakistan and to Pakistan's ISI what Israel did to Hamas. It's time to wipe out the leadership of the ISI, to treat them as a designated terror group, and demand that every country that is an ally of India, every country that is an ally of the world's largest democracy, do the same," the former Pentagon official said.
Earlier, former Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Shesh Paul Vaid also claimed that the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam was a "Pulwama 2.0 moment" and said that India must respond back with something like how Israel reacts to Hamas' salvos.
While talking to news agency ANI, Vaid said that the terrorist attack at the picnic spot in Pahalgam was similar to the October 7 attack carried out by Palestine's terror outfit Hamas in Israel.
"This was a Hamas-style attack on 7 October on Israel. It's not a coincidence that Asim Munir (Pakistan Army chief) uttered illogical words two days back, and then such an attack takes place where the religion of the tourists was asked," the former DGP said.
"Our response should be appropriate, something like how Israel responded," he added.
Intelligence sources have also pointed to multiple visits by senior Hamas functionaries to Pakistan over the past year.
A Hamas team recently visited Jaish-e-Muhammed's headquarters in Bahawalpur besides a Pakistani Army facility, which houses their combat simulation centre, inaugurated by Army chief Asim Munir last month. The area hosts the Bahawalpur Corps, a Pakistani military formation tasked with border defence and rapid deployment due to its strategic proximity to Rajasthan.
At least 28 people were killed after terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. The gruesome terror attack in Pahalgam is one of the biggest terror attacks after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
According to survivors, six foreign terrorists dressed in Army fatigues identified their victims by faith, asking them to tell their names and recite Islamic verses before spraying bullets on them from close range.
Gunmen struck around 1:30 pm in Baisaran meadow — about 7 km from Pahalgam and reachable either by foot or by horses — as scores of tourists were enjoying a regular afternoon, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and pine forests. Pahalgam's meadow is a top sightseeing spot that draws hundreds of visitors daily. Heavy security presence, including checkpoints and armed patrols, provided a sense of security.
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