India's covert terrorism campaign against Pakistan
The ISPR's assertions, grounded in the security realities, have been supported with material evidence, including communications intercepts and testimonies from arrested militants, exposing their links to India in attacks carried out inside Pakistan.
Just this past March, the so-called Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked the Jaffar Express, en route from Quetta to Peshawar, taking nearly 300 passengers hostage. The incident tragically resulted in the deaths of at least 31 individuals and injuries to many more. In parallel, there has been a noticeable uptick in TTP attacks.
Only last Saturday, 13 soldiers embraced martyrdom, and dozens of other people were wounded in a suicide bombing in North Waziristan. While India denies involvement in any of these acts of terrorism, it is worth recalling that the country's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had, some time ago, publicly articulated his 'offensive defence strategy' — a doctrine that explicitly aims to destabilise Pakistan.
A living proof of that policy is a serving Indian naval officer and a RAW operative Kulbhushan Jadhav, arrested in 2016 in Balochistan. His arrest and subsequent confession speak of a broader, covert campaign to foment unrest in Pakistan.
Despite this and a lot more evidence, the far-right Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has continued to use such covert networks to undermine Pakistan's internal peace and stability. The cost has been immense — both in terms of human lives lost and infrastructure damaged.
Meanwhile, India has intensified efforts to portray Pakistan as a sponsor of cross-border terrorism, particularly in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
However, these attempts have largely failed to sway the international community. In a significant diplomatic development, Pakistan was recently elected Vice Chair of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee — a 15-member body of the UN Security Council — and also assumed the Chair of the UNSC Sanctions Committee overseeing sanctions measures against the Afghan Taliban.
Further diplomatic vindication came at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers' meeting in Qingdao, China, where member states declined to include the Pahalgam incident in the joint communiqué, but referenced terrorist incidents in Balochistan — much to India's dismay which refused to sign it.
It is imperative for the Indian government to realise that managing international perceptions alone will not yield lasting dividends. Genuine peace and stability in South Asia demand resolution of the long-standing disputes, especially the Kashmir issue. Only through dialogue and mutual recognition of concerns can bring durable peace in the region and beyond.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
2 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Dar satisfied with state of economy
LAHORE: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday that inflation rate in the country has dropped while the country's foreign reserves reached $14.5 billion. 'Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is endeavouring to improve the country's economy and Pakistan is now set to progress,' Ishaq Dar said while speaking to the media after performing 'Ghusl' ceremony at the shrine of great saint Hazrat Data Ganj Bakash Saturday. He said the country's image has improved in the comity of nations and Pakistan has signed $2 billion investment agreement with Azerbaijan. Country ready for 'digital revolution', says Dar When asked about media reports regarding expected meeting between the three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan, the PML-N senior leader termed it as mere a 'speculation and somebody's desire' but there was no truth in it. He made it clear that Nawaz Sharif did not require meeting anybody. Responding to another question regarding joining the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) to the cabinet, Dar said the PPP had not yet shown any desire to join the federal cabinet. 'PPP is an ally of the PML-N in the Center and will remain so and they would give more respect to them,' he said, adding: 'The ruling alliance now enjoys a two-third majority in the National Assembly (NA).' Talking about Indian aggression, Dar said Pakistan inflicted a humiliating defeat upon India on the night between May 9 and 10. 'Pakistan downed six planes of the Indian Air Force,' he said, adding, 'The hostile neighbour will never forget the lesson Pakistan taught it.' However, there are always challenges in such a situation. Regarding Israeli aggression against Iran, he said that Pakistan strongly condemned it. Iran has now realized that Pakistan is its true friend. In the Iranian parliament, gratitude was expressed to Pakistan for its support during the war with Israel, he added. Talking about expansion of Data Darbar, he said hopefully the project would be completed before the next years 'Ghusl' ceremony of the Mazar. He added that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has already accorded approval to the expansion/ renovation work. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
3 hours ago
- Express Tribune
SAARC alternative: myth or reality?
Listen to article This week a news item was flashed on font pages of almost all the newspapers in Pakistan. The news was about the possibility of creation of an alternate organisation to replace the dysfunctional regional organisation SAARC. The idea of creating this alternative organisation is probably built on the premise that over the years India-Pakistan tensions have stalled and made SAARC dysfunctional so an alternate organisation be created that should exclude India. If this premise is right - which I think is so - then it leads to many pertinent questions that must be first correctly answered. Currently, China is a SAARC observer and not a member country but the core of the alternative SAARC organisation being proposed is anticipated to be built around the two nuclear powers in the region, China and Pakistan. SAARC has a South Asian identity whereas China is not in South Asia but East Asia. China shares a very long border with India and borders with Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Afghanistan but geographically China is not part of South Asia. So, to start with, any imaginative alternative organisation led by China that is being considered as a replacement to SAARC will represent a geographic space that can be called anything but representing South Asia. ASEAN, Arab League, OIC and EU are organisations that represent ideological and geographic identities. Attainment of regional peace, economic cooperation and non-interference in internal affairs are the core concepts around which these organisations are structured and on the basis of which they operate. The ideal goal for all of them is to promote and achieve Arab, South East Asian, Muslim and European unity but essentially all these organisations except OIC represent a region and its priorities. If China takes a lead to replace SAARC then that imaginative organisation will neither represent association of South Asian countries nor the region of South Asia. In any case SCO as a regional organisation, led by the two great land powers, Russia and China, already exists and much that is being imagined to be achieved by an alternate to SAARC can be achieved under the mandate of SCO. Pakistan might view the creation of an alternative organisation to SAARC as a win-win situation for it, as this would indicate a regional dissatisfaction of India's role and may mean a diplomatic victory for Pakistan. But what about the geopolitical and strategic implications? Geopolitically, there are more chances that the region will be further divided into pro-India and anti-India blocs. India led SAARC as its economic engine and many countries in the region excluding Pakistan depended on Indian aid, infrastructural development and trade. Strategically, India will contest any attempt by China to interfere in its sphere of influence and disturb the already existing Indian dominance and control. Countries like Bhutan and Maldives that are heavily dependent on India for their trade and security will not prefer to join any anti-India bloc. It will also be not easy for Bangladesh and Nepal to do the same as both countries have a history of shared interests with India and both share borders with India. Sri Lanka too will find it difficult to become part of an anti-India bloc as it also heavily depends on India for aid, trade and fuel supplies. Sri Lanka was a recipient of $4 billion aid from India during its economic crisis of 2022-23. The most interesting is the question about Afghanistan and why it will not like to become part of any anti-India organisation or bloc. Historically, Afghanistan has always stood up to fight any attempts aimed to control it externally. The not so friendly relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan are also built around this core Afghanistan policy concept. Over the years India has offered development oriented and non-interventionist aid to Afghanistan. India invested $3 billion in Afghanistan, building schools and colleges, Afghan Parliament, Salma Dam and roads including Zaranj-Dilaram Highway that connects Afghanistan to Iran. There was news of Afghanistan planning to even have a naval fleet at Iran's Chabahar Port. India has invested in the Iranian port with a view to bypassing Pakistan for trade with Afghanistan. The Eastern Corridor of INSTC (International North South Transport Corridor) ends in Afghanistan and makes Afghanistan part of this alternate transport corridor against BRI. Afghanistan maintains cordial relationship with India to balance against Pakistan's influence and control; and so, for Afghanistan to join any alternative organisation which is anti-India and led by China and Pakistan will not be an easy decision to make. Considering that India is a rising power, a land bridge which ensures connectivity of South Asian countries and which also maintains a big naval presence in the Indian Ocean excluding India from any future alternative organisation to replace SAARC will only weaken rather than bolster regional cooperation and problems. There are both the economic and realistic logics for creating an alternative organisation to replace SAARC. The economic logic addresses the problem of how to get rich, to maximise prosperity by creating organisations that can promote economic deals and investments with other countries. However, the first question that states ask as actors in the regional and international system is a realist question and that question is - how best to survive? The economists prefer to get rich but the realists prefer to be more powerful to be able to survive and whenever both the economic and realist logic find themselves in a conflict it is always the realist logic that states prefer. States prefer to become part of regional and international organisations and institutions. EU and NATO came into existence under the same concept. Over the years, EU has done so well because the US through NATO provided EU the security umbrella and instead of competing for security the EU countries invested in their economies. But this has come at a cost. EU does what the US asks it to do. EU's collective foreign policy is driven due to its economic and security relationship with the US. Today, most European countries realise that they don't have an independent foreign policy and they are beholden to the US. Built only on an economic logic, any alternative to SAARC led by China seems to be a bright idea but seen from a realist perspective there are many questions that the states will have to answer related to their foreign policy and overall security. It is by getting right answers to these questions that the very idea of having an alternative to SAARC will either fail or succeed.
Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Business Recorder
PML-N gets simple majority in National Assembly: Dar
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) achieved a simple majority in the National Assembly after allocation of reserved seats following the Supreme Court's decision, Aaj News reported. He made these remarks while speaking to the media during the 982nd annual ghusal ceremony of the shrine of Hazrat Syed Ali Bin Usman Al-Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh (RA), with rose water in Lahore. The foreign minister added that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had not sought any ministries and did not express any desire to join the federal cabinet. 'PPP stood by us in difficult times, and we will continue to support them,' he added, dismissing speculations of rifts within the ruling alliance. PHC bars elected MPAs on reserved seats from taking oath Dar also highlighted that during the past conflict with India, all political parties stood united, and 'the world heard one collective voice from Pakistan.' He reiterated that accountability should prevail across all provinces, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On the regional front, he said Pakistan has supported Iran diplomatically against Israeli aggression. 'Iran acknowledged Pakistan as a true friend,' he said, adding that pro-Pakistan slogans were raised in funerals of Iranian martyrs, including that of the Iranian army chief. Dar confirmed Pakistan has been elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for two years and reiterated Islamabad's commitment to peace and stability. 'Our agenda is economic progress, not war,' he stressed. The DPM highlighted that Pakistan had signed a $2 billion deal with Azerbaijan, inflation had come down, and the interest rate had been slashed from 22% to 11%. 'Pakistan was on the brink of default, but we turned it around. Our foreign reserves have now reached $14 billion,' he claimed. During the visit to the Data Darbar, Dar participated in the ceremonial cleansing of the shrine with rose water and Zamzam water. He offered Fatiha, laid a chadar, and was briefed on the site's ongoing development projects by Auqaf Secretary Dr Tahir Raza Bukhari. Dar announced plans to install umbrellas similar to those in Masjid-e-Nabawi in the shrine's courtyard, with approval already granted by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. 'We hope all renovation work will be completed before next year's ceremony,' he said. Reflecting on the recent military successes, he stated that Pakistan had retaliated decisively when India launched strikes. Dar said that if India initiates war, Pakistan is fully capable of responding, as demonstrated recently when six Indian aircraft were downed. He said Pakistan, with God's help, emerged victorious against a much larger adversary and 'taught India a lesson.' 'Pakistan gained immense respect and success,' he remarked, asserting that the ceasefire with India remains in place, but constant preparedness is essential due to persistent threats, including terrorism. Regarding Saudi relations, Dar revealed that negotiations had been ongoing for 7-8 months to streamline visa processes and requested that blue passport holders also be granted greater access. Addressing the PTI founder's legal issues, Dar said, 'The law will take its course. Fabricated and sponsored stories won't change the facts. We aim to work with all political forces.'
