Behind Indian Anti-Pakistan Moves?
By Sajjad Shaukat
More than 70 days have been passed. But, India has continued military clampdown and strict communications blackout in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) by continuing curfew. Tensions between India and Pakistan accelerated on August 5, this year, when New Delhi unilaterally annexed the IOK, revoking articles 35A and 370 of the Constitution which gave a special status to that region. Besides, from time to time, Indian extremist rulers are also escalating tensions with Pakistan by intensifying shelling inside Pakistani side of Kashmir.
In this regard, various anti-Pakistan moves are part of the Indian nefarious designs not only to divert attention from domestic issues, but also to destabilize Pakistan.
In this respect, some countries France, UK and especially India have been calling on Pakistan to take action against the terror groups to avoid ‘Dark Gray’ list status of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), they have long failed to do. Particularly, Indian media spreads disinformation that Pakistan may be put on ‘Dark Grey’ list, as Islamabad passed only 6 out of 27 items of FATF.
In fact, the Pakistani delegation is confident to avoid any new action by FATF, as it has support from China, Malaysia and Turkey. So far, even countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Saudi Arabia have supported Pakistan. As per official sources, Pakistan should be excluded from grey list and put into green or white list, as Islamabad has made impressive progress on at least 20 out of 27 of FATF action plan points. However, the official sources say that the FATF might maintain Pakistan’s grey-list status for an extended period of 6 to 12 months, but in such a scenario, there will be no new action plan. New Delhi is fuelling all false news as it has nothing to lose in the deal.
On the other side, Indian military and police continues arrests and detentions of the innocent Kashmiris. In this context, in the recent past, many women protesters, including the daughter and the sister of the former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and wife of former Kashmir Chief Justice were detained in Srinagar during demonstrations against ending the state’s special status. The protesters included prominent women activists and leading academicians.
While, Indian extremist government led by the fanatic Prime Minister Narendra Modi is turning a blind eye to sane voices, emerging from inside India. Even, pro-India Kashmiri politicians are not being spared. The feel of betrayal by India is speedily bringing sympathy for Pakistan’s narrative in local Kashmiris. This struggle of Kashmiris is totally indigenous and fuelled by years of suppression by India. The resistance is gradually transforming in to a leader less civil disobedience which waits appropriate moment to rise against Indian aggression. Recent case of Apples being inscribed with pro-Pakistan and pro-Imran Khan slogans reflect the ground reality.
In this connection, Prominent Indian Muslim politician Asaduddin Owaisi has said Bharat is “not a Hindu Rashtra” and they will also not let it become so. His comments came after the extremist RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] chief Mohan Bhagwat recently stated that the Sangh is firm on its vision that “Bharat is a Hindu Rashtra”.
It is notable that secularism and world’s largest democracy were the two principle reasons India was respected around the world despite the fact that both slogans were not prevalent in their essence. Nevertheless, the slogans did served New Delhi well, till BJP assumed power few years back. BJP, the political face of RSS has gradually engulfed India and is tightening grip over the social mindset like an angry “Octopus”. The tolerance levels in Indian society are rapidly diminishing and Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) stands order of the day. Soon the trauma being faced by Kashmiris shall fall upon other minorities too. This is the fear which made Chief of Akal Takht, highest temporal seat of the Sikh community, who called for a ban on the RSS, saying that allowing it to operate freely would only “divide” the nation.
It is mentionable that in the Indian general elections of 2019, BJP and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won huge majority in the Lok Sabha, with the BJP sweeping up 303 seats on its own—21 seats more than it won in the 2014 elections. Across most of North and Central India, BJP candidates also won with bigger vote shares and wider victory margins than in 2014. Hindu majority was mobilized on ‘hate Muslim’ slogans and ‘anti-Pakistan’ jargons, while the incessant and unjust Indian propaganda against the Muslims and Pakistan was beyond anybody’s cognition, which still keeps on going. Indian Prime Minister Modi’s extremist party BJP had also got a land sliding triumph in the Indian elections 2014 on the basis of anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan slogans.
Since the leader of the ruling party BJP Modi became Prime Minister of India, various developments like unprecedented rise of Hindu extremism, persecution of minorities even of lower cast-Hindus, forced conversions of other religious minorities into Hindus, ban on beef and cow slaughter, inclusion of Hindu religious books in curriculum, creation of war-like situation with Pakistan etc. clearly show that encouraged by the Hindu fundamentalist outfits such as BJP, RSS VHP, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena, including other similar parties have been promoting religious and ethnic chauvinism in India by propagating ideology of Hindutva. Particularly, assaults on Christians and Muslims, including their places of worships and property have been accelerated by the fanatic Hindu mobs.
Notably, in the aftermath of the elections 2019, news reports have highlighted different cases in which Dalits and especially Muslims were violently targeted for reasons as varied as allegedly possessing beef, protesting against caste-based discrimination or simply being Muslim. Particularly, various incidents of arrests, violent assaults and killings of the Muslims, including the persons of other religious communities by the Hindus have been recorded. Surprisingly, Indian police is also being used by the Indian rulers in this regard.
In the recent past, twelve people, including a minor, were arrested in Kerala for uploading and downloading videos and photographs related to child pornography. The raids, titled ‘Operation P-Hunt 3’, were conducted across the state and in 21 places from where police seized mobile phones, modems, hard disks, memory cards, laptops and desktops with pornographic videos and pictures of children. As many as 20 cases have been registered in the third round of raids. During the first two rounds of raids, 14 people were arrested (21 cases registered) in April and 12 men were held (16 cases filed) in June, 2019.
India has been declared most unsafe place for women by Thomas Reuters Foundation in a global survey. However, this trend is not new and despite the fact that rape is spread all over the country, it is also being used as weapon by Indian Police/Law-Enforcement Agencies and the powerful people. Hence, India is often mocked on social media by the title “Rapistan”, “GayHind” and “Rape Capital” of the world. This linked with intolerance existing in society is swiftly decaying Indian social fiber.
It is of particular attention that during an interview to CNN News 18, Taliban’s political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said that there is no military solution to the issue of Afghanistan. He further stated that the group was ready to talk to all Afghan sides—neighbours, including the Afghan government after signing a peace deal with the US.
New Delhi is feeling the pinch of Afghan peace deal which is on the cards. Because, the peace deal is likely to render Indian investments in Afghan intelligence setups, media incursions and proxy support against Pakistan ineffective. It will suit India, if Afghanistan does not move towards peace and keeps simmering. So, Taliban need to realize that a state that has sponsored, trained and propagated all anti-Taliban and anti-Pakistan elements such as Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), ISIS (Daesh) Afghanistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Afghanistan’s intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) to destabilize both Afghanistan and Pakistan. In order to obtain sinister designs, Indian secret agency RAW and NDS are in connivance and are assisting these outfits.
After reverses in Afghanistan and expected peace deal between the US and Taliban, PTM-anti-Pakistan group’s leadership will find their space squeezed on both sides of Pak-Afghan border. RAW and NDS are trying gimmicks and tricks in this losing battle and resurrection of PTM bogie is last ditch effort to save face.
However, in collaboration, RAW, NDS, TTP, Daesh and PTM are laying another ploy to revive a diminishing role. Besides, Taliban are working for an Islamic system, Modi government is leading anti-Muslim campaign within India. This hypocrisy is itself indicator of foul play which must not go unnoticed.
It is also of particular attention that a majority of the world’s leaders, Western media and human rights groups have been giving much coverage to India’s lockdown and Modi’s illegitimate moves by pointing out the sufferings of the Kashmiris. But, it is regrettable that instead of indicating solidarity with the plight of the Kashmir people to the maximum and showing selfless unity with the armed forces in wake of Indian war-like threat, the leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman who has support of Pakistan People’s Party, the Muslim League-Nawaz and some religious parties has started “Azadi March” (Freedom March) on October 27, this year. The workers of JUI-F are expected to converge on the capital Islamabad and will hold their sit-in to dislodge the federal government.
Nonetheless, anti-Pakistan moves of the PM Modi are part of a deliberate scheme against the Kashmiris, Muslims and Afghans in order to weaken these entities.
