India Accelerates False Propaganda against ISI
By Sajjad Shaukat
Promoting Hindu chauvinism on the basis of anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan slogans, Prime Minister of India and leader of the fundamentalist party BJP, Narendra Modi had won a landslide victory in the elections 2014. Since BJP came to power, Prime Minister Modi has been implementing its party’s agenda by accelerating false propaganda against Pakistan, its Armed Forces and especially against country’s superior spy agency ISI.
In this regard, in the recent past, Indian troops after having committed ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) and Working boundary (WB) between India and Pakistan martyred 35 Pakistani nationals including 12 personnel of Rangers. Instead of extending an apology, Indian propagandists gave a ridiculous twist to the gory drama. They shamelessly insinuated against Pakistan’s ISI for backing cross-border infiltration which led to Indian reaction across LOC. In this context, On October 15, 2014 in the RAW sponsored Indian daily, “Deccan Chronicle,” Ranjnish Sharma allegedly asserted that Pakistan’s repeated ceasefire violations also led to severe differences between Nawaz Sharif Government, Pak Army and ISI. This is nothing, but a brazen reflection of Indian divisive propaganda, targeting Pakistan’s civil military relations.
Indian spin doctors, especially those associated with the RSS and other extremist Hindu groups continuously propagate against Pakistan, and aggressively use anti- ISI narrative with a view to showing Islamabad in bad light. Driven by their crookedness and sense of acrimony, they coin fresh jargons and initiate chimera to conduct incessant psychological operations which are detrimental to Pakistan’s interest and cause aspersions against ISI.
In July 2013, Indian media, fed by its Intelligence Bureau (IB), shamelessly insinuated against ISI for reactivating its terrorist network to attack Hindu leaders and their establishments in several cities in India. Indian government was warned to put the security mechanism on high alert as RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat was touring multiple Indian states. Ultimately, the entire storyline-plot proved fake. Pakistan ignored the Indian malevolence, suggesting that such baseless allegations will jeopardize the peace process between the two countries. But, Indian propagandists learnt nothing and ignored Pakistani advice.
In this respect, Indian newspaper Deccan Chronicle published a similar story on November 7, 2014, titled “Pakistan’s ISI may target India’s key economic centers and important installations.” Namrata Biji Ahuja who wrote it, contended that IB and other Indian assets informed that new terror module trained by ISI have entered India to strike at key economic installations including Reserve Bank, Bombay Stock Exchange, New Delhi’s Tihar Jail, Bengaluru BSF HQ at Jalandhar, Patiala Jail in Punjab and Avantipura in J&K. IB shared information with Indian law-enforcing agencies that the group entered India via Rajasthan border and proceeded towards Pune and that they will be provided with arms and ammunition by local sleeper cells. Such media reports not only leveled serious allegations against Pakistan and ISI for training terror modules to attack Indian targets, but also inflicted serious damage Pakistan’s image and prestige of ISI. Above all, the storyline contains biased figments of mental illusions and fabricated contents.
Indian patterns of propaganda pose a very gruesome picture as whenever a sabotage activity is planned by Indian RAW, Indian media pro-actively accuses Pakistan and ISI for impending terrorist attack. The possibility of RAW undertaking a dangerous terrorist activity inside their own country cannot be ruled out, as they have been doing the same in the past.
Moreover, India has been using subversive material in instigating Pakistani Hindus for migration to India. According to some reports, this campaign erupts through SMS whenever any incident to Pakistani Hindus occur like abduction of Hindu trader for ransom, any act of violence with temple, flee of Hindu girl with Muslim for marriage and so on.
It is pertinent to mention that less than one percent of total Hindu population has shifted to India from interior Sindh of Pakistan due to their financial, economic interests and family matters. Most of these families are from divided families, clans, and majority of them returns after establishing businesses or meeting business requirements. It is also observed that Hindu (much more than their population ratio) students occupy a large number of seats in professional educational institutions, and after attaining a professional degree flee to India. While, Pakistan Government has spent a significant budget on the construction and renovation of temples in interior Sindh, thus highlighting that Hindu minority in Pakistan is being well looked after. Notably, India has compactly fenced Rajasthan border, mined it and monitoring through lights/ watch towers, making any stealth passage impossible, so there is no chance of crossing border from there, as propagated by New Delhi.
It is mentionable that Indian rulers were emphatically accusing Pakistan’s ISI and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for the Mumbai terror attacks of November 26, 2008. But, on July 19, 2013 the Indian former home ministry and ex-investigating officer Satish Verma disclosed that terror-attacks in Mumbai in November 26, 2008 and assault on Indian Parliament in January 12, 2001 were carried out by the Indian government to strengthen anti-terrorism laws.
Similarly, Indian Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde revealed on January 20, 2013 that organized training camps run by the fundamentalist parties, RSS and BJP were promoting Hindu terrorism. He also explained that these extremist parties were behind the Samjhauta Express, Meccca Masjid and Malegaon blasts.
But, India always accused Pakistan’s ISI of all these subversive acts, while, Indian official confession shows that these terror attacks were, in fact, arranged by RAW in connivance with Indian home-grown terrorists.
While, Afghanistan has become a hub of anti-Pakistan activities conducted by RAW with the tactical assistance of anti-Pakistan secret agencies—from where particularly RAW is sending logistic support to Baloch separatist elements to dismember Pakistan. For this sinister move, a religious Madrassa of Wakhan, located in Afghanistan is functioning under the patronage of RAW. It is being used for brainwashing of very young boys who are Afghans and so-called Indian Muslims. Posing themselves as Pakistani Taliban, they have joined the ranks and files of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and other banned extremist outfits. In the recent years, especially TTP’s insurgents and its affiliated banned groups conducted many terror-activities like suicide attacks, ruthless beheadings of tribesmen, assaults on security personnel and prominent figures including Shias, Ahmadis, Sufis, Christians, Sikhs and the suicide attack at Wagah border checkpoint in Lahore, on November 2, 2014. Besides, terror-attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA, Balochistan and Karachi are part of the scheme to create chaotic situation in the country. Indian Consulates in Afghanistan are also playing a very negative role in supporting TTP and Baloch separatists. Besides India is also encouraging TTP factions showing allegiance for DAISH ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria), to get united.
As regards cross-border terrorism, former Indian Army Chief Gen. VK Singh openly confessed in September 2013 that special intelligence unit like Technical Services Division were raised by him to operate inside Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan and Azad Kashmir to conduct terrorism and to bribe the politicians in the Indian-occupied Kashmir.
It is of particular attention that military operation, Zarb-e-Azb against terrorists is proceeding well in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) by obtaining its objectives, and India feels out of sort. Indian strategists never expected that Pak Army will meet triumph in NWA and eagerly desired to see the Army getting into a quagmire in NWA. Since outcome of the Operation frustrated Indian hopes, therefore, they planned acrimonious distraction along LOC and WB by committing ceasefire violations. In this connection, Indian hawks have also planned to keep Pakistan, its Armed Forces and ISI under pressure. Hence, various kinds of propaganda against Islamabad, its Army and ISI—articles by their writers, associated with media wing of RAW clearly indicate Indian animosity against Pakistan and especially against country’s superior agency.
As Modi’s economic plans in India are getting stalled against the wishful thinking of Hindu extremists, therefore, Indian media and the BJP leaders are diverting the attention of masses. Instead of accusing Pakistan and ISI, New Delhi should find out the dispositions and strength of dissident groups acting as sleeper cells to inflict damage to their own state. Modi and his Hindu fundamentalists need to think introspectively to improve governance and win over the hearts and minds of their own people rather than insinuating against the neighboring country.
Nonetheless, Pakistan’s top officials and media must point out that Indian recent accusations against the security agencies are baseless. Hence, Islamabad must take such allegations seriously and an assertive rejoinder be issued against such Indian reports. While countering Indian propaganda, particularly against ISI, our media must contest that Pakistan is a peace loving country and does not tolerate such insinuations. Indian government must owe an explanation or an apology for murdering Pakistani nationals and soldiers across the Pak-India border. And its media must also owe apology for publishing defamatory articles in its national newspaper.
New Delhi must know that their plots and schemes to communicate divisive themes will not succeed against Pakistan. Because, Pakistan is not involved in cross-border infiltration, and India must stop its false propaganda against Pakistan, its Army and ISI, while Pakistan stands united and will remain so under all seasons.
Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations
Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com
