India’s Subversive Role in Afghanistan
By Sajjad Shaukat
During his trip to India and Kabul in June, this year, by reviving old blame game, US Defence Secretary of State, Leon Panetta repeatedly stated that drone attacks would continue on safe havens of terrorists in Pakistan, while accusing the Haqqani network for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan.
On the other side, Leon Panetta encouraged India to take a more active role in Afghanistan as most foreign combat troops leave in 2014. India which has already invested billion of dollars in Afghanistan, signed a wide-ranging strategic agreement with that country on october 5, 2011 also includes to help train Afghan security forces.
While taking note of India’s subversive role in Afghanistan, US Republican Senator John McCain reminded the Obama administration that encouraging India to take a more active role in Afghanistan, while simultaneously criticising Pakistan could be a recipe for disaster.
In fact, since the US-led NATO forces occupied Afghanistan, stiff resistance of the Taliban militants which created unending lawlessness in the country has made it a most conducive place for India to play strategic game against Pakistan, China and Iran. For this purpose, New Delhi with the cooperation of the Karzai-led regime and with the tactical support of US and Israel has been obtaining its clandestine aims, while America and Israel are also doing the same.
In this respect, Indian RAW with the assistance of American CIA and Israeli Mossad has well-established its espionage network in Afghanistan. Besides, in a religious Madrassa of Wakhan, located in Afghanistan is functioning under the patronage of Indian officials. It is being used for brainwashing of very young boys who are Afghans, Uzbeks and Tajiks including so-called Indian Muslims. Posing themselves as Taliban, they have joined the ranks and files of the Pakistani Taliban. In this context, India’s several secret training camps are also present in Afghanistan from where highly trained militants, equipped with sophisticated weapons are being sent to Pakistan’s various places to conduct target killings, bomb blasts, suicide attacks, assaults on civil and military installations and forced abductions including ethnic and sectarian violence regularly.
In this connection, on June 28, the released Indian spy from Pakistani jail, Surjeet Singh openly admitted by saying, “I was a RAW agent. Regarding another Indian spy who is in Lahore jail, Surjeet Singh revealed, “Sarabjit Singh is a terrorist and terrorists are not released.” However, both the spies were responsible for the string of blasts in Faisalabad, Lahore, and Multan in 1990 in which several innocent people were killed.
Nevertheless, by manipulating American ambivalent approach and duplicity in relation to Pakistan, China, Iran and even Afghanistan, New Delhi has been extracting full benefits. In this context, US which signed a nuclear deal with India in 2008, intends to make India a great power of Asia to counterbalance China by separating Pakistan’s province of Balochistan due to its geo-strategic location with Gwadar seaport including mineral resources. For these purposes, RAW is assisting CIA and Mossad which have also been supporting subversive acts in Balochistan through Baloch separatist elements like Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and another group, Jundollah (God’s soldiers). These secret agencies are also backing similar acts of sabotage in the Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan including Tibetan regions of China. In this context, Tehran had directly accused CIA and other similar agencies for funding of terrorist attacks, while diverting the attention of Iran towards Islamabad through secret propaganda.
It is noteworthy that in the recent years, several persons died in the terror-incidents and ethnic riots occurred in various regions of China’s Xinjiang-the largely populated Muslim province. For all the incidents, India blamed Pakistani militants for supporting the insurgency in order to deteriorate Sino-Pak ties. In fact, New Delhi which had given shelter to the ex-Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama and his militants has been playing a key role in backing upsurge in the Tibetan areas of China.
During the Swat and Malakand military operations, while hinting towards India, the former Maj-Gen Athar Abbas had revealed in on of the press briefings that 400 foreigners and Afghans, having connections with the enemy countries were captured along with huge caches of sophisticated weapons, made of India and America—Afghan fighters had been infiltrated into Pakistan with the help of some external agencies bordering Afghanistan. Recently, Interior Affairs Adviser Rehman Malik also expressed similar thoughts. Earlier, he has openly disclosed that RAW was behind terror-acts in Pakistan, especially Karachi.
Notably, RAW and Afghan Khad have increased attacks inside Afghanistan, particularly targeting American soldiers with the sole aim to revive old blame game of the US against Islamabad and Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI in relation to cross-border-terrorism.
Regarding Indian activities in Afghanistan the then NATO commander, Gen. McChrystal had pointed out: “Indian political and economic influence is increasing in Afghanistan…is likely to exacerbate regional tensions.”
It is notable that after the withdrawal of NATO troops in 2014, US has decided to maintain its six military bases in Afghanistan. Thus, America not only seeks to protect Indian influence in Afghanistan, but also control the energy resources of Central Asia as part of secret agenda against Pakistan, China, Iran and Russia.
While playing double game with each other, India wants to entrap America permanently in Afghanistan so as to achieve its secret goals by harming the US interests. India also seeks to furhter strengthen its grip there to get strategic depth against Pakistan.
It is of particular attention that Pakistan is the only nuclear country in the Islamic world. Therefore, India and Israel with the assistance of America are creating instability in the country. Besides, by engaging US in Afghanistan and in blame game against Pakistan in connection with safe havens of Haqqani group, both India and Israel intend to divert the attention of Washington from their own atrocities, being perpetrated on the innocent Palestinians and Kashmiris. In this regard, they have also succeeded in distracting the attention of President Obama from the solution Kashmir and Palestinian issues.
In pursuance of its sinister designs, New Delhi is silent over American losses such as cost of war on terror, amounting to 8 trillion dollars, increase in defence budget and acute financial crisis inside the US homeland.
Drug and kidnapping are some other source of Indian income in Afghanistan. According to an estimate, world’s 90% heroin is cultivated in Afghanistan. So money earned through drug-smuggling and hostage-takings is utilised in buying weapons, being sent to the foreign agents and the insurgents in Pakistan.
But militants are well-organised from Afghanistan to Somalia and from Yemen to the Indian-held Kashmir. So, if it wants to weaken Pakistan through subversive acts, different war by the insurgents will also envelop India where New Delhi has failed in controlling the wars of liberation in Kashmir and other regions including Maoists’ movement.
In the recent years, a number of conferences were held in order to bring stability and peace in Afghanistan before the foreign troops complete withdrawal from that country in 2014. Another major purpose was to conclude a peace deal with the Afghan militants. After the recent Tokyo conference on Afghanistan, efforts to convince Taliban for talks with the Kabul government have been increased and Pakistan has been requested to play an important task in this regard. During the recent tripartite meeting in Kabul, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Afghan President Hamid Karzai met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, and reiterated Islamabad’s support for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan. Pakistan agreed to redouble efforts in facilitating these talks with the Afghan militants.
Particularly, US should realise that unlike India, there is a co-relationship of stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is essential for American global and regional interests. In case, Indian subversive role continued in Afghanistan, the war-torn country will be thrown in an era of uncertainty and civil war. In that scenario, all the efforts of the US-led NATO and other western countries will prove fruitless. And Pakistan will not be in a position to help in bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan.
At this crucial hour, Pakistan and US are further improving their relations, after the apology of US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton for the killing of 24 Pakistani troops last September and in return securing the reopening of NATO supply lines into Afghanistan. Especially, America must remain alert as India could conduct any subversive act in Afghanistan to thwart the Pak-US new rapprochement.
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
