Kashmir Watch, Oct 10
By Sajjad Shaukat
On Saturday, six gunmen armed with guns and grenades, wearing army uniforms attacked Pakistan’s army headquarters, the very heart of the country. When stopped by the security guards, they started firing, throwing five grenades inside the headquarters. However, after a short gun-battle, military troops killed the four terrorists, while two of them escaped. ISPR spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said that the attack began shortly before noon when the gunmen, dressed in camouflage military uniforms, drove in a white van up to the army compound and tried to force their way inside.
In the last five years, Pakistan’s various regions have faced a number of suicide attacks by the well-trained militants who entered the country from Afghanistan where tentacles of terrorism are present. In this regard, India has set up hundreds of training centres in Afghanistan where its military personnel and RAW officials have been imparting training to the youngsters who include Chechens, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Afghans, Arabs etc. For this purpose, New Delhi has hired the services of many Indian Muslims and religious scholars who are on payroll of RAW. In this connection, some secret Mudrassahs are also working in Afghanistan with the financial support of Indian security agencies. By setting aside the atrocities of the Taliban militants like beheadings, floggings and torture, with the help of the paid Muslim leaders, Indian officials propagate that Pakistan’s armed forces are killing its own people. Thus brainwashing and indoctrination of the youngsters in the RAW-supported camps of Afghanistan have produced many suicide bombers along with well-trained fighters who are being dispatched to various hotspots of Pakistan with a view to resisting the Pak Army and to commit suicide attacks in our country.
Besides intermittent terror-events such as bomb blasts and suicide attacks, a perennial wave of the same in 2009 reflects new techniques and intentions of the Indian RAW. In this context, previous techniques of subversive acts also continue in Pakistan. Apart from other suicide events, on October 9, at least 50 persons were killed and more than 100 injured when a suicide bomber blew up his vehicle near a crowded market in Pakistan’s city of Peshawar. It was the deadliest attack in six months and was a reminder of the capabilities of the RAW-backed insurgents to strike in major cities despite Pakistan’s successful military operations against the militants and the death of the renowned militant commanders. Unlike the past, in most of the cases, now huge quantity of explosives is being used. Peshawar Police Chief Liaqat Ali Khan revealed that the attacker was in a car packed with a “huge amount explosives and artillery rounds.”
In the last 18 months, RAW has modified its tactics of subversion in Pakistan. Apart from direct suicide events, now militants, armed with hand grenades, machine guns and other weapons also come to help the explosive-laden vehicles so as to penetrate the security at the target points and to clear the way for the blast. Sometimes, exchange of fire takes place between the saboteurs and the security guards, and sometimes, purpose is to directly kill some renowned persons or leaders of our country. A number of terror-events in Pakistan verify new style of RAW’s moves.
In this context, on March 3, 2009, terrorist event which targeted the bus of Sri Lankan cricket team at Liberty Square roundabout in Lahore had killed 8 persons, occurred by a continuous gunfire by the militants. Pakistani officials confirmed that “grenades and rocket launchers had been recovered” which were of foreign origin. Afterwards, official inquiry disclosed that RAW was behind that terror incident. On March 30, more than 10 terrorists raided the Manawan Police Training Center in Lahore, leaving at least 12 dead. After eight hours exchange of fire, Pakistan’s security forces regained the control of the police academy, capturing five terrorists alive, who proved useful in the investigation. On May 27, more than 30 people were killed in Lahore when an explosive-laden Suzuki van exploded near Rescue 15 building of the police which was completely destroyed. It also damaged other buildings of the Lahore Capital City Police Office (CCPO) and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) which was the main target, but could not be hit due to heavy firing by the security guards on the terrorists who came along with the vehicle, firing at the security guards. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah remarked on the same day that Indian involvement in “suicide attack in Lahore cannot be ruled out.”
However, in the recent past, similar types of terror-tactics were applied by the culprits in relation to the Pearl Continental hotel in Peshawar where more than 20 persons had killed in the suicide blast. Eyewitnesses who survived, pointed out that gunmen came in two vehicles and were stopped at the security check post. Gunman, sitting in one car first started firing at the security persons and then exploded their first vehicle to give a safe-passage to other truck which was carrying 500 kilograms of explosives and stormed into the heavily secured hotel.
Another new technique of the RAW-trained terrorists is that they camouflage themselves by wearing the uniform of Pakistani security forces so as to deceive the security guards and to get safe-passage for conducting their subversive task. Two weeks ago, U.N.’s World Food Program in Islamabad was targeted by a suicide bomber who was wearing an official uniform, evaded tight security, killing five people in the explosion.
The fact of the matter is that in the past 10 months, Pakistan’s security forces have broken the backbone of the suicide bombers by arresting most of their commanders and insurgents, while thwarting a number of suicide missions through pre-arrests. But India with technological support of Israel and the US has succeeded in training the new fugitives which are regularly being sent to Pakistan with a view to destablising our country. Now this fact is known to every one that Pakistan is the only nuclear country in the Islamic world. Hence, US, Israel and India are in collusion to weaken it by creating lawlessness and anarchy for achieving their secret strategic interests.
Notably, Pakistan’s civil and military high officials have openly been revealing that Indian secret agency, RAW, Israeli Mossad and other foreign agencies are involved in supporting insurgency in the Frontier Province and separatism in Balochistan.
In this respect, on April 23, in the in-camera sitting of the Senate, Federal Minister to the Interior, Rehman Malik displayed documentary evidence of Indian use of Afghanistan to create unrest in Pakistan. The main aim of in-camera session was also to show the engagement of CIA and other external agencies as part of a conspiracy against Pakistan because at this stage, Islamabad did not want to publicly point out America which has been playing a double game with our country. Unacceptable conditions of the recent Kerry-Lugar aid bill coupled with the admiration of Pakistan’s successful military operations in Swat, Buner and Dir might be cited as example in this regard.
During the ongoing military operations, ISPR spokesman, Maj-Gen. Athar Abbas has repeatedly pointed out foreign hands in helping the insurgents led by the late Baitullah Mehsud, and those headed by militant commanders in Balochistan. Nevertheless, by following the Baitullah Mehsud, his successor, chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Hakimullah Mehsud has started claiming responsibility for the recent terror-attacks in our country. He has also threatened more suicide attacks. In fact, like Baitullah Mehsud, he is collective agent of RAW and CIA. While playing a double game like his paymasters, his real aim is to instigate the innocent Pakhtoons to further weaken Pakistan. Reports suggest that Baitullah was killed in a US done attack because he was having a number of secrets and was under siege of Pakistan’s intelligence agencies which could capture him.
It is notable that on June 28, NWFP Governor Awais Ghani disclosed that some world powers were trying to divide Pakistan, adding that if he were not a governor, he would have exposed them.
At present, on the one hand military action has almost started in South Wazirestan, but particularly India has also intensified its new tactics to sabotage the same on the other. This shrewd diplomacy is also applied to distort the image of Pakistan’s armed forces which has restored the image of the country through the successes, achieved in the previous military operations.
Nonetheless, terror-attack at army headquarters in Rawalpindi displays new tactics of the Indian RAW.
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
Posted on 10 Oct 2009 by
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