It has been reported that US intelligence chiefs have warned the American Congress that India may launch “aggressive actions” inside Pakistan on the pretext of stopping “cross-border attacks” and that the ongoing exchange of artillery shells across the Line of Control (LoC) may lead to a direct conflict between the neighbours. The chilling warning was given at a US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing this week. The two officials were briefing senators on the US intelligence community’s threat assessment for 2017-18, during which they see terrorist groups attacking American interests across the globe. For Pakistan, the threat assessment is cause for concern. Only a day back, the Pakistan Army had denied the Indian Army’s claim that it had carried out an ‘operation’ against Pakistani posts along the LoC. The Indian army is mounting pressure on the Pakistani side with attacks and cross-border violations. Indian Army’s Maj Gen Ashok Narula claimed the actions that his country carried out within Pakistan was aimed at bringing down the number of terrorists in Kashmir so that local youth are not encouraged to take up arms. To blame Pakistan for Kashmir’s internal troubles is an ostrich-like approach that needs to be changed by India. Also, it needs to desist from making such claims as it affects prospects of peace in the region.
But a bigger issue is the escalation of tensions on the one hand and the growing involvement of India in Pakistan’s domestic affairs. The arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav and the successive incidents of terror that are being seen in Pakistan suggest that some Indian sympathisers are actively trying to create instability in our country. The recent kidnapping of two Chinese nationals in Quetta again suggests that locals are being used by outside forces to thwart Pakistan’s economic progress. It is time the government took cognisance of this and drew up a strategy to counter such activities. The public must be told of the designs of neighbouring powers who do not want to see Pakistan progress economically. The government has to rise to this challenge and take with it all stakeholders. We need to all be on board to counter such conspiracies being hatched against us.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2017.
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