Pakistan can lie, but truth would always emerge Defence News India 07 Oct 17
I had written an article in ‘The Wire’ on 07Jan 17, entitled, “India, Pakistan and a tale of two army chiefs”, (https://thewire.in/97846/bipin-rawat-qamar-javed-bajwa-india-pakistan/) in which I had stated that the Indian army chief controls only the Assam Rifles, while the Pak army chief controls all para military forces within the country. Thus, the Indian army chief controls forces deployed to ensure national security, while the Pak army chief controls forces, to enable a military coup at a time of his own choosing.
A Pakistani organization, most likely an official deep state website called TACSTRAT (Tactical knowledge for strategic development), devoted a whole column to attempt to prove every statement of mine wrong. In the case of control of para military forces, it went on to state, “Not correct. The para military forces in Pakistan are under the ministry of interior. The Pakistan army acts in support of civil power when asked and authorized to do so” (http://tacstrat.com/index.php/2017/01/09/setting-record-straight/ ).
The incident in the Accountability court of Pakistan a day ago, when Nawaz Sharif was summoned, proved how wrong Pak comments were. The minister of the interior, who is officially meant to control the rangers, who had suddenly appeared outside the court, without even being summoned, refused him permission to enter. The Rangers removed the local police and took control over the complex, refusing to listen to any authority other than their own and those supervising the deployment refused to respond to summons, denying entry even to the interior minister. This sparked a debate as to who controls security in Pakistan, the elected government or the army (https://www.dawn.com/news/1361230/whose-orders-is-rangers-following-ahsan-iqbal-lashes-out-at-force-for-blocking-entry-to-court). Thus, the lie which Pak desired to project claiming it functions like any other democracy with central forces under the elected government was proved wrong. It is a military state.
The same misleading statements and subsequent truth has been the bane of the nation. Every Pakistani leader including the de facto head of state, the army chief, had stated in every international forum that there are no terror groups located in Pakistan. Their Prime Minister even made this comment from the pulpit of the UN General Assembly.
The cat had already been let loose, when Sartaj Aziz, the foreign affairs advisor to their erstwhile Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, stated at the Washington’s Council of Foreign Affairs think tank on 01 Mar 16 that, “We have some influence over them because their leadership is in Pakistan and they get some medical facilities. Their families are here” (https://www.dawn.com/news/1243093). Similarly, their present foreign minister, Khawaja Asif, stated once again in the US at an event organized by the Asia Society in New York, “It is very easy to say Pakistan is floating the Haqqanis and Hafiz Saeed and the Lashkar-e-Taiba. I accept that they are liabilities” (http://thepashtuntimes.com/pakistans-fm-admits-haqqanis-and-other-terrorists-are-liabilities/).
The same was the case when Pak claimed across the world that the violence in Kashmir was an indigenous freedom struggle. It kept blaming India for suppressing the desires of the people, whereas the reality was that Pak was funding violence through the separatists. Post the crackdown by the NIA and ED, Shabir Shah and other separatists have admitted to receiving funds from Pakistan based terror outfits for fermenting violence in the valley (http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-separatist-shabir-shah-admits-to-receiving-funds-from-pak-terror-outfits-centre-says-islamabad-exposed-2547859).
Pak has accused India of human rights violations. Its permanent representative in the UN even showed a picture of a Gaza victim as that of Kashmir. A visit to you tube would on the other hand reveal the level of atrocities committed by the Pak army in Baluchistan, a report by the Pakistan times is a small example (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfAORZlj0Lk). There were protests at every venue of the UN ranging from Geneva to New York against Pak atrocities, during the recent summits in New York and Geneva, while miniscule protests against India.
All minorities in Pak including Hindu’s, Christians, Ahmadis and even Shia Muslims feel that the state fails to protect them and even tolerates violence against them. Sherry Rehman, a former minister and ambassador of Pakistan stated, “Pakistan is increasingly failing to protect its minorities for two broad reasons: principally, rising religious intolerance and the space ceded to violent ideologies (https://www.dawn.com/news/1104548).
Pakistan is losing face across the globe, as every statement of it, is proved wrong with passage of time. World pressure is mounting on it to change its policies and approach to terrorism. Unless its lies are exposed, atrocities on its minorities projected publicly and the deep state brought to book, nothing will change. The world needs to take note of a nation, whose political leadership functions under the mercy of the gun and is perpetually under threat.
About the Author
Maj Gen Harsha Kakkar
Retired Major General Indian Army