India, Pakistan, terrorism and cricket The Excelsior 21 Nov 2024
Post the deadly Quetta railway station suicide attack early this month, claimed by the BLA (Baluchistan Liberation Army), resulting in the loss of at least 26 lives, including 14 soldiers, Pak once again accused India of supporting terrorism on its soil. Its defence minister, Khwaja Asif, mentioned in a TV interview, ‘The Quetta terrorist attack is part of a proxy war that India has waged against us through groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the BLA. This is a conspiracy to thwart China’s efforts to develop Pakistan.’
This is not the first time that Pakistan has accused India of supporting terrorist activities on its soil. Every incident in Pak is linked to Indian RAW. Khwaja Asif added, ‘It may not be possible to say that this (attack) is officially approved by the Afghan government, but the failure to take action against these activities or ignore them, shows some kind of condoning or even indirect collusion.’
Such is the paranoia within Pakistan that every terrorist strike within is a conspiracy hatched against them, largely involving India and one of its neighbours, Afghanistan or Iran. Islamabad ignores the fact that Indian consulates in Afghanistan are closed, while the embassy in Kabul has only skeleton staff overseeing relief supplies to the country.
This is the same Pakistan, whose DG ISI, General Faiz Hameed, was photographed inside a Kabul hotel, sipping a cup of tea, prior to the swearing in of the Taliban led government smilingly mentioning all will be well. The ISI was the main backer of the Taliban throughout NATO occupation of Afghanistan and was overconfident that the Taliban would do its bidding.
This is the same Pakistan, whose PTI spokesperson, Neelam Irshad Sheikh, stated in a TV debate in Aug 2021, just days after the US withdrawal, ‘Taliban have said that they are with us and they will help us in (liberating) Kashmir.’ Pakistan celebrated the Taliban takeover with glee, assuming it finally has a country it can manipulate.
This is the same Pakistan, whose PM, Imran Khan, mentioned on the Taliban takeover that they have broken ‘shackles of slavery.’ A few months later, in Jan 2022, he even offered to send ‘skilled manpower’ to Afghanistan, only to be rebuked by the Afghan leadership.
This is the same Pakistan, whose foreign minister, SMH Qureshi, insisted that the world engage with the Taliban soon after their takeover. He stated, ‘be more realistic in your approach. Try an innovative way of engaging with them. The way that they were being dealt with has not worked.’ Imran reiterated it in his pre-recorded message to the UN General Assembly the same year.
Today, the same Pakistan is threatening to launch cross border strikes into Afghanistan to destroy bases of the BLA and the TTP. It is the same Pakistan whose permanent representative to the UN cries for help in curbing the TTP and BLA and asks the UN to advise Kabul to stop supporting terrorist groups. From expecting the Taliban to help in regaining Kashmir, it now accuses them of being an Indian proxy state.
Such is the animosity between Islamabad and Kabul that there are regular clashes between Taliban forces and the Pakistan army. Hatred between forces on both sides of the Durand Line have reached a peak. Is it a failure of Pak diplomacy or is it a classic case of complete mis-judgement of intentions.
Pakistan claims to have provided multiple dossiers linking India to Afghan based terrorist groups operating on its soil, but all are ignored. The reason is because these contain no evidence just hearsay. Further, Pakistan is reaping what it sowed. On the contrary, what can never be denied is elimination of terrorists attempting crossing into India from Pak, across the LOC. They could not have been returning home, heavily armed, after a walk in Pakistan. Thus, while India has proof, provided on the global stage, Pak has none.
The Pak government has been projecting over the years that India is responsible for all its ills, including ongoing terrorism. Even floods and droughts are blamed on Indian control over waters flowing into Pakistan. The battle for Kashmir is projected as one of religion and survival.
Khwaja Asif believes that India is working to ensure the failure of the CPEC, dubbed as the lifeline to Pakistan’s economic revival. Added is the projected belief that India wants to further divide the country. Thus, anti-India sentiments run high in Pakistan. It is in this environment that Islamabad expects the Indian cricket team to play the Champions trophy in its country.
To rub salt on Indian wounds, Pak planned a trophy tour in disputed POK, only to be shot down by the ICC. Afghanistan too, on account of animosity will be unwilling to play, if given a choice.
To convince the ICC, the Pak cricket board (PCB) mentions that if western nations have no security issues, why should India. Evidently, India’s relations with Pakistan, its neighbour and sworn enemy, is vastly different when compared to ties with distant countries. India is not seen as a competitor in a sports field but an enemy state which must be subdued.
There are globally designated terrorist organizations as also terrorists, operating against India, safely ensconced on Pakistan soil. All these groups and their leaders have sworn to target Indian assets and individuals. In such a toxic environment, no government will risk sending a team of professional sportspersons to the country, despite all promises of security.
The scenario is vastly different when it comes to Pakistan visiting India. While Pakistan is responsible for terrorism in India, it has never been accused of being responsible for all ills happening in the country. Further, India conducts its sporting events well away from trouble spots, while Lahore and Rawalpindi, where Pakistan would be hosting most of the matches, are around the bend from Bahawalpur, the HQ for JEM (Jaish-e-Mohammed) a known terrorist group.
Nurturing terrorist groups to target India, accusing it for all internal ills and then expecting it to risk lives of its players just to provide a few dollars in revenue to the country is downright illogical. No matter what the provocation, India must stand its ground and refuse to send its team to Pakistan.
About the Author
Maj Gen Harsha Kakkar
Retired Major General Indian Army