By
Sajjad Shaukat
The sixth Heart of Asia Conference which was held in the Indian
city of Amritsar on December 3 and 4, this year is likely to prove fruitless in
achieving its goals due to secret diplomacy.
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and the
United Arab Emirates are part of the Heart of Asia initiative which was
launched in 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey for encouraging economic and security
cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbors for dealing with the common
problems of terrorism, extremism and poverty. The process is supported by 17
other, predominantly Western, countries, and 12 international organizations
which are also sending senior representatives.
The Heart of Asia ministerial conference concluded with the member
nations adopting the ‘Amritsar Declaration’, recognizing the need to work
together and comprehensibly to address the menace of terrorism. For the first time, the moot expressed concern for the
violence caused in Afghanistan and the region by terrorist groups like
Al-Qaeda, Daish (ISIS), Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jasih-e-Mohammad.
The three big issues of the Conference were: one,
countering terrorism to create stability and security in Afghanistan; two,
providing Afghanistan connectivity to strengthen economic activities; and
three, development which is essential for the progress of Afghanistan. The
declaration also called for early finalizations of the draft for Comprehensive
Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) and the early meeting of experts
to discuss a draft on regional counter-terrorism framework strategy which was
recently prepared by Afghanistan for its early finalization.
However, overtly member states of the Heart of Asia Conference emphasized upon regional peace and
stability, especially in Afghanistan, but, covertly US-led secret diplomacy
prevailed over the moot. It was owing to such a strategy and American influence
that the member delegates appreciated India’s
constructive role in supporting Afghanistan and its people for the past decade
and half.
During his opening remarks, following American secret strategy in
Asia, in his frenzy and ferocious speech, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
lashed out at Pakistan on terrorism as the central subject of the moot.
Hinting towards Pakistan, Modi said, “We must counter terrorists
and their masters. We must demonstrate strong collective will to defeat terror
network that cause bloodshed and spread fear…silence and inaction on terror in
Afghanistan and the region will only embolden terrorists and masters and those
fund them.”
Modi stated that India is committed to durable peace in
Afghanistan, and announced plans to connect India and Afghanistan via an air
link, as well as discussed the possibility of trilateral cooperation over
Iran’s Chahbahar port.
Speaking in the Indian tone, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani accused
Pakistan of providing sanctuary to terrorists and cross-border terrorism in
Afghanistan. By snubbing a $500 million pledge from Pakistan for development
projects in Afghanistan, he said, “This amount can be spent to contain extremism…Afghanistan
suffered the highest number of casualties last year.”
Pakistan’s Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj
Aziz who also participated in the conference slammed baseless accusations of
Modi and Ghani on Islamabad and called for evolving a joint and purposeful
strategy for lasting peace in Afghanistan and to combat terrorism in the
region. He elaborated, “It is simplistic to blame only one country for the
recent upsurge in violence. We need to have an objective and holistic
view…peaceful resolution to all the longstanding issues is the only way forward
for regional cooperation and connectivity…Pakistan is ready to extend every
kind of cooperation for lasting peace in Afghanistan.”
The adviser added that peace talks between the Afghan government
and Taliban had not produced positive results, adding that Pakistan was making
a serious effort to facilitate peace talks through the Quadrilateral
Coordination Group (QCG). He urged all QCG members to continue their
efforts for talks between the Afghan government and Taliban.
Addressing the conference, Russian envoy Zamir Kabulov rejected
the Indian and Afghan allegations against Pakistan. He stated that Afghanistan
is the pivot of the conference and the agenda of the conference should not be
hijacked. He added that being friends and supporters, we should avoid the blame
game and work together. He also said that Sartaj Aziz’s speech at the
conference was friendly and constructive.
Downplaying Russia’s military exercise with Pakistan held two
months ago, Zamir Kabulov, who oversees Russia’s engagement in Afghanistan also
referred to India’s increasing cooperation with the US, by pointing out, “India
has close cooperation with the US, does Moscow complain?”
Indian extremist policy against Islamabad can be judged from the
fact that the Indian government did not allow the Advisor on Foreign Affairs
Sartaj Aziz to hold a scheduled press conference on the sidelines of Heart of
Asia Conference. In sheer violation of diplomatic norms, the adviser was
also barred from leaving the hotel premises and the media persons were not
allowed to meet him in the hotel. The Indian authorities also stopped
Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit to enter the Media Centre set
up at the conference venue.
After returning from Amritsar, Aziz addressed a press conference
in Islamabad and remarked, “Pakistan does not need to be pressurized in terms
of counter-terrorism efforts…we have done more in terms of counter-terrorism
efforts in the last three years than any other country in the world…we are now
sharing our experiences of counter terrorism with the rest of the
world…Pakistan attended the conference to show solidarity with Afghanistan and
the country’s commitment to peace and security in Afghanistan.”
In fact, Indian and Afghan prime ministers have only revived the
old blame game of the US top civil and military officials who had been accusing
Pakistan’s army and primary intelligence agency ISI of supporting insurgency in
Afghanistan in order to divert the attention of NATO’s defeatism in
Afghanistan, and to pacify their public by ignoring the fact that Afghan
Taliban are fighting for independence of their country.
Because of the ideal strategic location of its province
Balochistan and being the lonely nuclear country in the Islamic World, Pakistan
has become special target of the foreign entities like US, India, Israel and
some western countries whose secret agencies have been destabilizing it through
various kinds of terror attacks, as witnessed in the recent years.
While waging a prolonged war in Afghanistan, the US and other NATO
countries have realized that after the withdrawal of foreign troops,
Afghanistan would be thrown in an era of uncertainly and civil war. They
realize the fact that there is a co-relationship of terrorism or stability in
Pakistan and Afghanistan. Therefore, US-led developed nations which also spent
billions of dollars for the development of Afghanistan have repeatedly agreed
that without Islamabad’s help, stability cannot be achieved there.
But, it is regrettable that the US-led countries like Israel and
especially India are sabotaging Pak-Afghan relations. In this regard, America
which prefers New Delhi over Islamabad has been acting upon a secret diplomacy
in collaboration with India, Israeli and some western powers.
In the recent past, a reliable online report revealed that Afghan
security officials and Governor of Helmand have stated that investigations are
in progress against the officials of the Afghan Nation Security Forces (ANSF),
who left their weapons and vehicles deliberately for Tehreek-e-Taliban
Afghanistan (TTA) in Badakhshan/Helmand province. From the report, it can be
inferred that the Afghan intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security
(NDS), duly assisted by Indian secret agency RAW and CIA is involved in high
level corruption in Afghanistan.
From time to time, controversy arises between Afghanistan and
Pakistan when Afghan officials refused to recognize the Durand Line which is
the 2640 kilometer long and porous border, situated between both the countries.
The issue again came to the limelight on June 12, 2016 when Afghan
security forces started unprovoked firing at Torkham border crossing (Located
between Pakistan and Afghanistan), resulting in injuries to more than 16
Pakistani citizens, including the martyrdom of some Pakistani security
personnel. The aim was to stop Pakistan from construction of a gate.
Durand Line has not been drawn by Pakistan, but it was declared
border line by British representative Sir Durand and Afghan Ameer Ghazi
Amanullah Khan in 1919. People of Pakistan’s province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and
FATA (Tribal Areas) opted to join Pakistan in 1947. So, it is a declared border
line and Afghan government has no right to object on any construction along
with the Durand line.
It is mentionable that that on direction of India, and like the
former regime of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan’s present rulers
have also started accusing Pakistan of cross-border terrorism. In this
connection, after hours of the Taliban captured Kunduz city, on September 28,
2015, during his address to the UNO General Assembly, Afghanistan’s Chief
Executive Abdullah Abdullah blamed Islamabad for carrying out cross-border
attacks and destabilizing Afghanistan.
In this context, Afghan government’s instructions to ban
Pak-currency in Afghanistan on behest of New Delhi would amount to nothing more
than damaging the economic activities, taking place in Afghanistan,
particularly in the areas and provinces bordering Pakistan. This decision is
causing huge loss to no one else, but the Afghan business community and Afghan
people.
As a matter of fact, based in Afghanistan, operatives of CIA,
Mossad and RAW which are well-penetrated in the terrorist outfits like ISIS,
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and their affiliated Taliban groups are using
their terrorists to destabilize Tibetan regions of China, Iranian
Sistan-Baluchistan and Pakistan’s Balochistan by arranging the subversive
activities. In this respect, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is
their special target.
Notably, at least 65 people were killed and more than 100
others were injured when a blast struck at the shrine of the
Sufi saint Shah Noorani in Balochistan’s Hub Tehsil on November 12, this
year. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack
via Amaq, its affiliated news agency.
ISIS had also claimed responsibility for a terror attack on the
Police Training College in Quetta-the provincial capital of Pakistan which left
at least 60 individuals dead on October 24, 2016.
Earlier, an affiliated faction of the TTP, the Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan Jamaat-ur-Ahrar (TTP-JA) took responsibility for a deadly suicide
bombing in Quetta, which killed at least 74 people on August 8, 2016 in an
attack at the government-run Civil Hospital. The Middle East-based movement of
the ISIS also accepted responsibly for that blast.
Nevertheless, it was part of ploy that two terrorist groups
accepted responsibility for the terror assaults in Quetta to divert the
attention from the US-led India and Israel. Especially, Washington and New
Delhi are playing double game with Pakistan to obtain the clandestine aims,
particularly by trying to sabotage the CPEC project.
Especially, the blast at the shrine of the Shah Noorani
exploded, one day before the Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif
inaugurated the Gwadar port which is a warm-water,
deep-sea port on the Arabian Sea in Balochistan, and is the center of
$46 billion Pak-China project of the CPEC.
Following the inauguration ceremony, the port has formally been
operationalized for trade activities through the western route of CPEC. In this
regard, Prime Minister Sharif said, “I want to make it clear that CPEC is not
only for a particular province but for entire Pakistan…the enemy of CPEC is
enemy of Pakistan…Pakistan will leave no stone unturned to materialize the CPEC
in time.”
Pakistan’s former Army Chief General Raheel Sharif who also
participated in inauguration event has repeatedly stated that Pakistan will
complete the CPEC project at every cost.
Regarding the terror attack on the Police Training College, IG FC
Major General Sher Afgun had informed the press that the attackers acted
on directions from Afghanistan and the initial investigation suggests that
the terrorists were affiliated with the outlawed Lashkar-e- Jhangvi Al Almi
militant group. He elaborated, “We came to know from the communication
intercepts that there were three militants who were getting instructions from
Afghanistan.”
Undoubtedly, as part of the secret game, CIA, RAW and Mossad are
in collaboration with the NDS and other terrorist groups. With latest capture
of six NDS supported terrorists in Balochistan, the number of NDS backed
terrorists arrested and killed by Pakistani Intelligence agencies has crossed
over 126. These external secret agencies are especially supporting the TTP
which is hiding in Nuristan and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan. Reportedly,
Mullah Fazlullah led TTP is being prepared to carry out a fresh wave of terror
activities inside Pakistan, as the latter has become center of the Great Game
owing to the ideal location of Balochistan.
It is also of particular attention that in its joint declaration,
Asia the Heart Conference did not mention the name of the TTP, because CIA, RAW
and Mossad are particularly assisting it to weaken Pakistan.
Nonetheless, located on the southwestern coast of Pakistan,
Balochistan’s Gwadar seaport is close to the Strait of Hormuz from where more than
17 million barrels of oil passes every day. Its location among South Asia, the
oil-rich Middle East, and oil and gas-resourced Central Asia has further
increased its strategic significance. Besides, Balochistan’s abundant mineral
resources irritate the eyes of the US, India and Israel which intend to weaken
Pakistan for their collective aims.
As regards Balochistan, every Pakistani knows that the militant
outfits like ISIS and separatist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army
(BLA) and their affiliated groups, including Jundollah (God’s soldiers) and
Lashkar-i-Janghvi which have been creating unrest in the Balochistan get
logistic support from RAW and Mossad with the tactical assistance of America.
In the recent years, these terrorist outfits massacred many persons through
suicide attacks, bomb blasts, targeted killings and sectarian violence. These
externally-supported insurgent groups had kidnapped and killed many Chinese and
Iranian nationals in Pakistan including Iranian diplomats. They have claimed
responsibility for a number of terror assaults, including those on Shias in
Balochsitan and Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan.
Notably, the arrest of the Indian spy Kulbushan Yadav in
Balochistan on March 29, 2016 has exposed Indian undeclared war against Pakistan.
During investigation, Yadav disclosed that he served as a scrap dealer and had
a jewelry business in Chahbahar, Iran, after he joined RAW in 2013. Yadav
admitted that he was assigned with the task to create unrest in Karachi and
Balolchitan by stating, “I supported the individuals who worked to destabilize
Pakistan…I promoted the criminal mindset that was there in Balochistan.” RAW agent Yadav also confessed that another
task assigned to him was to execute the task to
damage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.
Besides, Pakistan’s secret agencies uncovered another ring of Indian spies in the country, working
as under covert agents, found involved in subversive activities to destabilize
Pakistan. In this connection, on November 2, this year, Islamabad disclosed
that five Indian diplomats who were serving at the Indian High
Commission in Islamabad found to be part of the RAW spy network and were
involved in subversive activities by facilitating and funding terrorism.
They were declared as persona non grata and expelled from the country.
Almost all the terrorists or terrorist groups and insurgency in
Pakistan, especially Balochistan have their connections in Afghanistan. The
porous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is frequently used by human and
drug traffickers, criminals and terrorists. Their easy access through unguarded
porous border provides opportunity to miscreants to cause havoc inside Pakistan
and Afghanistan. For effective counter terrorism measures, strong
border-control management is vital at Pak-Afghan border. But, Afghan rulers are
using delaying tactics in this respect by rejecting Islamabad’s positive
proposals.
There is no doubt that escalation of tension at Pak- Afghan border
is deliberately engineered by the elements opposed to peace talks and
improvement of bilateral relations between Islamabad and Kabul.
Moreover, Afghan peace and reconciliation process is a reality
despite of its slow pace and continual interruptions. The positive trajectory
of constructive relations between Islamabad and Kabul raised alarm-bells
amongst the US-led adversaries who are attempting to affect the progressive
Pak-Afghan relations through smear and sinister scheming.
It is noteworthy that the armed forces of Pakistan have broken the
backbone of the foreign-backed terrorists by the successful military operation
Zarb-e-Azb, which has also been extended to other parts of the country,
including Balochistan. And Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI has broken the
network of these terrorist groups by capturing several militants, while
thwarting a number of terror attempts.
Since the government of the Balochistan province announced general
pardon and protection to the Baloch militants as part of reconciliation
process, many insurgents and their leaders have surrendered their arms and
decided to work for the development of Pakistan and the province, peace has
been restored in Balochistan.
But, recent blasts in Balochistan show that the
US-led India and Israel have again started acts of sabotage in the province to
weaken Pakistan and to sabotage the CPEC.
Reliable sources of Pakistan and media of the country pointed out
in the end of November, this year that Islamabad has approved Russia’s request
to use Gwadar Port, which means Moscow could also join the CPEC project.
In response to the Pak-China project of CPEC, Washington broadly
supported New Delhi and Kabul in signing a deal with Iran for a transport
corridor, opening up a new route to Afghanistan via the Iranian port of
Chabahar. In this context, during his visit to Tehran, on May 23, 2016, the
Indian Prime Minister Modi signed 12 agreements with Tehran, including a deal
to develop Iran’s Chabahar port. India will spend $500 million on the project,
with a plan to invest an additional $ 16 billion in the Chabahar free trade
zone. Chabahar—located about 1,800 kilometres south of Tehran—is more than just
a port with an adjoining free trade zone. But, CPEC is much bigger and viable
project than Chahbahar.
Meanwhile, the US pro-Israeli and pro-Indian President-elect
Donald Trump has stated that he would abandon the Iran nuclear deal. Therefore,
it is expected that Tehran which is very close friend of Russia will also use
the Gwadar Port or join the CPEC project.
Russians and Iranians know that Gwadar seaport would connect the
landlocked Central Asian states with rest of the world. Being the commercial
hub, the port is likely to increase volume of trade, bringing multiple economic
and financial benefits to Pakistan, Iran, Russia and China. It will enable
high-volume cargo vessels to move in the major oceans.
It is worth-mentioning that besides other similar attacks in
Afghanistan; ISIS claimed responsibility for a joint suicide bombing of July
23, 2016 in Kabul, which targeted the peaceful rally of the Shiite minority of
Hazaras who were protesting against the government’s decision of denying their
region essential infrastructure through their plans of rerouting a power line.
The twin suicide blasts killed more than 80 persons. In these terms, India and
Israel which also want that NATO forces should remain entangled in Afghanistan
are also using ISIS and TTP militants as part of Indo-Israeli collective
interests.
Pakistan considers that peace in Afghanistan is a guarantee of
peace in Pakistan, hence, has been striving for the same in utter sincerity.
But, the US and India do not want to see the peace and prosperity in the
region. Sadly, Pakistan’s dominant role in Afghanistan’s peace process under
the QCG has, deliberately, been disrupted by killing of the Taliban leader
Mullah Akhtar Mansur in CIA-operated drone attack in Balochistan, which badly
derailed Afghan dialogue process, as Afghan Taliban leaders refused to
participate in the US-sponsored talks with the Afghan government. While, in the
recent past, with the help of Pakistan, a series of meetings were held in
Islamabad and Kabul among the representatives of Pakistan, Afghanistan, China
and the US to develop an understanding for the earliest possible resumption of
stalled talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban with a view to
ending nearly 15 years of bloodshed in Afghanistan.
It seems that the US-led secret diplomacy is on to pressurize
Pakistan to bring Afghan Taliban either for the dialogue or to take action
against them. US, India and Israel have built a hostile nexus for the Great
Game and are pressurizing Pakistan by limiting its choices.
Hence, trust deficit has deepened between Pakistan and America.
Therefore, on June 10, 2016, a high-level delegation of the US visited
Islamabad and met Pakistan’s former Chief of the Army Staff Gen. Raheel Sharif
and Adviser to the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz
Adviser separately.
During the meeting, expressing his serious concern on the US drone
strike in Balochistan as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, Gen. Raheel
Sharif highlighted as to how it had impacted the mutual trust and was
counterproductive in consolidating the gains of the military Operation
Zarb-e-Azb against terrorists. He explained, “All stakeholders need to
understand Pakistan’s challenges-inter-tribal linkages and decades-old presence
of over three million refugees—blaming Pakistan for instability in Afghanistan
is unfortunate—target TTP and its chief Mullah Fazlullah in their bases in
Afghanistan—Indian RAW and NDS are fomenting terrorism in Pakistan.”
US covert policy about Islamabad could also be judged from some
other development. In this regard, another delegation of US Senators including
Senator Lindsey Graham led by Senator John McCain, Chairman of US Senate Arms
Services committee visited Islamabad and North Waziristan Agency (NWA) on July
3, 2016. The US Senators visited areas cleared of terrorists during Operation
Zarb-e-Azb. American delegation appreciated the Pakistan Army’s accomplishment
of cleansing the entire area of NWA right up to the Pakistan-Afghanistan
border, after witnessing the terrorists’ hideouts and communication
infrastructure dismantled by the Pakistan Army.
Outwardly, American top officials have been appreciating the
capabilities of Pakistan’s security agencies against terrorism, but inwardly,
they are not pleased in relation to the successes, achieved by the armed forces
of Pakistan against the militants, because America is acting upon a secret
strategy in relation to Islamabad.
While, Pakistan rendered numerous sacrifices for Afghanistan
during the last few decades, but ironically Afghanistan is still playing in the
hands of their foreign masters especially Washington and New Delhi.
Pakistan shares common geographical, historical, religious and
cultural bonds with Afghanistan. America and its Western partners have
repeatedly recognized that Pak-Afghan stability is inter-related, which is
essential for their global and regional interests. They know that without
Islamabad’s help, stability cannot be achieved there. But, by following the
conflicting interests, the US-led countries are deteriorating Pak-Afghan
relations to obtain their covert aims, and are encouraging New Delhi to
continue anti-Pakistan moves. Thus, the US-Western countries are destabilizing
South Asian security which is equally essential for them.
Returning to our earlier discussion, in one way or the other, the
hidden theme of the Heart of Asia Conference was to malign Pakistan in connection
with terrorism and Afghanistan, as secret diplomacy of the US-led entities
against the interests of China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran and even Afghanistan
continue under the cover of peace and stability in that war-torn country.
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_pak@hotmail.com
Courtesy Veterans Today
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