On 4 August 2016, India’s Home Minister (HM), Rajnath Singh, was in Islamabad to attend the seventh HMs’ meet of South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations in Islamabad. Violating all norms of diplomatic protocol, Pakistan allowed anti-Singh demonstrations on the streets of Islamabad during his visit. The threat of demonstrations against the visiting Indian HM was publicised days before his visit, and these were held by none other than Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Lashker e-Toiba (LeT) and Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD), his so-called charity organisation. Both these groups are declared as terrorist organisations by the UN (United Nations), and the US has placed a bounty of $10 million on the head of Saeed.
The reason for the demonstrations given by the LeT chief was: ‘Rajnath’s hands are reddened by the blood of Kashmiris’. Ironically, that came from a person who was directly involved in spilling of blood of 166 people in Mumbai attacks (26/11) eight years ago. Though he is declared a terrorist, and internationally banned, he roams freely in the streets of Pakistan and his organisation grows in strength. Yet, Rajnath had gone to attend the SAARC making it clear that his security was Pakistan’s responsibility.
India’s message
Normally, in the SAARC meetings, member nations aren’t supposed to raise bilateral issues. Singh was in Islamabad for twin purposes: One, to appeal to the Pakistani ruling elite to accept the fact that terror is not a remedy to resolve any issue affecting the region, and second, to appeal to Pakistan to ratify SAARC convention against terror, which has prevented regional cooperation on terror. Hence, the Indian HM alluded to the terror attacks faced by nations like Bangladesh and India. He was obviously referring to cowardly attacks in recent times – the Dhaka attack in July, 2016, at Holey Artisan Café in the diplomatic enclave patronised by foreigners, in which of the 20 killed, 17 were foreigners, and in Mumbai, the cross-sea attack of 26/11 and the Pathankot Airbase attack in January 2016.
Singh made it clear that for regional peace and prosperity, terrorism is the biggest challenge. Towards increased prosperity of Region’s people, India has already implemented “Business Card Scheme” under which, eligible businessmen from any SAARC country can visit India to promote business interests.
Directly aiming at Pakistan but without naming it, Singh said that prosperity will be hampered if terrorism is not checked by every country. Mere condemnation of terror, but permitting it on member-state’s soil is just not enough. It is only an example of doublespeak. Patronising terrorists as patriots is unacceptable. One country’s terrorist cannot be a patriot of another country. Singh made it clear that terrorism cannot be glorified and patronised. No one can distinguish between ‘good’ terrorism and ‘bad’ terrorism. Nawaz Sharif in his heart must have felt that Rajnath was stealing his words uttered at the all party conference summoned by him in his country soon after the December 2014 ghastly terrorist attacks on a military school at Peshawar, in which 148 mainly children lost their lives!
Singh also called upon Pakistan to implement SAARC Regional Convention on suppression of terrorism in pursuit of ‘our common fight against terrorism.’ He also asked member-states to implement additional protocol on terrorism as it includes effective measures to prosecute and punish terrorists; also if necessary, extradite terrorists to stand trial in countries where cross border terror has occurred. These important measures have not been ratified by Pakistan so far. One need not remind discerning readers how Pakistan has avoided all action to prosecute internationally acknowledged persons involved in Mumbai attacks of 26/11 like Saeed and Lakhvi.
Singh also called upon the member nations to realise the gravity of the misuse of digital technology in committing terror attacks and evading arrest and appealed to his counterparts to explore all avenues to deal with growing cyber crimes. He also urged member-states to implement the SAARC decision to create a terrorism monitoring desk.
Back home, Congressmen excelled in criticising the Home Minister’s visit and his successful efforts to highlight Pakistan’s perfidies and doublespeak in reducing recourse to terrorism. Mani Shankar Aiyar went to the extent of charging Singh of turning SAARC into an “Association for Regional Confrontation (instead of Cooperation).” He failed to note the insults heaped on the visiting HM. Singh was not appropriately received by his counterpart in Pakistan. The Pakistani Interior Minister hosted a lunch for visiting members, but he did not show up; thus forcing Singh to forego his lunch. Pakistan’s government also denied access to Indian journalists to cover the event.
Conclusion
Pakistan’s elected civilian government or its democratic façade faces two crucial issues. These will directly affect India’s ‘neighbourhood first’ policy. First, Pakistan itself has been facing internal terror attacks. Number of such attacks inside Pakistan has become deadly; it was illustrated by the terrorist attacks by a suicide bomber at Quetta Civil Hospital on 8th August, in which over 74 were killed – mostly lawyers, who had gone to condole the death of the President of Quetta Bar Association, who was earlier gunned down by terrorists. This was soon after Rajnath Singh’s fervent pleas to shun terrorism as an instrument of foreign policy.
The responsibility for the carefully executed terror attacks was taken by the Islamic State (IS) and a faction of Pakistani Taliban. The stated reason for the attacks is worth pondering. An unidentified spokesperson, on behalf of the group stated that their “objective is to establish a caliphate and diminish the basis of democracy in Pakistan which we consider an infidel system.” He further added: “Lawyers were on our hit list….” They were “considered as custodians of Pakistani democratic system.”
But there was a free-play of blaming India. Baluchistan’s chief minister, Nawab Zehri and the mastermind of Mumbai attack, Hafiz Saeed, blamed Indian intelligence agency RAW for the attacks. This was similar to Musharraf and Saeed blaming India for killing innocent children in the military school in December 2014. This is somewhat similar to Mrs. Gandhi in the 1970s blaming whatever went against her policy towards India on American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In Pakistan this trend had started prominently in March 2009 when the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked by terrorists in Lahore.
Second, Pakistan’s elected civil government is at crossroads. It has to decide whether to continue to permit military-ISI controlled and maneuvered international terrorist groups to operate freely against India or call the bluff by its all-powerful military. Pakistan is today riding a tiger called terrorism; it is easy to mount on it but difficult to dismount! That could lead to another military take over and face another period of military dictatorship.
India has done well in firmly asserting our disgust with Pakistani use of terror to force India to handover them Kashmir on a platter. India`s HM did well to reiterate that no force on the Earth can take Kashmir away from India. We have done well to support democratic forces in Baluchistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). But we also need to support democratic forces in Pakistan to balance the Army. We need to remember that it is for the first time, Pakistan in 2016 began to share intelligence with India on likely terror attacks against Indian assets. It is also worth noting that after listening to Rajnath Singh on the need to control all terror, Nawaz Sharif reiterated his commitment to fight against terror.
In the context of the December 2014 attack on a military school, a member of Pakistani parliament belonging to the Pakistan People’s Party, Farhatullah Babar had said: By releasing Lakhvi, the Mumbai terror-brain, Pakistan “sent a message that some militants are more equal than others.” Nawaz Sharif has to decide whether his fight is only against anti-Pakistan terror groups or that includes anti-India terror groups as well. That will decide the future of democracy in Pakistan! That will also create in Pakistan necessary prodemocracy forces which will finally enable Pakistan to dismount from the Terror-Tiger!
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Dr. P.M. Kamath
Dr. Kamath is a former Professor of Politics in Mumbai University, and currently is the Chairman and Director, VPM’s Centre for International Studies, affiliated to Mumbai University. While in University, he guided a thesis on Terrorism as an Instrument of Foreign Policy with special reference to its use by Pakistan in Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir. Since then, he has published several articles on the subject in various newspapers in India, and peer-reviewed articles in various national and international journals.[/column]