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The body of a government worker at the Federal Investigation Agency killed by a Taliban assault team is carried out by rescue workers.. EPA photo. |
Before the smoke even cleared from the terror assaults on three police centers in Lahore, a senior police official has pointed the finger at India’s intelligence agency for masterminding the attacks. From The Times of India:
Shortly after terrorists struck at the Federal Investigation Agency office and two police training centres, Lahore Commissioner Khusro Pervez blamed the Research and Analysis Wing, India’s external intelligence agency, for terrorist activities across Pakistan.
“The enemy has engaged us in the North West Frontier Province and other areas. There have been suicide attacks in several cities. The enemy is no longer hidden. There is a lot of evidence showing the involvement of (a neighbouring country). They openly say they want to destabilise Pakistan,” Pervez told reporters.
Pervez also alleged India had set up training camps for terrorists in Afghanistan’s Paktia region. He questioned India’s reasons for setting up consulates in Afghanistan.
Hours later, Malik said government officials should not speculate about the involvement of any country in the attacks without proof.
“We cannot rule out the possible involvement of foreign forces but I do not want to name any country without evidence,” he told journalists.
I’ve said this before but it bears repeating.
If the Pakistani government and military have extensive evidence of their arch-rival backing the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, why did they cut a deal with Sufi Mohammed, Mullah Fazlullah’s father-in-law and a known front man for the Taliban, this spring?
Why were Pakistani officials in negotiations with Baitullah Mehsud last summer in an attempt to end hostilities?
Why would a senior Pakistani general describe Baitullah as “a patriot” when tensions between Indian and Pakistan flared late last year after the Mumbai assault? If Baitullah was an agent of RAW, wouldn’t that make him a traitor? And what does that say about the Corps Commander who feted Baitullah?
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12 Comments
Let me add to the excellent remarks of Bill Roggio:
It has been known for sometime that India has very limited (if at all) ability to influence events in Pakistan (through proxies). But Pakistan has very established and extensive capabilities in India.
The statements from Pakistanis implicating India is an indication that Pakistanis are fundamentally incapable of dealing with jihadists in their midst.
Pakistan’s army motto: “faith, piety and jihad in the path of Allah.”
In reality, Pakistani military is a highly unprofessional force that is driven by jihadist ideologies. It is capable of waging a brutal war against non-Muslim civilians (like it did in 1971), but it can’t fight jihadists effectively, due to its own orientations.
Londonstani @ Abumuqwama’s blog has some excellent posts about current mood in Pakistan and conspiracy theories about T.H.E.M(http://www.cnas.org/blogs/abumuqawama)
Dear Mr.commissioner
How we wish RAW was behind all that is going on in several cities in pakistan.
But then it seems RAW figured out that there is absolutely no way they could ever best pakistan’s capabilities to create extremist elements who will at the end destroy down pakistan itself and decided to just sit back, relax and watch tv long enough…..
and yeah last heard they were sending thank you cards to pakistan army, the isi, the SSG, the mullahs, maulvi’s and associated crack pots
we wish you all would just keep your eyes as nicely shut and keep your brains as nicely in denial just for a few more years at the best. 🙂
Ironically, this is about the first time I can recall that Rehman Malik wasn’t the first one to blame RAW for the attacks. As Tom Ricks recently said about Joe Biden, when was the last time Malik was right about anything?
I think that henceforth we can refer to this as “Pakistan’s ‘South Park’ Strategy”.
For those who haven’t seen the ‘South Park’ movie, the “Blame Canada” strategy was the parent’s reaction to their children’s misbehavior. Not wanting to accept responsibility for the kid’s behavior, the parents chose to blame the influence of a Canadian children’s tv show.
It was the movie creator’s satirization of scapegoating, and I think its particularly relevant here as well. Pakistan doesn’t want to accept responsibility for the militancy they themselves have created. So they “Blame India”.
-Tom
In the surreal world that is Pakistan today, alliances are being formed, then destroyed and then reinstated just as quickly. There are no good guys, no bad guys … everyone is various and varying shades of gray and will change depending on what narrow objective is in the forefront at that moment. Its the “old enemy of my enemy if my friend” business.
BTW, you also see this very same trait in the larger middle east – a psyche that is undoubtedly related to their tribal roots. In the west, we have a culture that is based on a more or less fixed spectrum of beliefs. This is why we have to tread so carefully in that part of the world. Someone who is at one moment a staunch ally can be our worst enemy the next.
With all of the feuding that is going on between pakistan’s various power centers at this time, you will therefore not see much finger pointing by the players within themselves. Its best to blame the one fixed enemy that everyone can agree upon ie. India. Besides, the pakistani public will lap it up, there will be little or no introspection and the nefarious players can continue their waltz.
But I think in the end, Pakistan was formed as a Muslim state and all that happens there can be viewed in that prism.
Jihad and the spread of Islam is a fundamental goal. They are for it before they were against it. Hence, they seem confused at times as to the tactics but the underlying strategy is still the same. The infidels next door and anywhere must covert, become second class citizens of the caliphate, or die. Viewed in that respect, it all makes sense.
Khusro Pervez’s statement blaming India still receives an sizable audience, but using India or the CIA as standard scapegoats is wearing a bit thin, even in Pakistan. I noticed that the assertion didn’t get much support among Pervez’s government colleagues, or the Pakistani press. How many Pakistani’s actually believe this stuff may actually be a secondary concern. Naming a scapegoat becomes an substitute for real action and effectively dilutes any attempt to deal with the problem. I still don’t see an expansion of security resources being diverted toward the problem or a significant increase in Pakistani troops addressing the problem along the Afghan – Pakistani boarder.
You forgot, it was a RAW, Hindu, Jewish, Mossad, CIA, Martian conspiracy. It is insulting to leave out the other co conspirators.
And remember the Shia with secret Jewish blood flowing through their veins (Ahmenijad for one), who aided the attacks.
The funniest anti-Indian accusations making the rounds was during the Swat operation, when pictures circulated of uncircumsized fighters, which therefore made them Indian.
No jokes. They were actually running around the battlefield, whipping the pants off dead militants, taking (a little too) close-up pictures and disseminating them left, right and center.
“…when pictures circulated of uncircumsized fighters…”
That was the one time they couldn’t blame Israel also.
you guys should read the defense.pk forums. Its almost comical how much they blame India for everything.