Almost every government in power has repeatedly condemned India’s rogue behaviour toward Pakistan. This is something Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar repeated in press conference on Wednesday, during which she aptly described India as a “rogue state.”
Khar’s press conference comes a day after Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah held a joint press conference with Punjab CTD Additional Inspector General Imran Mehmood, during which he revealed details about the Indian involvement in the Johar Town blast in Lahore last year.
In this context, Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed Khan called members of the diplomatic corps in Islamabad and briefed them on Pakistan’s investigation into the Johar Town blast. Last year, the former NSA, Moeed Yusuf, presented evidence, including telephonic and financial records, indicating Indian involvement in the attack.
Khar has now urged the international community to recognise India’s hypocrisy in portraying itself as a victim of terrorism and blaming Pakistan while orchestrating terror campaigns within Pakistan, everything in an effort to hide its support for state-sponsored terrorism and abuses of human rights in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan is correct in requesting that the international community call India’s bluff. For far too long, India has blamed Pakistan for cross-border terrorism, even going so far as to blame Pakistan for false-flag operations.
For decades, Pakistan has demonstrated a commitment to regional peace, particularly when it comes to bilateral ties between the two nuclear states. However, India has continued its proxy war in Pakistan. Modi’s India, in particular, has adopted a hawkish policy toward all of its neighbours, particularly Pakistan.
Modi launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan following the Pulwama attack in order to shore up his domestic support. It didn’t matter that their pilot was apprehended by Pakistan, which returned him as a goodwill gesture. It was all about chest-thumping just before India’s general elections. Modi made the August 5 decision unilaterally, disenfranchising Occupied Kashmir and violating international conventions. This is hateful and dangerous politics.
Unfortunately, Pakistan has previously presented such documented proof with little repercussions in the outside world. Pakistan also prepared and presented a dossier on Indian-sponsored terrorism to the United Nations and other key global players in 2020.
The foreign minister at the time had urged the international community to pay attention to the “undeniable evidence” of Indian plans to destabilise Pakistan. However, it appears that the global community is unwilling to accept India as a state sponsor of terrorism.
From General Musharraf’s dictatorship to all democratic governments since then, Pakistan has extended a hand of friendship to India, which has only responded with more hostility.
The Modi government believes that by destabilising Pakistan, it can become a regional power. However, as Khar correctly warned India, when you try to harm your region, you end up harming yourself.
Regardless of the global community’s response, or lack thereof, Pakistan’s priority must be to prevent such attacks by busting domestic terror networks of all stripes and ensuring swift prosecution based on irrefutable evidence, while also attempting to defeat India’s efforts to foment trouble on our soil.
