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By Sajjad Shaukat

Pakistan is the only nuclear country in the Islamic World. Besides, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is likely to be completed in the near future. Therefore, some Western countries, especially India and Afghanistan are continuously using their secret agencies in destabilizing Pakistan, as the development of this country annoys them.

In this connection, on February 11, this year, some media entities pointed out that Counter-Terrorism Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had issued summoned to the Pakistani Journalist and activist Gul Bukhari-a critic of the military. At present, she is living in the United Kingdom.

Afterward, a circulated document said that FIA’s Counter-Terrorism Wing had initiated 35 inquiries against the “anti-state elements which also include militant group Balochistan Liberation Army and Haqqani Network were involved in spreading provocative propaganda against national security agencies, judiciary, and the government”.

It is notable that some media outlets reported on February 9, 2020, that a former spokesperson and the leading member of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Ehsanullah Ehsan fled to Turkey after escaping from a prison in Pakistan. Ehsan was involved in the murder of thousands of Pakistanis through bloody terror attacks especially in Lahore, including the targeting of education activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.

Meanwhile, on January 27, 2020, Pakistan’s police revealed that they have arrested prominent rights activist Manzoor Pashteen-the leader of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), who is known for its harsh criticism of the country’s military in order to complete the anti-Pakistan agenda of some foreign powers.

Arrested in Bahrain through Interpol, Gilaman Pashteen who is PTM’s activist and is a close friend of Manzoor Pashteen strongly condemned Manzoor’s arrest.

In this regard, the Bahrain Mirror. Com wrote on February 7, 2020: “Bahrain is to deport a Pakistani resident Geelaman Pashteen to his country…who is an active advocate of the rights of Pashtuns facing persecution in Pakistan…According to information…Pashteen was arrested on Wednesday (February 6, 2020) by the Bahraini security authorities under the pretext of a red notice against him from the Interpol”.

It is mentioned that the PTM held a public crowd in Bannu on January 12, this year, during which prominent leaders, including Manzoor Pashteen and MNA Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar, addressed the gathering in a video circulating on SM. Ali Wazir said that “we will cut down the barbed wires and fences which Pak Army has erected on Pak-Afghan border”.

Many times such statements have also been made by Afghanistan-based TTP and its representatives to criticize Pakistan and its security forces. But, Manzoor Pashteen never condemned violence against Afghans by the US-Afghan forces and externally sponsored Islamic State group ISIS.

As India has been experiencing violent protests across the country against the Anti-Muslim law, Indian Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA)/(The National Register of Citizenship) in wake of continued lockdown in the Indian occupied Kashmir and violations of Line of Control (LoC) by shelling inside Pakistani side of Kashmir, likes of PTM have been pushed by the foreign Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) to instigate violence in Pakistan.

It is noteworthy that three people were killed and five soldiers injured in a clash between security forces and PTM protesters on May 26, 2019 in North Waziristan.

In this respect, the former DG of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major-General Asif Ghafoor had said: “A group led by Mohsin Javed and Ali Wazir, assaulted Kharqamar check post, Boyya, North Waziristan tribal district…five soldiers were injured due to the firing of the group…three individuals who attacked the check post lost their lives during the exchange of firing. MNA Ali Wazir along with eight others has been arrested while Mohsin Javed is at large…Only a few are inciting and using the people against state institutions for the vested agenda. No one will be allowed to undo the gains of decades-long national struggle and sacrifices, especially of brave Pakistani tribals…Some of the people have become agents of foreign forces. They are misguiding people by doing propaganda against the state.”

In this context, police registered an FIR against the PTM workers for shouting slogans against the army and Pakistan.

In fact, PTM was erected as a bogey by hostile agencies in the name of Pashtuns. Three leaders were created from a local breakaway faction of Awami National Party (ANP) and activists of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Mohsin Dawar, who was courted in the US by Hussain Haqqani’s (Former Ambassador of Pakistan in the US) SAATH forum and Stimson centre has become a pawn in the hands of anti-Pakistan agencies, mainly operating from Afghanistan. PTM leaders are pursuing the agenda through a web having signatures of foreign Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS).

Case of the US Army veteran Colonel Lawrence Sellin can be quoted as a new example. He has started tweeting on anti-Pakistan themes about China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan, Balochistan, Sub-nationalism (Pashtun, Sindhi, Mohajir, Baloch). He has been following the narratives mostly of Afghanistan’s intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) and Indian RAW which are in connivance with Israeli Mossad. He also writes anti-Pakistan Blogs and articles. The Baloch, PTM, sub-nationalists and Hussain Haqqani are his followers on twitter.

After reverses in Afghanistan and peace agreement between the US and Taliban, PTM leadership finds its space squeezed on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border. Therefore, RAW and NDS are trying gimmicks and tricks in this losing battle and the resurrection of PTM bogey is last-ditch effort to save face.

Under the cover of fighting terrorism, these secret agencies which are in collaboration are supporting the militants of ISIS and TTP, including their linked outfits which have been conducting terror-assaults in Afghanistan and Pakistan as part of the secret strategy of the US-led countries—a double game of America. Besides Pakistan, these terrorist groups have also been destabilising Tibetan regions of China and Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan through subversive activities.

Particularly, India and the Afghan government which wants to prolong the stay of NATO forces in Afghanistan are also playing a double-game with America. New Delhi knows that after the withdrawal of the NATO forces, the Taliban will eliminate the secret network of RAW, TTP, the NDS, and Mossad in that lawless country. Hence, these intelligence agencies are especially using the terrorists of TTP and ISIS in wakening Afghanistan and Pakistan.

It is of particular attention that this was the first time in the history of Pakistan that polling was held for elections of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly in the merged tribal districts of FATA on July 20, 2019. In August 2019, 21 MPAs who were elected from merged districts, joined KP Assembly. But, PTM had opposed these elections. Pakistan Army played a key role in restoring peace in the tribal regions. Therefore, almost all political parties nominated their candidates for the constituencies. The army made strenuous efforts to bring the people of FATA in the mainstream of the country.

The tribal regions remained troubled for over a decade ever since the US-led so-called war on terror started. Pakistan’s Armed Forces and particularly Army have successfully broken the backbone of the foreign-backed terrorists by the military operations Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad, while the country’s primary intelligence agency ISI has broken the network of these terrorist groups by capturing several militants and thwarting a number of terror attempts. Besides other provinces, peace has been restored in the KP. In this regard, thousands of terrorists were killed and a huge quantity of explosives seized during the operations of the security agencies.

Notably, to sustain the hard-earned peace, Pakistan Army is rapidly completing the fencing of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. It would stop preventing illegal cross-border movement—including those of terrorists who enter Pakistan from Afghanistan’s side and bring the drug-weapon trade to a halt. More than 800-kilometers of roads have been constructed in the tribal districts for their connectivity with other areas of the country, resulting in growing trade activities. Therefore, an orchestrated campaign through external sponsored media and activation of the PTM and other anti-Pakistan entities to incite the Pashtoon population has been accelerated.

It is mentioned that external powers that have been supporting the Baloch Sub-Nationalists are also behind the anti-Pakistan elements as part of their unfinished anti-Pakistan agenda. They leave no stone unturned in misguiding the people of the Balochistan and particularly those of the KP by creating one after another issue. In this regard, the PTM and other anti-Pakistan hostile outfits like TTP have connections with RAW and NDS which aim at accentuating the ethnic cleavages in the country, influencing the Pashtun population in pursuance of strategic objectives of the foreign powers. Especially, PTM has opposed the amalgamation of FATA/PATA with KP province, while, this amalgamation will result in multiple benefits for the people by overcoming their multi-faceted problems. Therefore, the merger of these regions was welcomed by the tribal people.

Some online sources suggested on June 6, 2014, that during the election campaign, Afghan presidential front-runner Abdullah Abdullah escaped an assassination attempt. Without any investigation, Kabul blamed Islamabad and the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group based in Pakistan for the attempt. In fact, RAW-NDS were behind that assassination attempt to create further unrest in Afghanistan, because it suits their clandestine designs both against Afghanistan and Pakistan.

As part of the double game, the next phase of RAW-NDS may be the collapse of President Ashraf Ghani’s government, as non-Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks have started joining the Taliban.

In the recent past, some online reports disclosed that Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir are currently visiting Afghanistan, were received by Afghan National Army (ANF) at the border and were transported from there to Presidential palace in ANF’s Helicopter. Such a protocol by enemies force raised a finger of suspicion about PTM and NDS nexus.

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@yahoo.com