Countering Indian Propaganda against ISI

Sajjad Shaukat

Indian spin doctors, especially those associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and other extremist Hindu groups continuously propagate against Pakistan, and aggressively use anti- ISI narrative with a view to showing Islamabad in bad light, while maligning Pakistan’s top intelligence agency, ISI. Their sick mind and elusive psyche spread intriguing thoughts and breed wickedness against country’s superior agency. Driven by their crookedness and sense of acrimony, they coin fresh jargons and initiate chimera to conduct incessant psychological operations which are detrimental to Pakistan’s interest and cause aspersions against ISI.

In July 2013, Indian media, fed by its Intelligence Bureau (IB), shamelessly insinuated against ISI for reactivating its terrorist network to attack Hindu leaders and their establishments in several cities in India. Indian government was warned to put the security mechanism on high alert as RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat was touring multiple Indian states. Ultimately, the entire storyline-plot proved fake and fabricated. Pakistan ignored the Indian malevolence, suggesting that such baseless allegations will jeopardize the peace process between the two countries. But, Indian propagandists learnt nothing and ignored Pakistani advice.

In this context, Indian newspaper Deccan Chronicle published a similar story on November 7, 2014, titled “Pakistan’s ISI may target India’s key economic centers and important installations.” In this regard, Namrata Biji Ahuja who wrote it, contended that IB and other Indian assets informed that new terror module trained by ISI have entered India to strike at key economic installations including Reserve Bank, Bombay Stock Exchange, New Delhi’s Tihar Jail, Bengaluru BSF HQ at Jalandhar, Patiala Jail in Punjab and Avantipura in J&K. IB shared information with Indian law-enforcing agencies that the group entered India via Rajasthan border and proceeded towards Pune and that they will be provided with arms and ammunition by local sleeper cells. Such media reports not only leveled serious allegations against Pakistan and ISI for training terror modules to attack Indian targets, but also inflicted serious damage to the image of Pakistan and prestige of ISI. Above all, the storyline contains biased figments of mental illusions and fake contents.

Indian patterns of propaganda pose a very gruesome picture as whenever a sabotage   activity is planned by Indian RAW, Indian media pro-actively accuses Pakistan for an impending terrorist attack which is straight away categorized “I labeled it as Pakistan ISI sponsored.” The possibility of RAW undertaking a dangerous terrorist activity inside their own country cannot be ruled out, as they have been doing the same in the past.

In this respect, it is notable that Indian rulers were emphatically accusing Pakistan’s ISI and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for the Mumbai terror attacks of November 26, 2008. But, on July 19, 2013 the Indian former home ministry and ex-investigating officer Satish Verma disclosed that terror-attacks in Mumbai in November 26, 2008 and assault on Indian Parliament in January 12, 2001 were carried out by the Indian government to strengthen anti-terrorism laws.

Similarly, exposing the nexus between Bhartia Janta Party (BJP) and RSS, Indian Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde revealed on January 20, 2013 that organized training camps run by the fundamentalist parties, RSS and BJP were promoting Hindu Terrorism. He also explained that these extremist parties were behind the Samjhauta Express, Meccca Masjid and Malegaon blasts.

But, India always accused Pakistan’s ISI of all these subversive acts, while, Indian official confession shows that these terror attacks were, in fact, arranged by RAW in connivance with Indian home-grown terrorists. This could also be judged from the incident, when on April 6, 2008 in the house of Bajrang Dal fundamentalists in Nanded, a bomb went off. The investigation proved that these militants were found in the bomb-making and attack on a mosque in Parbhani in 2003. Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra arrested a serving Lt. Col. Srikant Purohit along with other army officials, indicating that they were helping in training the Hindu terrorists, providing them with the military-grade explosive RDX, used in the Malegaon bombings and terrorist attacks in other Indian cities. ATS further disclosed that Lt. Col. Purohit confessed that in 2007, he was involved in bombing of Samjhota express, which brunt alive 70 Pakistanis.

While, Afghanistan has become a hub of anti-Pakistan activities conducted by RAW with the tactical assistance of American CIA and Israeli Mossad—from where particularly RAW is sending logistic support to Baloch separatist elements to dismember Pakistan. For this sinister move, a religious Madrassa of Wakhan, located in Afghanistan is functioning under the patronage of RAW. It is being used for brainwashing of very young boys who are Afghans and so-called Indian Muslims. Posing themselves as Pakistani Taliban, they have joined the ranks and files of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and other banned extremist outfits. In the recent years, especially TTP’s insurgents and its affiliated banned groups conducted many terror-activities like suicide attacks, ruthless beheadings of tribesmen, assaults on security personnel and prominent figures including Shias, Ahmadis, Sufis, Christians, Sikhs and the suicide attack at Wagah border checkpoint in Lahore, on November 2, 2014. Besides, terror-attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA, Balochistan and Karachi are part of the scheme to create chaotic situation in the country. Indian Consulates in Afghanistan are also playing a very negative role in supporting TTP and Baloch separatists. Besides India is also encouraging TTP factions showing allegiance for DAISH ISIS(Islamic State in Iraq and Syria), to get united.

As regards cross-border terrorism, former Indian Army Chief Gen. VK Singh openly confessed in September 2013 that special intelligence unit like Technical Services Division were raised by him to operate inside Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan and Azad Kashmir to conduct terrorism and to bribe the politicians in the Indian-occupied Kashmir.

Moreover, in July 2012, Pakistani government released Indian prisoner, Surjeet Singh as part of prisoners’ exchange between the two countries. But, he openly admitted that he was in Pakistan to spy when he was arrested in 1982. In this context, Surjeet Singh said, “I was a RAW agent.” About another Indian prisoner, he revealed, “Sarabjit Singh is a terrorist who was responsible for the string of blasts in Faisalabad, Lahore and Multan in 1990.”

Nevertheless, as military operation, Zarb-e-Azb against terrorists is proceeding well in North Waziristan Agency by obtaining its objectives, and India feels out of sort. In this connection, Indian hawks have planned to keep Pakistan, its Armed Forces and ISI under pressure. Therefore, anti-ISI articles by their writers, associated with media wing of RAW clearly indicate Indian animosity against Pakistan and this top agency.

Nonetheless, Indian recent accusations that ISI trained modules are entering India through Rajasthan and are proceeding towards Pune are ridiculous and baseless. Hence, Pakistan must take such allegations seriously and an assertive rejoinder be issued against such media reports. While, countering Indian propaganda against ISI, our media must contest that Pakistan is a peace loving country and does not tolerate such insinuations. Indian media must owe an apology for publishing such a defamatory article in its national newspaper.

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

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