India Entraps the US in Afghanistan

Although the US President Obama has announced that he will send an extra 30,000 US troops to fight the war in Afghanistan, yet his revised strategy also includes exit strategy as he has indicated that withdrawal of forces will start in July 2011. In this context, on November 15, US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton had already revealed, “We’re not interested in staying in Afghanistan” for a long time.and set a start date for military withdrawal.
Frustrated in achieving their goals, the US-led NATO countries have seriously been considering withdrawal of their troops from Afghanistan in future owing to growing domestic pressure coupled with daily casualties of their personal and rising cost of war.
Particularly, America has been bearing huge losses, amounting seven trillion dollars in the total cost of war against terrorism, increase in defence budget and acute financial crisis inside the US homeland.
On the other side, India wants to entrap the US permanently in Afghanistan in order to achieve its secret designs against Pakistan and China—in the Indian-held Kashmir by damaging American global and regional interests.
It is basis of Indian shrewd diplomacy to engage the US-led NATO troops in Afghanistan for unlimited period. In this regard, prior to his visit to the US for getting sophisticated technology including American support for a permanent seat for New Delhi in the UN Security Council, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh already exposed his cunning diplomacy by showing his illogical approach during his interview to the Washington Post and Newsweek. He remarked that India “wants to resolve all outstanding issues with Pakistan”, while accusing the latter of “sponsoring terrorism…planning another Mumbai-type attack in India.” He called for the US pressure on Islamabad to rein in extremists. He also said that he would encourage the American leadership to stay in Afghanistan. Besides, Singh warned that Afghanistan could fall into a civil war if the US exited, while saying: “It is very important that both the US and the global community stay engaged in Afghanistan.”
During his trip, Singh who was warmly welcomed by the American president and other high officials left no stone unturned in convincing Washington raising alleged concerns regarding Pakistan and Afghanistan in connection with militancy, while emphasing  a strategic partnership and common values of democracy. Under the pretext of common goals, his insistence was that both US and India which can collectively resolve global and regional issues like hunger, security and nuclear disarmament in wake of a common menace of terrorism—a sustained commitment to continue assisting Afghanistan.
Indian PM Singh was frustrated when on November 25, 2009, President Obama in the joint press conference made it clear that Washington wanted “encouraging ways in which both India and Pakistan can feel secure and focus on the development of their own countries and their own people…our core goal is to achieve peace and security for all the peoples in the region, not just one country or the other.” Obama also praised Pakistan’s military operations in Swat and South Waziristan by explaining that Islamabad had made progress in fighting terrorists—hoping for anti-terrorism cooperation between all regional parties for the benefit of the people of Pakistan and India.
However, Manmohan Singh who repeatedly indicated that Pakistan has nothing to fear from India created a sense of fear for Americans in order to ensure presence of their troops in Afghanistan. In this context, confused in his objectives, in his meetings at Washington, DC, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Woodrow Wilson Centre, he re-iterated, if insurgency “succeeds in Afghanistan and Pakistan, it shall be catastrophic” not only for India and the US but also for whole the region. He again urged the needs of greater American pressure on Pakistan to curb terrorism.
Nevertheless, by setting aside Islamabad’s perennial offers for resumption of dialogue, the major aim of Singh’s American trip was to indoctrinate the US high officials through Indian false propaganda that Pakistan has been sponsoring terrorism in both Afghanistan and India. In fact, India wants to entrap America permanently in Afghanistan which has become a most conducive place for Indians to fulfill their covert aims.
Under the pretext of Talibinisation of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Indian secret agency, RAW with the support of Israeli Mossad has well-established its networks. Particularly, India has been running secret operations against Pakistan from its consulates in Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kandhar and other sensitive parts of the Pak-Afghan border. It has spent millions of dollars in Afghanistan to strengthen its grip. And from there, Indian RAW has been sending well-trained militants along with arms to Pakistan in order to attack the security personnel including western nationals. New Delhi which wants to get strategic depth against Pakistan has not only increased its military troops in the counry, but has also decided to set up cantonments. In this respect, puppet regeme of Hamid Karzai encouraged India in using the Border Roads Organisation in constructing the ring roads by employing Indo-Tibeten police force for security.
Regarding Indian activities in Afghanistan, on September 20, NATO commander, Gen. McChrystal in his report on the Afghan war admitted: “Indian political and economic influence is increasing in Afghanistan including significant development efforts…is likely to exacerbate regional tensions.”
Worried about withdrawal of the US-led allies from Afghanistan, India with the cladestine support of Indo-Israeli lobbies has already started a propaganda campaign in the West to implicate Islamabad. Even in an interview with the CNN, Singh remarked “Pakistan’s objectives in Afghanistan are not necessarily in harmony with the American objectives…the Pakistan government and the Army are not moving to remove the Afghan Taliban” and that “Pakistan has not done enough with regard to pursuing the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks,” while, he presumed that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal could fall into the wrong hands.
While showing realistic approach by rejecting Indian blame game against Pakistan, the US, UK and some other western countries have already refused official involvement of Islamabad in the Mumbai carnage of last year. Besides, in the recent past, a team of Indian intelligence officials left the US disappointed after a week-long stay as they were not allowed interrogating a Pakistan-born American national David Coleman Headley, arrested by the FBI on charges of plotting a major terror attack in India.
Now, American officials and media have started focusing on Hindu fundamentalism in face of recent leakage of the Justice Liberation Commission, admitting the official involvement of the BJP leadership in the destruction of the Babri Masjid (Mosque)—and over other developments like human violations in the Indian-held Kashmir including violence against the Muslim and the Christian communities.
However, if US-led NATO forces withdraw from Afghanistan, Karzai regime will fall like a palace of cards due to the growing Taliban militancy. Even New Delhi will not be in a position to maintain its network in wake of the successful guerrilla warfare of the Taliban. Therefore, India is doing its utmost to convince Washington to have a long stay in Afghanistan. Failed in this objevtive, it can even act upon dirty ticks to get the foreign forces entangled in Afghanistan.
In this context, first, with help of some so-called Indian Muslims, Indian RAW will increase attacks inside Afghanistan, targeting especially American soldiers with the sole aim to revive old blame game of the west against Islamabad for cross-border-terrorism. Second, RAW is likely to arrange another Mumbai type terror-carnage in India to get the sympathies of America and Europe, and to further distort the image of Islamabad.
Third, with the help of Indian army officers and RAW, Hindu terrorists can overcome the obstacles in the acquisition of the weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). As regards the acquisition of WMDs, some Indian army officers and RAW could already be in cooperation with the Hindu fundamentalist organizations. They could also get or produce dirty nuclear bombs. While, western apprehensions are still found that some extremist Muslim militant, based in Pakistan’s tribal areas are in pursuit of WMDs to use them in America and any European country. India has intensified its propaganda campaign regarding the insecurity of Pakistan’s atomic assets. In this context, as a last option, India could use these fatal devices in the West, especially the US homeland not only to ensure NATO troops in Afghanistan, but also to incite them to attack Pakistan. Indians could also implement this most dangerous scheme so that the major western powers could demand Islamabad to roll back its nuclear programme.
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

BlackWater working with new name: Talha

PAKISTAN is to raise the issue of Dr Aafia Siddiqi’s unlawful detention in US with the United Nations to seek her release as the fake charges against her could not be proved ever since her illegal kidnapping in Kabul by the U.S.

This has been stated by the Chairman of Standing Committee on Interior Senator Mohammad Talha Mahmood in an exclusive panel interview with Pakistan Observer here.

He said the Committee after thorough investigation has come to the conclusion that the charges against Dr Aafia Siddiqi were fake and contrary to the US claim of picking her up from the compound of Governor of Ghazni, she was actually kidnapped in Karachi along with her little daughter and two small children in 2003 and handed over to the foreign forces in Afghanistan. The US forces claimed that she was taken into their custody from Afghanistan by U.S. forces after she attempted to shoot the U.S. soldiers. Her daughter and one of the two sons are still missing and there are unconfirmed reports that one of the minor may no longer be there.

Senator Talha Mahmood said that the Standing Committee on Interior headed by him had already working on a resolution seeking the help of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon for the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqi.

He said Dr Aafia case should be referred to the International Court of Justice at The Hague so that she is able to get justice and the wrong doers punished for the heinous crime against humanity.

To a question, Senator Talha said he as part of the Pakistan delegation had met Dr Aafia in Texas on June 10 and found that she had three bullet wounds in her abdomen and other parts of the body. He questioned the US contention that she was injured after she allegedly tried to kill the heavily-armed US soldiers in Afghanistan. “How could a mother of three, little kids indulge in an encounter with heavily armed and merciless US soldiers”, he questioned.

Talha Mahmood said that while in Afghanistan, Aafia was denied any consular access which is against diplomatic norms and against fundamental rights.

Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood said the the meeting with Dr. Aafia at Carswell, Fort Worth, Texas, last year was attended by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Senator S M Zafar, Senator Ms Saadia Abbasi, Iftikhar Ullah Babar, Secretary Committee/Additional Secretary and Faqir Syed Asif Hussain, Consular, Pakistan embassy in Washington.

Asked about the presence of the dreaded US Blackwater presence in Pakistan, the Chairman of the Standing Committee said their presence is an established fact. However, it has changed its name to Xe. “Xe: is working in Pakistan for the CIA. He said the mere change of name does not make any difference and the nature of operation of the Black Water which is believed to be misusing diplomatdic immunity by openly carrying arms at the dead of night. . “Let’s forget Blackwater for a second. What this is confirming is that there are US military operations in Pakistan that aren’t about logistics or getting food to Bagram; that are actually about the exercise of physical violence, physical force inside of Pakistani territory.”

He said he had set up a committee headed by the NWFP Chief Minister to look into this very serious matter of national concern.

To a question about the issuance of thousands of licences for prohibited bore weapon, Talha Mahmood said this was a matter of grave concern as it impinges on the security of the country. These licences had been issued by corrupt officials of Interior Ministry in collusion with arms dealers and who minted millions. “A thorough enquiry into the matter is underway and strict action will be taken against the corrupt officials and arms dealers”.

To a question, he said there is concrete evidence of Indian intelligence agency , RAW’s active involvement in Balochistan and FATA in collusion with Afghanistan.

He pointed out that only recently Afghan intelligence agency, KHAD, has changed its nomenclature to RAM and it is working closely with RAW to carry out acts of terrorism in Balochistan and other parts of Pakistan had conctrete evidence about the involvement of Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies in various incidents of terrorism in the country.”

Asked about the missing persons in Balochistan, Talha Mahmood put their number at 900, but the NGOs say there are about thirteen thousand missing persons in the province and only a few of them had returned to their homes recently”.

Asked about the US decision to despatch more troops to Afghanistan, he said the better option would have been the announcement of the pulling out of foreign troops from Afghanistan and induction of the local government in the war-torn country.

To a question, he said there are 6,500 Pakistanis imprisoned in many foreign countries. The Committee, he said was endeavouring to get their release as early as possible.

Recounting the achievements of his Committee, Talha Mahmood made a particular mention of the steps taken by the concerned agencies on its advice. He said almost 49% of illegal sims had been blocked which would greatly help in the misuse of such sims for criminal activities. The rest of the unauthorised sims would also be blocked.

He said the Committee had made great contribution in checking human smuggling. The salaries of police personnel in the provinces had been raised on the recommendations of the Committee.

Talha Mahmood said on the recommendations of his committee, the judiciary has been facilitated in its working.

About the housing societies, he said strict action has been taken against spurious societies and their bank accounts had been seized. The illegal housing societies had been banned from issuing any advertisement for their so-called schemes.

In conclusion, Talha Mahood said the law and order situation will automatically improve with improvement in political and economic conditions in the country. Unfortunately, he said, Pakistan during the last years did not get dedicated and popular leadership and failure to embark on the path envisaged by its founding fathers.