let Islamabad first show its sincerity by punishing 26/11 terror mastermind
It’s strange that while the Pakistani Government considers Hafiz Saeed to be an individual who foments terror, it shies away from persecuting the Jamaat- ud-Daw’ah (JuD) chief over the 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai eight years ago. Pakistan’s Interior Ministry has told a judicial review board that the Government had held Saeed captive because he was found spreading terrorism in the name of jihad. Obviously, the JuD supremo was not resorting to terror cloaked as a holy war within Pakistan; his playground is India. And yet, or pehaps because of that, authorities there have treated him with kid gloves. There is no other explanation for the free run Saeed has had since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, although mountains of evidence have been presented to Islamabad over the years. The context of the present case is interesting, though. Saeed claims that the Government of Pakistan is seeking to prevent him from raising his voice against the Kashmiris (of India). In other words, Islamabad accepts that Saeed’s recent adventures in Kashmir valley — provoking the population there to take up arms and plotting infiltration into Indian territory by Pakistan-based militants — are terror activities. But then, Saeed could not have been able to do this without the connivance of the authorities, especially the Pakistan Army. Besides, Saeed has had a free run until recently, during which time he is reported to have visited forward posts along the India-Pakistan border. What role does a ‘religious’ leader and a ‘social activist’ have in these areasIJ Islamabad’s sincerity will be reflected in the manner in which it defends Saeed’s current detention before the judicial review board. If the past is to be believed, then what we are witness to now is a sham designed to mislead the world community into believing that the elected Government of Pakistan is serious about clamping down on terrorism. It’s difficult to be convinced that not just the Government but also the Army is prepared to disown its prized ‘asset’. India will be convinced only if concrete action is taken against Saeed over the 26/11 mayhem.
Pakistan may seek to persuade the global community by its half-hearted action, especially at a time when it stands side by side with China in the ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) project, of which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a critical component. But it would be exposed if it resorts to brutal suppression of the Baloch people and of those in Gilgit-Baltistan once the project gathers steam and faces opposition among the local population there. Already, protests have begun, and both China and Pakistan will find themselves on a sticky wicket. India has done well to keep away from the OBOR summit on a matter of principle, despite the tantalising benefits dangled before it by China — which believes that New Delhi could join the project later. India cannot be part of any third-country scheme that runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Period.