Close on the heels of Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharif’s visit to India to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in, Pak Army and ISI are instigating terror groups like lashkar-e-Tayyaba (leT) and its affiliates to hold anti-Sharif and anti-India demonstrations.
The ISI is provoking the leT and its new avatar the Jamat-ud Dawa to hold anti-democracy rallies so that the Sharif regime could be put on the back foot. On its part, lashkar has started holding rallies against Pakistan’s bonhomie with India and has plans to step up infiltration bids and carry out terror attacks in Jammu & Kashmir.
Following Sharif’s visit here, radio traffic between terrorists and their handlers in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have spiraled up, according to the intelligence agencies here.The terror group is known to spew venom against India, the US and Israel and has in the recent years been fuelling trouble in Uyghur-dominated areas in China.The Pak Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) were opposed to Sharif’s visit to India. The Pakistan Government took three days to respond to the Indian invitation, a pointer to the internal pressures mounted on Sharif on the issue there. Sharif, however, set aside pressure from jehadis and the hardline security establishment when he decided to attend Modi’s swearing-in ceremony on May 26.
“Instead of appeasing India, Nawaz Sharif should represent nation’s aspiration by reviewing his decision to visit Modi’s oath-taking ceremony,” founder of Pakistan-based terror group leT Hafiz Sayeed had tweeted ahead of Sharif’s visit to India last month. The Jamaat-e-Islami had also warned Sharif against any “hasty” step.The intelligence agencies here have briefed the Centre about the developments there and advised that India should support the democratic regime in Pakistan. Any take over of the Government by the Pakistan Army would be detrimental to Indian security interests, intelligence assessments point out.
India’s invitation to the SAARC leaders, including Sharif, to attend the oath-taking ceremony was widely hailed as a diplomatic coup. Giving a personal touch to Pak PM’s visit, Modi had even gifted a sari for his mother. Sharif also reciprocated the gesture by sending a sari for Modi’s mother.