Spirit of September

By Waqar Ahmed

The 1965 war started when the Indian forces crossed over Pakistan’s international border on September 6, 1965. It continued for 17 days before the ceasefire on September 22. India launched the attack on West Pakistan on a wide front on the ground besides launching air strikes on major Pakistani air bases. However, both the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force strongly resisted the massive Indian onslaught and forced the enemy to bite the dust.
Only after six days of the Indian attack, Patrick Seale of the ‘Observer’, London, wrote: “On the ground India has been driven to a stalemate. Seeking to disperse Pakistan’s smaller force she had dispersed her own. She has not made a single thrust in overwhelming strength on any sector of the front.”

The Jakarta Daily Mail described the battle concisely: “Pakistan forces have not only repulsed Indian attack at Wagah sector of Lahore front but have also penetrated into the Indian territory and have captured a number of Indian posts. Foreign correspondents based in India and Pakistan were more or less unanimous in their assessment, as revealed in their dispatches and reports that the Indian offensive has failed to make any appreciable dent into Pakistan’s defence.”

Even the Times of India wrote on September 16, “It is clear from the fury with which the enemy (Pakistan) is fighting on all fronts that it has not been easy for the Indian army to advance into Pakistan territory.” The newspaper quoted two senior Indian Army officers as saying: “Pakistan Army consists not of disorganised rabble but of professional soldiers.”
The same was also true for the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy which stood their ground and fought off the enemy valiantly. Brave officers and Jawans, airmen and sailors spearheaded a counter assault and prevented the enemy from gaining ground. We witnessed innumerable heroic events unfolding in front of us.

The September war showed how poorly-equipped forces could stand on their ground and tackle an enemy that was vastly superior in numbers but also highly confident of routing the Pakistani forces. As large-scale attacks were thwarted and enemy battalions and brigades decimated, the foreign invasion became fraught with uncertainty. The enemy’s defences were degraded.

The 50th anniversary of the 1965 September War reminds us that it was a watershed event in Pakistan’s history when the people of the country came together with the armed forces to repel the Indian aggression. It is an occurrence that reminds us of the innumerable sacrifices rendered by personnel of the armed forces as the nation showed a unique spirit of unity, resolve and determination to repulse the attack and safeguard the territorial integrity of the homeland. It was a harsh trial of the people of the newly-created country, who stood at one platform and fought off the numerically superior but not qualitatively well trained foreign forces.

The nation showed coherence and synthesised all available resources. The people stood by the armed forces. They enthusiastically contributed to the National Defence Fund, donated blood while prices of essential commodities and overall ratio of crimes went down. Journalists, poets, singers, artistes and others were not behind in contributing to the national.

 cause.
The war demonstrated the importance and resolution of lingering issues like Kashmir that could erupt anytime and result in a major conflagration. Unfortunately, the Kashmir issue has not been resolved as yet contributing to the rising mistrust between the two countries. 

The bitter truth about Afghanistan

By Abdul Zahoor Khan Marwat

The army chief’s recent statement in Munich that perpetual instability in Afghanistan has telling effects on the region focuses on an increasingly uncertain and complex strategic environment in South West Asia.

Speaking at the Asia Security Conference, which discussed regional peace and security, the Army Chief General Raheel Sharif was forthcoming on the past and recent developments in the region. He pointed out that the instability in the region had deeply affected the socio-economic climate in Pakistan. He added that for socio-economic development of Pakistan, it was essential to address the menace of extremism. 

As it is, the Operation Zarb-e-Azb launched by the army with the support of the government and also the National Action Plan have greatly dented and curbed extremism in all its forms and manifestations throughout Pakistan. The mother of the regional Kharjis, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, and its cohorts have been dealt a mortal blow and forced to flee to Afghanistan. The insurgents in Balochistan have been forced to retreat and those who decided not to surrender were eliminated. They were earlier given the choice to lay down their arms and come to the negotiating table. There is now peace in Karachi and trouble makers and criminals, besides extortionists and those corrupt to the core, have been mostly taken care of. The fourth group, the sectarian lobby and obscurantist fond of inciting uneducated youth against their own Muslim brothers and state security institutions, are on the run. Clearly, of the four groups the army and the government are dealing with, three are inextricably linked to Afghanistan. Who doesn’t know that the TTP is being run by the Indians and the NDS from the neighbouring country? Who remains unaware of the fact that the BLA and BLF have bases in Afghanistan? Who could deny that the top sectarian groups of Pakistan have the manpower and support from across the western border? These are undeniable facts that the army chief hinted at in his Munich address.
Not only the abhorrent and despicable activities of these groups have had a major impact on the socio-economic developments in Pakistan, the burden of some three million Afghan refugees, who have had to flee due to continuous instability and wars in their country, is another major factor that has seriously affected the fabric of the Pakistani society. 

Moreover, the army chief has reminded the world that practical steps are required to manage the Pak-Afghan border for gainful conclusion of the military operation Zarb-e-Azb. Unfortunately, the Afghan side has either not understood what was required from them at the border when the Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched or have willfully ignored Pakistan’s repeated requests to do meaningful work in this regard. It is unfortunate that now they are blaming Pakistan for what the insurgents based in their own country are responsible of. 

Essentially speaking, why blame Pakistan for the Taliban onslaught when you have been unable to raise an effective fighting force to counter them in some 13 years and then allowed the terrorists from Pakistan to assemble in your country. As far as the COAS’ statement that a peaceful Afghanistan can open regional connectivity and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) benefits can be shared needs no elaboration.
Overall, the army chief’s Munich address clearly demonstrated the nation’s commitment and strategic intent to peace and regional stability. 

Meanwhile, it will do no good to India to foment trouble in Pakistan by supporting the anti-Pakistan elements in Afghanistan, a policy which is not eminently sensible. Current regional dynamics indicate that the fire in Afghanistan and state sponsored campaign of terror attacks in Pakistan could greatly hurt the Indian interests also. 

The truth about TTP

by Abdul Zahoor Khan Marwat

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), headed by the ruthless and vicious Mullah Fazlullah aka Mullah Radio, went on a killing spree in PAF Camp Badaber recently. Among the soft targets were some 16 Namazis, who were in a mosque getting ready to offer their Fajr prayers. They were swiftly killed by thugs who in their misguided world have drifted far away from the real teachings of Islam. Who kills Muslims praying at a mosque? Of course, not a real Muslim at heart. It could only be a Kharji, a loathsome cult that has survived among the Muslims for the last 14 centuries.

The TTP is responsible for the deadly orgy of destruction the country has seen in the last eight years or so. They have blown up schools, mosques, Imambargahs, hospitals, churches, government offices, markets and what not. They have attacked sensitive installations of the Pakistan armed forces. They have killed toddlers, schoolchildren, young girls and women. They have slaughtered ordinary Pakistanis of all creeds and schools of thought, government officials, paramilitary forces and armed forces personnel. They have no guiding principles and no shame. The TTP comprises militant groups led by uneducated religious fanatics and other criminals that try to force their misguided ideologies on the people of Pakistan. The purpose is to create a sense of insecurity, intolerance and gloom through terrorist activities. They are the modern face of Khawarij, who are out to destabilisee and destroy our country. 

Only simpletons, naïve and those sharing their twisted ideology view them as some sort of sacred religious figures. Such adherents of false faith should look at the Taliban criminality and treat them in the same way. Essentially, the nation should identify the mindsets that support the TTP ideology and promote Talibanisation. People who are the sympathisers and facilitators of these terrorists, who provide warped intellectual justification and perverted motivation to such terrorists, have to be eliminated from the society. The TTP’s spiritual mentors and guiding fathers have to be identified and purged. The TTP’s aim is to create chaos and uncertainty in the country and challenge the state’s authority.
However, the people have seen through their sinister designs and abhor them. It is time to adopt strategies that go beyond narrow considerations of some religious and political segments of the society to get rid of Talibanisation. It is time to conclusively declare the TTP Khawarij of modern times. 

Correct interpretation of September war

By Abdul Zahoor Khan Marwat

The nation recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war with great fervour and enthusiasm. It was a moment to be savoured as the country, which had come into being only 18 years before the war, stood up to a much larger enemy and repulsed violent incursions both on the ground and in the air with determination and strong and unshakable commitment. Initiative and resilience by the Pakistan armed forces were the hallmarks of the day and were recognised all over the world.

Therefore, assertion by certain Pakistani historians that Pakistan was defeated in the September war came out of the blue and shocked all and sundry. Needless to say, such claims as the nation celebrated the golden jubilee of the war were not only wretched but also in an extremely bad taste. They were absolutely farce and untrue. 

One may ask these historians how they would interpret the strong resistance put up by the Pakistan Army in the face of the invading mighty force and repulsing the Indian advance. Was it not a victory that the objectives sought by the enemy were thwarted, the attack stalled and the enemy forces forced to retreat? Was saving Lahore and Sialkot not a great feat in the face of a mighty ground offensive from the east? Who had stalled the Indian tanks and armoured columns as they rumbled forward, certainly a no mean achievement?

At the same time, what would these historians say about the successes of the Pakistan Air Force, which like the army was greatly outnumbered by the cunning enemy? Did the Pakistan Air Force not win the air war imposed on the country?
Did the air force not create records in aerial combat, which are still remembered and cherished? Did the PAF not obliterate dozens of enemy aircraft in blitzkrieg strikes on Indian air bases? Also, was the attack on Dwarka by the navy had no significance? Not to mention the boundless spirit shown the Pakistani nation. Was the spontaneous enthusiasm shown by the people of the country for their armed forces not contagious and shared by millions? Was the reaction of the people defeatist in the face of the attack by Indian forces? 

The answers to these fundamental questions are known to all Pakistanis perhaps except for some historians whose myopic and false premise about Pakistan’s defeat in 1965 is genuinely sad and romance with history fairly biased. 

Afghan Ulema’s anti-Pakistan Fatwa slammed

by Mian Saifur Rehman

In the midst of misleading and confused/mixed statements given by top leaders of Afghanistan on occasions, Afghan Ulema Council has announced a Fatwa (edict) that it was legitimate to wage Jihad in Pakistan.Security establishment in Pakistan has taken exception to the edict (Fatwa) that has been issued probably in line with the already ongoing anti-Pakistan propaganda (messages and statements) of Afghan government.

Talking to The News, the security sources said this latest move i.e the Fatwa seems to be a part of anti-Pakistan campaign already being pursued at different tiers of Afghan administration. 

The sources said that Afghan officials and Kabul government functionaries need to realize that Pakistan-bashing is no solution of Afghanistan’s problems and moreover, promotion of this type of totally unjustified religious bigotry may further complicate the situation. 

Talking further about the Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgency situation, the sources opined that militancy in Afghanistan was already motivated by a specific, narrow interpretation of religion and Jihadi ideology. They added, “Daesh is also counting on Jihadi mindset to make inroads in Afghanistan. Religious extremism and faulty Jihadi ideologies are actually responsible for current turmoil in Afghanistan. If Afghan government adopts such policies to promote these narratives, the gains of 15 years’ long military campaign will be reversed. 

The reason demands that Afghan government should not sponsor such jihadi Fatwas.” 

The News was further informed that Afghan clerics’ Fatwa for waging Jihad in Pakistan was quickly endorsed by a splinter group of Pakistani Taliban “which also reveals an evil nexus between sponsors of this edict and Pakistani terrorists. Unfortunately, a segment of NDS (Afghan Intelligence) is promoting terrorism in Pakistan with the help of RAW. 

Several attacks have been conducted from Afghan soil in Pakistan and many militants are hiding in Afghanistan after the onset of operation Zarb-e-Azb. Afghan government will have to revoke its ties with TTP militants if it is serious about improving relations with Pakistan.” 

While concluding their talk with The News, the security establishment circles said, “The endorsement of this edict by Ehsanullah Ehsan has also exposed them. Earlier, they joined Daesh by ditching al-Qaeda and Afghan Taliban. 
By siding with clerics sponsored by Afghan government, TTP has shown its ideological hollowness once again. The renowned religious scholars of Pakistan should speak against the Fatwa and TTP, which is exploiting the religious sentiments of general public.” 

RAW-trained NDS involved in terrorism

By Waqar Ahmed

There is no denying that Pakistan has been deeply affected by terrorist activities of all shades and hues. Thousands of people have been killed and many more injured in such terrorist incidents, which have been the hallmark of mainly Indian intelligence and some other groups supported by unfriendly foreign countries. However, due to action by the Pakistan Army in the shape of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, terrorism on the whole has been greatly reduced in the country. This has been very much admired by all sections of the society, who are happy not only on successful operations in the Fata areas but also in Karachi, where target killings, explosions, gang warfare and extortion have been largely curbed.

Nevertheless, occasionally there have been terrorist incidents in the country though of much lesser frequency and intensity. In many cases, however, the terrorist attempts were foiled much before they could be put into operation. Recently, in Tarnol, near Islamabad, Rangers, intelligence operatives and police confiscated large quantity of explosives, detonators, cables and weapons. During the successful operation, security agencies arrested 69 people, including five hardcore terrorists. 

What was shocking was that the arrested terrorists during interrogation revealed that they had direct links with the Afghan intelligence agency NDS i.e. the National Directorate of Security. While not much is known about the NDS, it is a recognised fact that it is manned by many operatives who were trained or were once part of former Afghan intelligence KHAD. According to sources, many senior Afghan intelligence operatives have been trained by RAW or have close links with the Indian intelligence, which is beyond any shadow of doubt involved in most terrorist activities in Pakistan. The NDS reports directly to the Afghan president. The Tarnol incident has established that the Afghan intelligence has been openly supporting sabotage and terrorism in the country. There were other cases before in the country in which the NDS, which may have around 30,000 staffers, was found to be involved. 

Earlier, it was reported that Pakistani diplomats and staffers of the country's embassy in Kabul were forced to restrict their movements following a kidnapping bid of an official and growing incidents of random harassment. The pressure on Pakistani diplomats and embassy personnel has been apparently mounted by the NDS personnel. According to a media report, "Some individuals, presumably part of Afghanistan's security apparatus, routinely hurled abuses at Pakistani embassy officials while passing near their home or the embassy compound. The situation has forced some embassy staffers who live outside the embassy compound to remain inside their homes." 

It is believed that the harassment of Pakistani officials in Afghanistan started after President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah and the NDS blamed Pakistan for the deadly terrorist attacks in Kabul and the rest of the country. Pakistan has strongly condemned the attacks. On August 23, Afghan Ambassador Janan Mosazai was told by the Foreign Office in Islamabad to ensure the safety and security of Pakistan embassy officials and nationals in Afghanistan. 

According to figures made available by international agencies, in six months of the current year, there have been 4,921 civilian casualties in Afghanistan. These include 1,592 civilian deaths and 3,329 injured, a rise of 1 per cent compared with January-June 2014. The casualties among women are up by 23 percent and casualties among children up by 13 percent. It is a sad development that highlights the inefficiency of NDS in tackling terrorism in its own country. In the context of current events, the instantly recognizable footprints of NDS found in terror activities in Pakistan are unmistakably a sadder development. 

Takes two to tango

By K. Iqbal

Pakistan-India relationship has entered an interesting phase. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that his four-point peace roadmap is the only way forward: “There is no other solution, we have given a proposal for peace in the region”, and the proxy war against Pakistan from across the [Indian] border should come to an end. Responding to a question regarding India rebuffing his peace roadmap with a ‘one-point’ peace proposal of its own, the premier said, “India will have to follow the peace plan sooner or later and the sooner they do the better it will be.” Pakistan has initiated a long overdue process to increase international awareness regarding prevailing Indian negativities toward Pakistan.

Addressing the Royal United Services Institute, a London based think-tank on defence and security; General Raheel Sharif has said the dispute between Pakistan and India resides in the Kashmir issue. He termed Kashmir as part of the unfinished agenda of the partition and said the world community must help resolve the longstanding issue if it wants genuine peace in the region.
In the meanwhile, three dossiers containing evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism and fermenting instability in Pakistan have been handed over to the UNSG. These dossiers comprising 15–20 pages each, documenting incriminating evidence involving India, have now become part of official record of the UNSC. These dossiers were supposed to be handed over to India had there been a meeting between the two sides at UNGA sidelines. Pakistan did so after losing hope of any meaningful bilateral talks with India.

Dossiers contain proofs of Indian involvement in Pakistan’s Sindh, Balochistan and KPK provinces on providing material and financial supports to anti-Pakistan terrorists. Advisor to Prime Minister on National Security has said, “Bilateral route to India has almost closed”. This marks a turning point in the already nose-dived bilateral relationship. Various efforts from Pakistan side had been turned down by India including follow up on agreements on various world forums. The latest of such effort was Indian rejection of four-point peace proposal by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his address to the annual ministerial session of the General Assembly. 

The Indian side is adamant to pre-condition bilateral dialogue with its own agenda to wriggle out of its international commitments. Even at Ufa, to which India frequently refers to gleefully, both sides had agreed to a comprehensive dialogue process on all issues including terrorism and Kashmir. Indian side, however, maintains that they want to talk on terrorism only; and wants to go to other issues only after the terrorism issue is “addressed” according to their wishes. This is a ploy to avoid any dialogue on substantial issues.

Pakistan’s dossiers are also a befitting reply to Indian response to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s speech at the UN General Assembly. India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had rejected Nawaz’s four-point peace proposal and accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism, saying talks and terror could not go hand in hand.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif proposed four peace measures, which include demilitarising of Kashmir and an unconditional withdrawal of troops from Siachen. “Our peoples need peace to prosper. Peace can be achieved through dialogue, not disengagement,” he said. Steps he suggested were the simplest to implement. One, Pakistan and India formalise and respect the 2003 understanding for a complete ceasefire on the Line of Control in Kashmir. For this purpose, he called for the expansion of the UN Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan to monitor the observance of the ceasefire. Two, Pakistan and India reaffirm that they will not resort to the use or the threat of use of force under any circumstances; which is a central element of the UN Charter. Three, steps be taken to demilitarise Kashmir. To perpetuate its occupation, India has deployed over 700,000 security forces in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, often referred to as the most militarized territory of the world. Four, agree to an unconditional mutual withdrawal from Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battleground, where more soldiers have died due to harsh climatic environment than combat.
India responded to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s four-point peace roadmap with just one point: “give up terrorism”. “We do not need four points, we need just one — give up terrorism and let us sit down and talk,” said Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj. She added that India remained open to dialogue but “talks and terror cannot go together.” “Let us hold talks at the level of NSAs on all issues connected to terrorism and an early meeting of our Directors General of Military Operations to address the situation on the border,” Swaraj added. Indian insistence to limit talks to a one-point agenda prove that it is neither interested nor serious about engaging in genuine dialogue. 

India also continues to be insensitive to the tragic human dimension of its state sponsored terrorism. It has failed to bring to justice the perpetrators of terrorism against innocent civilians in the 2007 Samjhota Express bombings. Indian behaviour seems to suggest that acts of terrorism in Pakistan and against the people of Pakistan as well as Indian Muslims are acceptable. And by doing so, India in fact seeks to mask its own support and sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan. The decision of the Indian government to not challenge the bail granted to Swami Aseemanand, the main accused in the train bombing case, raises serious doubts about New Delhi’s willingness to convict its nationals involved in terror incidents against the Muslims. This is a continuation of the sad saga of the massacre of Muslims in Gujarat, supervised and condoned by Narendra Modi, the then chief minister of Gujarat.

In the same stride, Indian attempts to deny its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir region are a parody of history. Only the occupier would oppose the implementation of UNSC resolutions that promise right of self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. If India had respect for international law and moral courage, it would end its reign of terror, withdraw its troops and let the Kashmiris freely decide their future in a UN mandated plebiscite envisioned over a dozen UNSC resolutions. 

An easing of threat sensitivities between the two countries would make it possible for Pakistan and India to address the demerits posed by ever increasing need of offensive and advanced weapon systems. Pakistan neither wants to, nor is it engaged in, an arms race in South Asia, however, it cannot remain oblivious to the evolving security dynamics and arms build-up by India.

When the Composite Dialogue was launched in 1997, both sides agreed that it would encompass two principal items: Kashmir and Peace and Security, along with six other issues, including terrorism. The primacy and urgency of addressing these two principal issues is even more compelling today. In the context of Kashmir, consultations with Kashmiris, who are an integral part of the dispute, are essential to evolving a peaceful solution. Three generations of Kashmiris have only seen broken promises and brutal Indian oppression. Over 100,000 have died in their struggle for self-determination. 

Bilateral level has all along been a weak forum for resolving disputes between India and Pakistan— courtesy perpetually escalating Indian hubris. Most of the contentious issues of yester years that now stand resolved between the two counties were made possible through third party facilitation. Process initiated by Pakistan to increase international awareness about Indian conduct with respect to Pakistan should be pursued with due perseverance. India is essentially biting more than what it could chew; this strategy is not sustainable. Sooner or later, India will feel the need and urgency of reverting back and strengthening comprehensive bilateral processes.