Pakistan, the word itself generates terror among people of all nations, but especially so among Indians. From the Partition to the Kargil War and the more recent Pulwama attack, Pakistan has been the thorn in our side for many generations. But the fact that even the Pakistanis cannot deny is that their warfare tactics and military strength are not even close to what we possess.
They cannot dare to attack any other formidable nation along with being at their mercy for economic aid. At such a severe depression of their various areas of growth, the Pakistanis cannot afford to (in their opinion) lose their prestige as a nation of significance.
They resort to the cheapest means possible to keep their fear alive in the minds of the Indians- terrorism. State-sponsored terrorism is the unwritten state policy of this state. It exports terror to create its international identity and mobilise people of this country and Afghanistan to align with its objectives to rule the world.
Except for the various wars, India had never retaliated to the frequent yet isolated skirmishes with Pakistani terrorists despite suffering losses of man and property. But, 2016 marks the epoch year when India answered their continual blows with an iron hand through a surgical strike in September 2016.
Pakistan was left red-faced and kept denying vehemently, any damage to its people or property. That has been followed with another air strike in Balakot in February 2019. India does not wish to back down now. Pakistan has to take firm measures; else the international community is set to isolate its already dwindling polity and economy.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pakistan-Rise of the Terrorist State
Since the Partition, Pakistan and India have been at daggers drawn. However, terrorism is only a creation of the recent past. Pakistan began its tryst with terrorism post the Indo-Pak war of 1971. East Pakistan was taken away, and Bangladesh came into being. Snatched –off a significant chunk of its territory, Pakistan was irked.
The way to save its face and show India that this wasn’t over, Pakistan began propaganda of claiming that Kashmir was a fundamental part of Pakistan. The cry for Kashmir and Jihad became even stronger post this. Books came to teach that Pakistan was an acronym standing for Punjab, Afghanistan(North-west Frontier), Kashmir, and Baluchistan.
Thus, Pakistan began to mobilise and radicalise men and women on both sides of the border to rally for freedom from the tyranny of India. Kashmir was theirs and thus, were heard the first cries of the infant called terrorism that would soon gain the Frankenstein-like appearance and torment the future generations.
Pakistan has an intricate nexus of the government-army and terror outfits that it is tough to distinguish who espouses peace and who wishes for the destruction of other countries. Various prime ministers have come and gone in the pseudo-democratic state. All of them hoped for different sort of ties with India and its neighbours.
However, the hand controlling all these powers is the army of Pakistan. The Army general commands Godly power over all diplomats and public servants. Extensive ties with the terror outfits have given each successive General a remote to cause destruction in whichever form that he desires. Pakistan scarcely acts as an independent state. It is a dictatorship of the army with a façade of democratic Independence.
Present scenario
Imran Khan’s election to the office of Prime minister in 2018 has fuelled a new hope among the intellectuals and diplomats of India. However, the veterans have advised caution. As mentioned above, the nexus is profound.
It is difficult to assume that all-of-a-sudden Imran Khan is at the helm of things and his words of warmth and brotherhood between India and Pakistan may be a farce to save the country from losing any more funding in the wake of the ire harboured by funding sources like America.
Despite the rise of this moderate cricketer-turned-leader, India suffered the condemnable Pulwama attack in February 2019. Post this, it has become difficult for our country to trust if the leaders really wish to end terrorism and foster friendships or they only want to carry out debilitating attacks and act as if they know zilch about it.
Terrorism within Pakistan
Terrorism has found its stronghold over the decades in Pakistan. It is challenging to end terror in a short span until the roots are removed. Al-Qaeda, Jaish-e- Mohammad, its political branch Jamaat-ud- Dawaah and Lashkar-e-Taiba are all dangerous terror outfits that continue to function in Pakistan despite an explicit ban by the state and International communities.
The government hardly has or tries to keep a strict check on their functioning or proliferation, and very often, these organisations quickly change forms to masquerade as charity organisations or political ones.
Pakistan also has a very watertight distinction among its Jihadis. One category is the “Good Jihadis”, and the other is the “Bad Jihadis”. The former comprises those who further the Pakistani agenda at various levels and enable it to prosper. The latter is formed of those who carry out annihilation within Pakistan. The latter are condemned, and initiative is taken to rid the country of these elements.
This is a despicable move and only presents the true colours of Pakistan to the world. Even upon strict orders, Pakistan refuses to take action against its terrorists.
Intellectuals across the globe have asserted that this reluctance in obliterating terrorism from its soil is due to the dependence of the army and the entire economy on such influential terrorists. There are not many sources of funding for it through other means.
International Measures
Trump cancelled $300 million in funding to Pakistan till it takes stringent measures against terrorism. The French intergovernmental organisation Financial Action Task Force
(FATF) , a bold move, has grey listed Pakistan, which shall come as a severe jolt to its already-meagre sources of getting international funding. Pakistan is in hot soup unless it acts on the commands of the international community.
Conclusion
India has to stay wary of the façade that Pakistan has been maintaining and needs to continue its pressure on Pakistan to remove terror havens on its soil. America has only strategic interests concerning Pakistan and does not understand the gravity of the issue of terrorism. India has suffered a lot at the hands of the brutal terrorists. Innocent men and women, along with trained military men, have lost their lives that deserve justice. India has to stop its policy of remaining mum and retaliate.
Pakistan has always brandished its possession of nuclear weapons before India and uses it to stop India from engaging in outright war. This, however, is not a one-sided threat. India and Pakistan gained nuclear weapons around the same time, and thus, India is also fortified with the same potent weaponry.
It is quite clear that Pakistani civil government may be earnest in its initiative to root out terrorism; however, their position as subordinate to the army has made them puppets at the hands of the General. Pakistan has radicalised its citizens to such a great extent that they don’t see any error in the ways of the state and support its acts of terrorism. Kashmir is just a means through which Pakistan wants to terrorise people.
Such acts are disdainful, and Pakistan knows they won’t take it far. They are not ready to end terrorism. Pakistan also supports the Taliban in Afghanistan because it believes that when the Taliban shall overthrow the political regime, Pakistan, too, will benefit.
Money and power are the prime objectives of Pakistan, and like a little child who has been denied both, it seeks to coerce people by putting guns to their heads. Deliberations and negotiations have still not knocked sense into them. They see everything going on in their country and yet, refuse to take measures.
They use so much money on arms and defence that education has taken a backseat which proves to be even more detrimental for the citizens. Medical access, sports and cultural exchanges are all means through which Pakistanis seek the company of Indians and yet, they remain ungrateful. They have always acted with spite. A goodwill gesture by our government is met with a terrorist attack along the border.
Pakistan has to stop funding terrorists, but before that, it has to exterminate the very idea of terrorism from its soil. The policy of Jihad behoves no one. Violence has no place in a state that has barely developed in the 72 years. It has other issues to look into before it can take up religious warfare. Fighting for another piece of land even as it struggles to maintain peace in the territory it already controls seems laughable.
Is Pakistan serious about war against terrorism? Its foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Prime Minister Imran Khan claim so. However, the various non-instigated strikes at random and continuous propaganda against Indians and Kashmir tell a different story.
Pakistan shall not rise through these small acts and India needs to teach it a lesson. Things will not change until we change them because Pakistan is happy with its status-quo. The state machinery is in disarray, and they have no control over who decides what and acts where and this is what needs to be stopped before the terrorists coddled by them raise their ugly head and harm our brave men again.
We have suffered enough and should not have to lose brave and accomplished men to cowards who have succeeded in our land only on sheer luck or negligence on our part. This has to end somewhere.