This is not like those countless time our right wing media and political machinery has blamed conflict in Pakistan on RAW, or the US or “Zionist agents”. The threat is real now, and it is visible. In the case of any incidents, any attack on people or the states, there is a very real chance that the attack is not by local militant groups but is orchestrated by RAW. This uncertainty is not a good thing. It is always necessary to know who the enemy is. Frequent militancy in Pakistan has give India a smokescreen and has become a tactical advantage for Indian activity.
The government says it has incontrovertible evidence of Indian involvement in terrorist activities in various parts of the country. Proof has even been presented to the UN secretary general. At the home department in Punjab, a circular issued to the police, special branch, capital city police officer, VVIP security and chief security officer to PM Nawaz Sharif, stated that security for the country’s chief executive need to be further strengthened. The circular further stated that RAW has planned to undertake high-value assassinations in Pakistan to create a wide-scale chaos. Those at risk include the PM and Hafiz Saeed of Jamaat-ud-Dawa. These attempts will be portrayed as “retaliatory strikes” by extremist groups like LeJ or TTP to avenge the recent terrorist actions.
RAW operatives have been found in the Punjab, in Karachi and in Balochistan. We had thought that the National Action Plan and Zarb-e-Azb would end the last of our worries, but now we have subversive Indian activity to deal with. Between RAW, Daesh and assorted Islamic militant groups, we still have a long way to go before becoming truly secure.
The argument presented by the Home Department is that India cannot tolerate peace in Pakistan. While a few years go, this statement could have been taken with a pinch of salt, that we are blaming domestic problem on an external enemy, so that the government can skirt blame- today this is a very real concern. With it repeated mob lynchings, forced conversions, Line of Control violations and loud anti-Pakistan rhetoric, India today is morphing into the monster of our nightmares. It is this India that we were taught to hate in our myopic history books- but India has grown up to be as myopic and short-sighted as Pakistan if not more. It was a larger, and more diverse country unlike Pakistan that is relatively homogenous. It has failed to give birth to a peaceful pluralist system. It is this India that keeps mothers wake at nights and soldiers ready for battle. It is this India due to which we have had to create strategies, including cold start, strategic depth and minimal credible deterrence.