-What Hagel said was also revealed by Wikileaks in the past
-Wikileaks’s report about US diplomatic cables blaming India for terror in Pakistan published in 2010
-India described as sponsoring terror in Pakistan via Afghanistan highlighted by The Daily Mail at many occasions
-FO, Government go in mysterious silent mode over the issue
By Iqbal Mustafa
ISLAMABAD:A past statement of the incumbent US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, in which he made it crystal clear that it was India that was organizing and financing terrorism in different parts of Pakistan and was using the soil of Afghanistan for this purpose has placed the Indian government as well as the Indian media in a deep trouble coupled with acute embarrassment across the globe. The development, nonetheless , has also very much disturbed a rather pro-India elements in the Pakistan government while certain individuals from amongst the local journalists as well as certain pro-India media organizations that always try to develop deep- rooted ties with India are also in the same state of mind which the Indian journalists are suffering from.
Facsimile of The Daily Mail report over Indian involvement in terrorism across Pakistan, published on 08 December, 2010.
The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that the whistle-blower website Wikileaks that released thousands and thousands of secret US Diplomatic cables in 2009/2010, on 7th December, 2010, released certain secret US diplomatic cables in which successive US diplomats, based at Islamabad, New Delhi and Kabul, had over the years, very clearly mentioned that the Indian government, specially its intelligence agency RAW and Military Intelligence (MI) were responsible for high profile terrorism in different parts of Pakistan, specially in Balochistan and parts of KPK province as well as in the Waziristan agencies. These cables also narrated in detail about how India was using Afghanistan’s soil for spreading terrorism in Pakistan and how the Afghan President Hamid Karzai kept his eyes shut over the issue despite having all the sufficient knowledge about these sinister designs of Indians. The cables also mentioned that unjustified Indian Consulates across Afghanistan were being used as epicenters of Indian terrorism for Pakistan.
These cables were published by The Daily Mail on 8th December 2010 and were later reproduced by all the major media organizations across the world including local media, a day later. Surprisingly, neither the Indian government, nor the US government, came out to deny the credibility of these Wikileaks but the Indian media, however, came out of nowhere to confront these cables and even went on to term these as fake leaks. More interestingly, a day after the Indian media’s outburst on these cable, their comrades in Pakistan, belonging to one particular media group that is to date desperate to get an access in India, also came out to confront the said Wikileaks and also came hard on The Daily Mail as well and this continued unless the Wikileaks itself came forward to confirm the credibility of the said cables and not only this but released many more secret cables in the same direction. Not only this but The Daily Mail published a series of investigative reports titled “ Chunky, bulky hands in Balochistan”, “ From Mumbai to Kabul, Terror Brotherhood joins hand against Pakistan” “ Secret Hands in Balochistan and “ Kao Plan unleashed in Balochistan” to elaborate the Indian involvement in terror across Pakistan, via Afghanistan.
Now, almost after 2 years of the abovementioned episode, the incumbent US Defense Secretary’s remarks, confirming the same state of affairs, that he made almost a year ago or near to the time when The Daily Mail published its report, based on Wikileaks, exposing Indian role in terrorism in Pakistan via Afghanistan, has put the Indian government, the Indian media and their comrades in Pakistan in a very deep trouble. It is very interesting to note that such a major development that has otherwise strengthened the Pakistan case across the globe, could not find a major place in Pakistan’s electronic or print media while in the similar fashion, the Indian media has also not given any prominent coverage to this development of a great profile.
The Daily Mail’s investigations further reveal that in its reaction to Chuck Hagel’s observations that confirm India being behind terror in Pakistan, the Indian embassy in Washington has issued a media statement, in which the entire focus is not elaborating India’s partnership with the US to promote peace in Afghanistan and to have a leading role in Afghanistan after the troops pullout by the US but at no stage the Indian Embassy’s media statement has categorically denied of India’s involvement in organizing and sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan. At the same time, the US State Department, The White House and also the Pentagon have not disassociated themselves from this statement of Chuck Hagel, which clearly proves that all the pillars of the US government were on the same page with Chuck Hagel.
On the other side, in a rather shocking move, the Pakistan government, The Interior Minister Rehman Malik and even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have gone into a mysterious silent mode over such a sensitive development that strengthen Pakistan’s case amongst the global community. Where Interior Minister Rehman Malik, the otherwise main custodian of anti-terror acts in the country, has failed to issue even a single line statement over the disclosures by Chuck Hagel, there the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also preferred to remain mum over the issue. Putting the nation in deep state of shock, even the ministry of Information has shown no interest in milking anything out of this top level development this Ministry is given billions of Rupees out of tax payers’ money to use such occasions to elaborate Pakistan’s case.
However, when contacted by The Daily Mail, a number of former Generals, diplomats and defense analysts, termed the issue as a major development with regard to the global war on terrorism. They said that Chuck Hagel’s observation very clearly elaborates as what is being kept in mind at Washington. Former ISI Chief General Hameed Gul said that this was a major development and Pakistan must use this opportunity to get global community on its back to get rid of India sponsored terrorism. A seasoned diplomat Rahat Masood said that it was really not understandable as to why Pakistani authorities were being too callous over the issue and that what was the mystery behind not showing any reaction to such a sensitive development.
