Pakistan sponsored Tehreek-i-Taliban terrorists

Pakistan's Hyderabad police claimed on Friday to have busted a group of terrorists trained in India to carry out armed struggle for the independence of Sindh

NEW DELHI: Pakistan appears to have adopted a strategy to turn heat on India by blaming it for sponsoring terror after Delhi was successful in cornering Islamabad at the successive Financial Action Task Force meets besides various bilateral fora including in Gulf.

After making Kulbhushan Jadhav a symbol of India's "interference" in Pakistan, Islamabad recently arrested "India trained terrorist" Muzafar Nagraj and his accomplices. Police in Pakistan's Hyderabad city has described the arrest as "big catch".

The Hyderabad police claimed on Friday to have busted a group of terrorists trained in India to carry out armed struggle for the independence of Sindh. Hyderabad DIG Javed Alam Odho informed the media about the arrest of five alleged terrorists in the outskirts of Hyderabad, reported leading Pakistani English daily The Express Tribune.

The suspects were identified as Muzaffar Nagraj, Murtaza Abro, Shakeel Ghangro, Rafaqat Jarwar and Aarib Soomro, according to the Tribune. While Pakistan is yet to raise the issue of these arrests with India, persons familiar with the Indo-Pak ties labelled charges as baseless and described development as a diversionary tactic.

Islamabad reportedly desperate for a formal dialogue with Delhi have sent several feelers to the Modi government over last few months only to be cold shouldered in the wake of terror attacks in J & K and repeated ceasefire violation along the Line of Control. The drama created during the visit of Kulbhushan Jadhav’s family members did not help the cause.

Besides FATF decision what has impacted Pakistan Army has been India’s success since 2015 to get support from key Gulf nations on cross border terror. The recent visit by PM Narendra Modi to both UAE and Oman bears testimony to the fact as both Abu Dhabi and Muscat issued joint statements deploring terror as an instrument of state policy.

India and UAE deplored efforts by countries to give religious and sectarian colour to political issues and pointed out the responsibility of all states to control the activities of the so-called ‘non-state actors’, and to cut all support to terrorists operating and perpetrating terrorism from their territories against other states.

Similarly, India and Oman agreed to isolate the sponsors and supporters of terrorism and agreed that the international community should take urgent action against all such entities, which support terrorism and use it as an instrument of policy. Both UAE and Oman are also emerging as key regional security and defence partners for India to the discomfort of Pakistan. Saudi Arabia too has expanded its counter-terror partnership and even accorded India honour of guest country at their recent cultural festival. And recently Jordan, a traditional ally of Pakistan, during its King's visit made it clear that it stands Delhi in its fight against terror. The King went a step further and stated that "fight against terror is not fight between religions.

In SE Asia, Indonesia, home to world’s biggest Muslim population, have also distanced itself from taking a position on Kashmir at OIC and at bilateral meetings and recently refused to agree to reference to Kashmir at a joint statement with Pakistan. Many of these traditional allies of Pakistan have also felt need to develop wide-ranging partnership with India in backdrop of India’s growing political and economic stature.

The Express Tribune quoting DIG Odho reported that Nagraj was the commander of the group that had “received training in India”. The police also claimed Nagraj was part of the Sindh Revolutionary Army was headed by a man named Asghar Shah.