by Brig Arun Bajpai (Retd)

Off late Pakistani Prime Minster Imran Khan has been chirruping that Pakistan no more requires the Jihadi Tanzeems and that Pakistan will crack down on them and will not allow its soil to be used against any country by these Jihadis, meaning India and Afghanistan. It is worth remembering that for last more than three decades Pakistan has been blamed by India for harbouring, sponsoring and using jihadi organisations like Lashkar-e-Toiba, Hizbul Mujahedeen and Jaish Mohammad against India and Afghanistan has been accusing Pakistani sponsored Jihadi organisations like Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Net work against it for last one decade. If anybody thinks that Pakistan is serious and capable of doing this then he or she is day dreaming. Pakistan own ex Ambassador to USA, Hussain Haqqani who now is director of American think Tank Hudson Institute, says Pakistan is doing nothing of the sorts against these Jihadis organisations.

Hussain Haqqani says that whatever statements Pakistani PM Imran Khan is giving, concerning its sponsored Jihadis of not allowing Pakistani soil to be used by them to launch Jihadi attacks on India and Afghanistan are all fraud and basically being given to deflect the attention of UN body of FATF who has already put Pakistan on grey list and if Pakistan does not still behave then Pakistan will be put on Black List that will put Pakistani economy, already in doldrums and failing, back by ten billion dollars yearly. This will be a major jolt to Pakistan. This fact Hussain Haqqani brought out recently in his talk given at Georg Town University on a function organised by the name ‘India Ideas Conference’. He said that despite condemnation world over on Jaish Mohammad, Jihadi organisation, sponsored and harboured by Pakistan military , of using its suicide bomber to blow up a CRPF bus in Pulwama martyring 42 CRPF solders, Pakistan has taken no action against its head Masood Azhar who is being kept in safe custody of Pakistani ISI as also the Jaish Mohammad itself . Haqqani said that Pakistan will be conducting more such frauds in future to save Jaish Mohammad and itself getting in Black List.

It needs to be understood that Pakistani Army is a political Army incapable of fighting. It controls almost 20 billion dollars of business in Pakistan (Pakistani defence expert book ‘Military Incorporation’ by Ayesha Siddiqa). Has a say in every business to include cement and even soft drinks under its Fauji Foundation. Pakistani Army’s fighting arm are its Jihadis Tanzim’s sponsored by it, numbering more than 133. By attacking Shia Muslims in Pakistan, it has annoyed even Iran which has given an ultimatum to Pakistan to either set right its Sunni Jihadis Tanzeems or face consequences from Iran. overall these Jihadi organisations in Pakistan number more than 2.50 lakhs and even if Pakistani Army wants, it can take no action against these well-armed Jihadis. Jihadi organisations like Lashkar-e-Toiba who were initially raised by Pakistan to operate against India have now developed pan Islamic ideology. They are now not confined to just Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistani Pashtun Jihadi organisation Pakistan Taliban has now turned against Pakistan itself and are wanting power in Pakistan. Pakistan launched military operation named Zarbe Ajab meaning Sword of Mohammad against it, so most of them residing in Tribal Areas ran away to Afghanistan. now after Pulwama, which has raised the possibility of war against Pakistan, resulting in Pakistan transferring its troops from Western to Eastern border, Pakistan Taliban have reportedly again come back to FATA. We must not forget that Pakistan has four pillars of Governance namely, Pakistani Army, Pakistani Jihadi organisations, Pakistani Mulla’s and Pakistani Civil Government. In this weakest link is Pakistani Civil Government which is basically a Mukhota of Pakistani Army and Imran Khan the Pakistani PM a puppet of Pakistani Army.

Apart from China, Saudi Arabia and UAE from where Pakistan has got large amount of loans to get over their balance of payment problems, Pakistan is also negotiating with IMF for a loan of 8 billion dollars. However, IMF is insisting that both China and Pakistan must give guarantees in writing that this loan from IMF, 14th if approved, Will not be used by Pakistan to pay back Chinese loans. Despite Pakistan economy in doll drums Pakistan is showing no signs that it will be able to control its jihadis. There are all the evidences that Pakistan will continue using these Jihadis as their fighting arm in its proxy war against India. India has no option then to use Pakistani Jihadi Tanzeems like Pakistan Taliban, Baluchistan liberation Army etc who are inimical to Pakistan, against Pakistan. A proxy war can only be won by proxy war when both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers. India must also coordinate with Afghanistan and Iran so that a concerted effort and pressure is brought upon Pakistan to desist from its proxy war. Pakistan will only act if heavy cost is imposed on it for its proxy war.

Brig Arun Bajpai (Retd) is a distinguished Defence and Strategic Analyst. Views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of IDN. IDN does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same