Pakistan’s multi-pronged anti-India attacks under the Corona cover

There has been a characteristic pattern to Pakistan’s insidious anti-India game plan since revocation of article 370. India successfully foiled Pakistan’s attempts to internationalise the issue. Determined to tarnish India’s global image, Islamabad perpetuated a fake narrative in the wake of CAA legislation and triggered a wave of anti-CAA protests, pan-India which eventually snowballed into Delhi riots. Investigation agencies later confirmed Pakistani links to the riots ¹. While the din of the riots subdued as the Corona infection began to overwhelm the world. Undeterred by the global health emergency, akin to its all-weather friend, Pakistan sensed an opportunity to ramp up multipronged attacks on India.

While the nations are pre-occupied with corona catastrophe, Pakistan intensified its operatives. The inking of the Afghan-Taliban peace deal and shoddy handling of Corona crisis by Prime Minister Khan have strengthened the grandstanding of Pakistan’s deep state. Asserting total control, Pakistani military adopted no holds barred approach towards India. Till March Kashmir Valley remained relatively insulated from Pakistan’s nefarious agenda in absence of internet connectivity. On March 5^th, India government restored broad band services and opened the flood gates of communication. Restrictions on social media were also lifted. This facilitated regrouping of the hibernating terror outfits and its over ground cadres. Ever since there has been a noticeable spurt in ceasefire violations.

Under pressure to comply with FATF (Financial Action Task Force) list to exit grey list, Pakistan evolved a master plan. To evade scrutiny of terror activities Pakistan rebranded its existing terror outfits and relaunched organisations with modern names. In August, Pakistan minted a new terror outfit “The Resistance Front or TRF” which made as a debut as twitter handle. Operating from Islamabad, TRF eulogised terrorists and tweeted abusive, provocative posts on Indian security forces. TRF claimed responsibility for a hand grenade attack in Srinagar in October, the first attack after scrapping of article 370. Initially TRF failed to catch the imagination of terror sympathisers. Its visibility and popularity soured after internet services were restored.

Relaunching terror outfits to escape FATF scrutiny

Following the arrest of six men on March 23^rd, Indian security officials chanced to know about TRF. Police later recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition from them ². The chest thumping exercise of TRF, near live updates of the Keran encounter which resulted in the death of five special forces personnel confirmed the association of TRF with pre-existing Pakistan-funded terror modules. TRF staked responsibility for the attacks. The infiltration route used by TRF cadres is regularly used by Laskhar-e-Toiba operatives. TRF is the new face of LeT. LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen are quite active in Kashmir. In the second week of April reports of a turf war between the TRF and Hizbul over defections of terrorists from one outfit to another surfaced³. But these spurious reports of Pakistani strategy to mislead Indian intelligentsia.  Days after alleged reports of differences between Pakistani based terror groups operating the Kashmir, TRF launched a new Telegram channel- “The Joint Resistance Force” reiterated a need for unity between scholars, stone pelters and terrorists and posted the images of LeT and Hizbul terrorists.  

Experts now confirm that TRF is an amalgamation of LeT, Hizbul, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Al Badr.  Borrowing from its strategy of promoting the extremism of Rohingya under the name of “resistance”, a word favoured by the Western agencies, ISI has relaunched LeT under the new avatar of TRF.  Since most of its terror organisations are now under the proscribed organisations list, to carry out the Jihad, Pakistan is now redeploying its strategic assets under the new banner. Also, Pakistan has now tasked Haqqani Network and JeM cadres to target Indian Embassy in Afghanistan ⁵. The new outfits bearing innocuous names as Resistance is also effort to delink terror outfits with religion and temper suspicion. Along with TRF, Pakistan launched The JK Pir Panjal Peace Forum masking its brutal terror agenda with intellectual aura. Deep state created new outfits to enhance synergy and interoperability between various groups operating in the valley.

Removal of terrorist names from Proscribed Persons List

In spite of the poor compliance record, with China at the helm of affairs, Pakistan escaped the horror of FATF black list. FATF expressed dissatisfaction in February after Pakistan addressed only 14 of the 27 points listed. The next evaluation is slated for June. With the threat of FATF Damocles sword looming over Pakistan, ISI began recalibrating its strategy.  Hard pressed for finances, to exit from the FATF grey list, Pakistan removed 4000 names of terrorists, including the masterminds of 2008 Mumbai attacks from the original list of 7600 in April. US-based Castellum.AI data which automates Pakistan’s Proscribed Persons List blew the lid over Imran Khan’s massive coverup exercise. When questioned, Pakistan’s Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT), National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) refused to offer any explanation ⁴.

Crackdown on dissidents

Making a mockery of the civilian administration headed by an inept Prime Minister Imran Khan, military asserted complete control over governance. With all the pillars of the state, under its belt, the deep state initiated massive clean-up operations. Pakistan’s Supreme Court acquitted four men including Ahmed Omar Syed Sheikh who beheaded, US journalist Daniel Pearl. Under the COVID cover, ISI began cracking down on dissidents. The list now includes-Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain in Sweden, Arif Wazir of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) two Baloch student dissidents⁷ and two Baloch students in Kalat⁸. Marginalisation and discriminatory treatment of the Shias in the illegally occupied Gligit-Baltistan region became acute. Raising alarm, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) slammed government’s subjugation policy of GB⁹.  Military personnel even moved Covid positive cases to GB and Muzaffarabad, capital of PoK amid strong protests from the residents ¹⁰.

Spurt in Cross Border Attacks

Proxy warfare has Pakistan’s potent weapon against India. Undeterred by the shrinking economy, with the advent of summer, Pakistan ramped up cross border terror which is replete of cease fire violations and massive infiltrations. Notwithstanding the corona mayhem, Pakistan intensified attacks since April. On April 4^th in a deadliest hand to hand combat of stopping the infiltration of hardened terrorists, five personnel of special forces lost their lives. Five terrorists were eliminated in process ⁶. This incident was followed by series of attacks on security personnel and their abduction, who were released later. In all, Indian forces killed 28 terrorists in April.

Last week Pakistan’s Supreme Court approved an amendment to the Gilgit-Baltistan government order of 2018 to conduct elections. India issued a strong demarche questioning the locus standi of Pakistani judiciary over the illegally occupied territories. Culminating this development, Pakistani terror outfits escalated attacks. In a counter-terrorist operation that lasted 12 hours and resulted in the killing of two terrorists, India lost five security personnel at Handwara in Kupwara district ¹⁴. Loss of two highly decorated officers incensed the forces. Barely 24 hours of the attacks, 3 CRPF jawans were killed and seven critically injured in an ambush by terrorists at Qaziabad, Handwara belt ¹⁵.

India inflicted a fatal blow to Pakistan’s terror operations by eliminated the longest surviving Hizbul Mujahidin commander Riyaz Naikoo. His killing marked the complete annihilation of much aggrandised cadres of Hizbul. 

Since April there has been a sharp spike in terror attacks and significantly despite the Corona lockdown, funeral processions made a comeback. While there have been no reports of active recruiting, nearly 150 Pakistan trained terrorists have reportedly reached launch pads in PoK to infiltrate India. Deep state plans to use drones to carry out blasts using IED.

Peddling Islamophobia narrative

Aside the proxy war, Pakistan opened another front. Capitalising on the brewing public anger after the single source (Tablighi’s defiance of lockdown restrictions contributed for more than 30% Corona cases), Pakistan co-opted the disgruntled Indian Muslims. Recruiting select journalists and Indian Islamists Pakistan launched a global propaganda narrative. Felt let down by Arab World after the OIC dismissed the revocation of Art 370 as bilateral issue Pakistan created a rift between the Arab World and India and besmirch the reputation of a rising India.

Fuelling anti-India sentiment, trolls from Pakistan inundated the social media with provocative hashtags #IndiaisagainstMuslims, #Islamophobia_in_India. Impersonating as Arab royalty, Pakistani bots selectively scaled up Islamophobia tweets to drive a wedge between India and the Gulf. With the twitter propaganda reaching a crescendo, Ministry of External Affairs issued clarifications to allay misconceptions. Pakistan’s free run and twitter bluff was busted after Omani Royal issued a clarification about the fake twitter posts carried out in her name. Soon, Afghan intelligence agencies alerted India of Pakistan’s tactics and the façade of Pakistan’s twitter propaganda crumbled ¹¹. These sinister twitter handles targeted Indians working in the Arab and caused termination of jobs of India who questioned the repugnant attacks on Covid warriors by Tablighi. Lending credence to Pakistan’s venomous propaganda, Yemen’s Al-Qaeda in Arab Peninsula (AQAP) called on Indian Muslims to unite and wage jihad against India ¹³.

Post-Balakot strikes, Pakistan hackers defaced several Indian government websites. Having tasted some success Pakistan is now planning to unleash a cyberwarfare. Pakistan-based groups are now reportedly purchasing hundreds of domains with .in suffix to spread fake news¹². Notwithstanding a sinking economy, ISI is splurging money to buy Indian domains to create unrest in India.

Kashmir has been Pakistan’s jugular. With the revocation of Article 370, India indisputably asserted its sovereign rights over the entire region. Having diplomatically failed to pressurise India, the centrality of Kashmir in Pakistan’s foreign policy has been jeopardised. Civilian government, Pakistani military and terror groups are making every effort to stoke tensions in the region and internationalise the issue. Kashmir is vital to Pakistan’s iron brotherhood and inextricably linked to the strategic interests of both countries. Geopolitical implications of the region have increased manifold with China eyeing to gain access to the Western Indian Ocean region through Kashmir. Kashmir is integral to China’s ambitious pursuits of expanding its maritime presence in the Indian Ocean Region and CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor). An unresolved Kashmir issue is in the best of interests of both countries. Hence both of them are invariably keeping the Kashmir pot boiling.

Besides, Corona pandemic rode roughshod over Chinese economy and credibility. Beijing is facing severe backlash from countries. Major companies are planning to exit China. India would stand to gain from this exodus. India’s propitious economic tidings is not in China’s best interests. Beijing always abetted anti-India propaganda and has been complicit of Pakistan’s crimes. The growing Sino-Pakistan nexus and their joint insidious strategy for Kashmir has become more obvious and starker with the recovery of Chinese arms from the terrorists in Kashmir. China and Pakistan guided by larger geopolitical ambitions and Gazwa-e-Hind respectively are united by an anti-India agenda. Defining features of foreign policy of both countries is same-subterfuge, disinformation campaign, cyberattacks and asymmetric, low cost warfare. While Pakistan is an enemy, China is the real adversary. Coincidentally, these two countries are also ambitiously pursuing long-term strategic ambitions amid Corona pandemic. Aside the gargantuan task of tackling the pandemic, India must up its guard to frustrate the nefarious agenda of its belligerent neighbours.

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