By Afshain Afzal

The 18^th of September 2024, passed as a normal busy day in Pakistan despite the fact the first phase of Lok Sabha elections was held in Jammu and Kashmir which authenticated that Jammu and Kashmir is no more part of Pakistan and dispute between India and Pakistan is no more a pending issue. To a sheer disappointment, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs neither challenged nor condemned New Delhi’s evil attempt of legalizing Indian occupation by holding Lok Sabha election in Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier, to much disappointment Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson issued a weak statement during a press briefing on 12 September 2024, in which Islamabad condemned the decision by the Indian Court upholding several political parties. In other words, Islamabad encouraged Lok Sabha elections in Indian-held Jammu and Kashmir and desired that all Kashmiri political parties should be allowed to participate. 

On the day of Lok Sabha elections, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Munir Akram instead of highlighting Indian terrorism in Pakistan, Indian held Jammu and Kashmir or Afghanistan and illegitimate elections, introduced a new terminology of “Fitna al-Khawarij” (the murderers of 4^th Caliph Ali bin Abu Talib) at the forum of UNSC before 34th report of the UN monitoring team at Qatar and raised alarms bells against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) backed by ruling Government of Taliban in Afghanistan and their growing alliance with Al-Qaeda that could soon elevate it to a central role in regional and global terrorist activities. One wonders are we not inviting foreign forces to be deployed in Afghanistan and part of Pakistan where such elements are claimed to be hiding? 

One wonders why Pakistan mostly feels shy in naming India for terrorist activities inside Pakistan and elsewhere. On the Lok Sabha elections in held Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan Ambassador said, “TTP, known as Fitna Al Khawarij in Pakistan, as the largest terrorist organization in Afghanistan that is conducting almost daily terrorist attacks against Pakistan with full support and protection of the Afghan Interim Government (AIG) and sponsorship of Pakistan’s major adversary”. It is shocking that Ambassador did not name India and instead used a phrase “Pakistan’s major adversary”? Instead of lobbying for the recognition of Afghanistan, Pakistan's Foreign Office summoned the Afghan Chargé d’Affaires and lodged a strong protest over the Peshawar Acting Consul General’s breach of diplomatic etiquette on the day the UNSC gathered to initiate a report on Afghanistan.

It is strange that despite incriminating evidence of Indian involvement in almost all the terrorist attacks in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan fails to name India or its nationals who operate under the cover of TTP or Afghans. To quote an example on 10 May 2011, French agencies provided incriminating evidence that Indian national Mohammad Niaz Abdur Rasheed resident of Madurai, India along with his members adopted the cover of Al Qaeda and engaged in terrorism in Pakistan, Afghanistan against Europeans and Americans. Can India deny Mohammad Niaz's Indian nationality or his involvement in terrorism? We cannot deny that in Pakistan Indian agents are systematically inducted in Pakistani departments and they do not let the truth come out.