Pakistan’s worsening internal security a concern for India
Pakistan is in the news again for all the wrong reasons, with its internal security in a shambles. It is facing unprecedented terrorist violence — the chickens have come home to roost.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, languishing in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since August last year, allegedly on trumped-up charges, has compared the worsening situation in Pakistan to circumstances which prevailed during former military dictator Gen Yahya Khan’s rule. Imran lamented that the country’s institutions were being destroyed systematically. It was during Gen Yahya Khan’s tenure that Pakistan was split into two nations, as Bangladesh (former East Pakistan) came into existence.
Imran has accused PM Shehbaz Sharif of being a ‘tout’ who is taking orders from the Army. The former PM has been continually blaming the judiciary’s timidity for not giving him justice. He has also questioned the Pakistani establishment for incarcerating Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, terming the situation in that restive province as ‘scary’. Earlier this month, Imran’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), held a massive rally demanding his release. The establishment reportedly employed strong-arm tactics, including arresting some top PTI leaders.
The PTI is majorly concerned about reports that Imran may be tried by a military court. The head of the Army’s press wing has hinted that “under military law, any individual who uses military personnel, for personal or political gain, and if there is evidence, will face legal consequences”. It was a clear reference to the unrest on May 9 last year when PTI supporters had allegedly targeted military installations and state buildings. Imran has moved the Islamabad High Court to pre-empt any move against him by the establishment.
Meanwhile, Imran has himself suggested ‘conditional talks’ with the Army. However, the main conditions cited for these talks are “clean and transparent elections” and the dropping of ‘bogus’ cases against his supporters. The Army has not yet responded to his proposal.
Shehbaz, as expected, has ridiculed Imran’s offer for talks. Marriyum Aurangzeb of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has also criticised Imran, stating that “the self-proclaimed revolutionary who used to say that he won’t ask for forgiveness, has come down to pleading to the armed forces to talk to him.” Overall, Imran remains the most popular political leader in Pakistan, much to the discomfiture of his political opponents and the Army. And if any extreme measure is directed against him, Pakistan, perhaps, will be thrown into unprecedented violence and anarchy.
The situation is going from bad to worse in Pakistan’s largest province, mineral-rich Balochistan. It has had a strong separatist rebellion movement festering for decades. The Pakistani establishment has been employing harsh measures to quell this movement, and able-bodied men disappearing from villages in Balochistan has been a regular feature. In order to quell this independence upsurge, the Pakistani security forces have violated the human rights protocol, employing their infamous “kill and dump policy”. Despite Balochistan contributing the maximum to Pakistan’s coffers, it remains its most impoverished province.
Islamabad’s assistance to China in the construction and operation of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the leasing of the Gwadar Port to Beijing in Balochistan has only added fuel to the fire as the self-respecting Baloch people do not appreciate foreigners and even non-Balochis from other parts of Pakistan getting better economic opportunities than the locals. Consequently, the Baloch National Army and other insurgents are perpetrating targeted killings of labourers, drivers and other non-Balochis coming to Balochistan for work. These insurgents have even targeted Chinese engineers working on the CPEC.
On August 25-26, Baloch insurgents killed nearly 70 Pakistanis in four incidents. That some of these killings took place close to the Punjab border indicated the audaciousness of Baloch insurgents. Also, it was not a coincidence that these attacks were carried out on the 18th death anniversary of charismatic Baloch royal Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, who was murdered by the ISI in 2006. Moreover, the pro-Pashtun terror outfit, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, has reportedly joined hands with Baloch insurgents to target Pakistani state assets, including its security apparatus.
Meanwhile, apart from the complex and deteriorating internal security situation of Pakistan, its economic health is in the doldrums, to say the least. Pakistan’s debt, fiscal deficit, generation of internal wealth — all are in an alarming condition. Recently, PM Shehbaz Sharif visited Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Turkey to obtain low-interest loans to service its external debts and have a modicum of reserves within the nation to fulfil its inescapable financial obligations.
Importantly, Pakistan’s security situation and its ever-growing multifaceted relations with China have adverse implications for India. Thus, India needs to remain ever-vigilant apropos of the China-Pakistan nexus. Pakistan Army chief Gen Syed Asim Munir has an anti-India reputation. No wonder, over the past year, infiltration attempts in J&K, especially now in the hitherto peaceful region of South Kashmir, and targeting of Indian Army installations are on the rise. Since last month, events in Bangladesh leading to the ouster of its pro-India PM Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League government and the rapid transition to a highly radicalised environment in that country have made things challenging for India. The possibility that Pakistan and China will fish in troubled waters on India’s eastern flank as well cannot be discounted. India, thus, has to remain vigilant and enhance its security preparedness to counter any mischief from its adversaries.
