Brig Arun Bajpai
Hours before the first meeting of Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi with American President Donald Trump at White House in Washington DC on 26 Jun, US declared head of Kashmiri terror organisation Hizbul Mujahedeen and current mastermind of the unrest in Kashmir Valley, Sayyed Salahuddin as Global Terrorist. Within 24 hours of this declaration Pakistani Foreign Office announced that he is not a Global terrorist but a Kashmiri Freedom Fighter. So what is brewing?
It has been long standing demand of India with the US that Sayyed Salahuddin, head of the Kashmiri Jehadi organisation Hizbul Mujahedeen, sponsored and sheltered by Pakistan, should be declared Global Terrorist by the US. Sayyed Salahuddin stays in Mujaffarabad in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and has been made head of the United Jehad Council by the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.
Hizbul Mujahedeen is the only Kashmiri Jehadi organisation active in Kashmir Valley. The main purpose of Pakistani Army and ISI to sponsor and support Hizbul Mujahedeen and Salahuddin is to tell the world that it is home grown organisation of Kashmir Valley which is fighting for the Azadi of Kashmir and that Pakistan has nothing to do with it. According to Pakistan it only supports this organisation morally. Truth is that it is fully sponsored and paid up by Pakistan to create trouble in J&K state in general and Kashmir Valley in Particular.
It is reported that immediately after declaration by the US as Global Terrorist; Sayyed Salahuddin has been moved out of POK by the ISI to one of their safe houses in Islamabad and has been provided with 24 hour security. Pakistan may continue ranting that Salahuddin is a freedom fighter but there are no takers in the world for it. After the London, Paris and Netherland Jehadi attacks recently, as also lone wolf jehadi attacks in America and Australia some time back, with number of Jehadis having Pakistan link the entire western world including America is now having no doubt that Pakistan is the fountain head of World Terror.
In addition locating and killing of Osama Bin Laden by the US in a raid in Abbotbad a military town in Pakistan in 2011 and almost confirmed news that the current head of Al Qaida, Al Javahiri is also hiding in Pakistan, has further reinforced isolation of Pakistan. Nobody in the world believes official statements of Pakistan.
With China investing 47 Billion Dollars in Pakistan in building Rail, road infrastructure and power plants along a 3000 km route from Karakoram Pass via POK to Gawader port in Arabian Sea under its OROB and CPEC, has probably made Pakistan feel secure that China will always bail it out. This belief has been further strengthened by the fact that China is vetoing all efforts by the UNITED NATIONS to declare Maulana Masood Azhar the master mind of Pathankot air base terror attack as world terrorist and china also blocking Indian entry in the Nuclear Supplier Group.
What Pakistan forgets is that it will never be able to pay back these Chinese investments which are not coming as grants but loans with high interest rates. In actual fact Pakistan has become a Chinese colony.
Anyway that is Pakistan's headache, however what Pakistan will soon realise that with China also having big Radical Islam problem in its oil and mineral rich Xinxiang province it can only help Pakistan in a very limited way against India. US having thrown its hat with India in declaring Sayyed Salahuddin as global terrorist now Pakistan is home to two Global Terrorist, Hafiz Mohammad Sayeed of Lashkar-e-Toiba and Sayyed Salahudeen of United Jehad Council. Surely this sobriquet is not going to wash off easily from Pakistani head.
With declaration of Sayyed Salahuddin as global terrorist by the US, this is going to hit him and Pakistan hard. Apart from the money inputs that Salahuddin gets from various sources being cut he will also not be supported monetarily by Saudi Arabia because in the current West Asia ongoing crisis Saudi Arabia dare not annoy America. Iran in any case will not help Salahuddin since apart from being Indian friend it will not help monetarily a Sunni jehadi organisation. Pakistan is already staring at bankruptcy hence will not also be of much help. Very soon in America a bill which has already been introduced in their senate, will be passed which takes out Pakistan from being equated with NATO countries. This will reduce the aid which Pakistan gets from America drastically.
However India should not rest easy now having fired the gun from American shoulders. Whole world is watching what India is going to do in troubled Kashmir Valley and against Pakistan. It is right stand that India has taken that it will not hold any talks with Pakistan till Pakistan continues to sponsor terror. However India should be rest assured that till Pakistani Army rules the roost in Pakistan, these jehadis who are basically cannon fodder are their real foot soldiers.
Pakistani Army being a political Army will never fight against India. It is OK and Good that in last 38 days Indian Army in Kashmir Valley have killed 68 Pakistani sponsored Jehadis , but then we also have suffered twenty odd casualties. These are our trained soldiers the pride of the nation and not the riff raff jehadis. We cannot continue with this asymmetrical war indefinitely. Answer lies in engaging and killing Pakistani soldiers. But then how since they do not cross the LOC?
Need of the hour is more surgical strikes. Every time Pakistan launches a major jehadi cross border attack within 48 to 72 hours somewhere along 778 km long LOC at the ground of our choosing our surgical strike must go in. This is the only language Pakistan read Pakistani Army understands. Yes all surgical strikes will not be successful at times we will fail but that should be accepted. India will have to get out of risk adverse syndrome.
A synergy must be obtained in our efforts against Pakistan sponsored jehad. Apart from isolating Pakistan which we are doing quite successfully we must withdraw from Pakistan the Most Favoured Nation status granted by us in trade and commerce as Pakistan has not extended the same to us. Similarly we must stop all train and bus communications with Pakistan. We must ask ourselves why we daily do this Tamasha at Wagha Border of BSF which goes by the name beating the Retreat. This is no beating the retreat it pure and simple drama. We must reduce our High Commissioner Staff in Pakistan and be very strict in grant of Visa.
Let us be very clear in our minds that Pakistani Army rules Pakistan and they will never allow Pakistan be our friend for their own aggrandisement. Time has come for us to be tough on Pakistan come what may.
