Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Lahore-Terror Attacks: RAW’s Guerilla Warfare




Sajjad Shaukat

On Thursday morning, at least 16 people including 12 personnel of the security forces have been martyred in foiling three separate terrorist attacks by killing 9 terrorists at FIA Building, Manawan Police Training Centre and Bedian Elite Police Training Centre in Lahore. Meanwhile on the same day, at least ten persons were killed in a car suicide attack in Kohat. According to reports, in the Thursday evening, several people were injured in a car bomb blast in Peshawar, causing the three-storey building near the Officers Colony to collapse. Many people are trapped under the debris.

Four days before, nine militants targeted the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi where in a successful operation of 18-hour, Pak army and its commandos foiled a major tragedy by rescuing 39 hostages and killing eight terrorists. In the event, 12 soldiers, a Brigadier and a Lt. Colonel had also been martyred, but militants' ringleader Aqeel alias Dr Osman was captured alive.

Besides these latest terror-incidents in Rawalpindi and Lahore which involved gun battles between the terrorists and the security forces, previous pattern of subversive acts through suicide attacks have also been intensified in the past few days. In this regard, on October 12, a suicide bomber killed 41 people in a market of Shangla district. On October 9, at least 50 persons were killed when a suicide bomber blew up his vehicle in the Khyber bazaar of Peshawar.

All these terror-attacks indicate that Indian secret agency, RAW has been waging a guerilla warfare in Pakistan through its well-trained insurgents who could conduct attacks in major cities despite Pakistan's successful military operations against the militants and the death of the renowned militant commanders.

After sponsoring bomb blasts and suicide attacks in the past, a perennial wave of the same in 2009-particularly in the last 18 months clearly proves that RAW has modified its tactics of subversion in Pakistan. Apart from direct suicide events, now militants, armed with hand grenades, machine guns and other weapons also come to help the explosive-laden vehicles so as to penetrate the security at the target points and to clear the way for the blast. Sometimes, exchange of fire takes place between the saboteurs and the security guards, and sometimes, purpose is to directly kill the security personnel of our country. A number of terror-events in Pakistan endorse that RAW's agents have been acting upon the guerilla techniques. First of all, unlike the past, in most of the terror-tragedies, huge quantity of explosives has been used. Regarding the October 9 blast of Peshawar, the Police Chief Liaqat Ali Khan pointed out that the attacker was in a car packed with a "huge amount explosives and artillery rounds."

Apart from the latest incidents in Lahore, similar tactics of exchange of fire were occurred in connection with many terrorist incidents as the militants reached their directed targets with latest weapons. In this respect, on March 3, 2009, terrorist attack which targeted the bus of Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore had killed 8 persons after a continuous gunfire by the militants. Pakistani officials confirmed that "grenades and rocket launchers had been recovered" which were of foreign origin. Afterwards, official inquiry disclosed that RAW was behind that attack. Besides Thursday's foiled assault, on March 30, more than 10 terrorists raided the Manawan Police Training Center in Lahore, leaving at least 12 dead. After eight hours gun battle, Pakistan's security forces regained the control of the police academy, capturing five terrorists alive. On May 27, more than 30 people were killed in Lahore when an explosive-laden Suzuki van exploded near Rescue 15 building of the police which was completely destroyed. It also damaged the building of the Lahore Capital City Police Office (CCPO) and that of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) which was the main target, but could not be hit due to heavy firing by the security guards on the terrorists who came along with the vehicle, firing at the security guards. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said on the same day that Indian involvement in "suicide attack in Lahore cannot be ruled out."

Similar types of terror-tactics were applied by the culprits in relation to the Pearl Continental hotel in Peshawar where more than 20 persons had been killed in the suicide blast. Eyewitnesses had pointed out that the gunmen, sitting in one car first started firing at the security persons and then exploded their first vehicle to give a safe-passage to other truck which was carrying 500 kilograms of explosives.

Another guerilla technique of the RAW-trained terrorists is that they camouflage themselves by wearing the uniform of Pakistani security forces so as to deceive the security guards and to get inside the targeted point for conducting their assigned task. Two weeks ago, U.N.'s World Food Program in Islamabad was attacked by a suicide bomber who was wearing an official uniform, evaded tight security and killed five people. Again, the militants who attacked the GHQ on October 10 were wearing army uniforms.

In fact, in the past 10 months, Pakistan's security forces have broken the backbone of the suicide bombers by arresting most of their commanders and insurgents, while thwarting a number of suicide missions through pre-arrests. But Indian RAW with technological support of Israel and the US has succeeded in training the new culprits who are regularly being sent to Pakistan with a view to destablising our country. Now, this fact is known to everyone that Pakistan is the only nuclear country in the Islamic world. Hence, US, Israel and India are in collusion to weaken it by creating lawlessness for achieving their secret strategic interests.

It is of particular attention that the militants enter Pakistan from Afghanistan where tentacles of terrorism exist. In this respect, India has set up secret training centres in Afghanistan where its military personnel in collaboration with its secret agency, RAW have been imparting training of guerilla warfare to the youngsters, having connections with South Waziristan where some other such training centres are also working. By setting aside the atrocities of the Taliban insurgents, Indians propagate that Pakistan's armed forces are killing its own people.

Notably, Pakistan's civil and military high officials have openly been revealing that Indian secret agency, RAW, Israeli Mossad and other foreign agencies are involved in supporting insurgency in the Frontier Province and separatism in Balochistan.

As regards the external elements, on June 28, NWFP Governor Awais Ghani disclosed that some world powers were trying to divide Pakistan, adding that if he were not a governor, he would have exposed them. In this context, on April 23 this year, in the in-camera sitting of the Senate, Rehman Malik displayed documentary evidence of Indian use of Afghanistan to create unrest in Pakistan. The main aim of in-camera session was also to show the engagement of CIA against Pakistan. In fact, America has been playing a double game with our country. Tough conditions of the recent Kerry-Lugar aid bill coupled with the admiration of Pakistan's successful military operations in Swat, Buner and Dir might be cited as example.

During the ongoing military operations, some of our high officials repeatedly pointed out that the late Baitullah Mehsud chief of the T.T.P, who was killed in a US drone attack on August 5, had been backed by the foreign powers. He was having a number of secrets regarding foreign intelligence agencies. Nevertheless, like Baitullah, his successor, Hakimullah Mehsud is also collective agent of RAW and CIA. While playing a double game like his paymasters, his real aim is to incite the innocent Pakhtoons in order to further destabilise Pakistan.

At present, military operation has almost started in South Waziristan, but India with the tactical help of the US has also intensified its strategy to sabotage the same through guerilla tactics applied by its Waziristan-based agents.

It is mentionable that on October 7, BBC displayed a documentary movie regarding the eighth anniversary of the US-led NATO invasion of Afghanistan. It stated, "Now this war is being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, and "it will soon spread to Pakistan."

Regarding Thursday's simultaneous terror attacks in Lahore and that of Saturday on the GHQ, ISPR Spokesman, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and other TV commentators have indicated Indian involvement behind the attack, remarking: "Hakimullah Mehsud and other terrorists are "the enemies of the state" and "are mercenaries who receive arms from Afghanistan to destabilize the country."

Nonetheless, Indian RAW has launched guerilla warfare inside Pakistan by inciting the militants through various techniques of propaganda, supported by the subversive acts of guerilla warfare.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations.



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