Indoctrinated terrorists portraying victimhood |
COORDINATED terrorist attacks in Baluchistan have once again drawn attention to the multidimensional security challenges confronting Pakistan.
The availability of foreign support to banned terrorist groups is now a proven fact beyond any doubt. Anti-Pakistan groups are receiving assistance from hostile foreign players in the form of sophisticated weapons, terrorist training, huge finances and the latest propaganda tools enabled through digital and social media platforms. The very nature of these coordinated attacks is strong evidence of robust combat training, the provision of battle-grade inventory and deep planning arranged by handlers to perpetuate destabilization in Baluchistan.
All institutions responsible for security and law and order in Baluchistan merit appreciation for the swift restoration of the state’s writ. However, following successful and expeditious counterterrorism operations across the province, patriotic stakeholders must now move forward with deeper deliberations to counter the negative psychological impacts intended by the handlers of banned terrorist groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Indian handlers are fabricating misleading narratives laced with ethnic venom and victimhood rhetoric to instigate Baloch youth toward violent confrontation with the state.
The Indian state actors have launched a two-pronged effort to keep Baluchistan permanently disturbed. First is the provision of resources for physical terrorist attacks by using Afghanistan as a base camp for anti-Pakistan banned groups. Second is the launch of coordinated propaganda and disinformation campaigns that exploit existing fault lines to incite simple-minded citizens against the state of Pakistan. Ironically, several pressure groups—active mostly on social media—are amplifying Indian-fed narratives and attempting to create a soft corner for hardcore terrorist groups involved in the killing of unarmed citizens and law enforcement personnel, including members of the armed forces.
A legitimate question arises: how can a hardcore terrorist be placed at par with a democratically elected representative striving to secure rights through peaceful struggle? Dubious pressure groups such as Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) have dedicated extensive energy on digital platforms to spread ethnic venom. On one hand, such maneuvers divert attention from foreign-sponsored terrorism; on the other, they cleverly portray Indian-sponsored terrorists as representatives of deprived masses from backward areas.
Ploughing narrative fields to sow the seeds of terrorism is part of a calculated agenda to undermine Pakistan’s internal stability. Ethnic pressure groups misleading youth with Indian-fabricated slogans are committing a grave disservice to society under the garb of human rights advocacy. The hollowness of victimhood rhetoric is evident in the simple fact that allegedly deprived individuals possess costly, sophisticated weaponry recovered during counterterrorism operations. It is now evident that banned groups like the BLA and their backers employ a multifaceted strategy—exploiting genuine grievances and using both physical and digital platforms—to radicalize and recruit Baloch youth. It is time to strip away the mask of deprivation from terrorists and their ideological facilitators.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Islamabad