by Sajjad Shaukat
Diplomacy which is defined as an art of negotiations to resolve an issue has many meanings, if a single word is added with it. For example, shrewd diplomacy, sham diplomacy, power diplomacy, peace diplomacy etc. might be cited as example. In this regard, a Pakistani prisoner, Sanaullah Haq who received serious injuries, and died on May 9, this year because he was badly beaten by an ex-Indian army man who was supported by the Indian concerned officials. It was open retaliation of New Delhi for an assault on Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh who died in a Pakistani jail in Lahore due to an attack by his fellow prisoner.
As the assault on Sanaullah Haq came a day after the death of Sarabjit Singh, which clearly shows that it was conducted deliberately as part of Indian killing diplomacy.
In this context, Hindustan Times revealed on May 5, 2013 that Sarabjit Singh, an Indian spy had gone to Pakistan for an operation managed by a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) official who later became the intelligence agency?s chief. It further pointed out, ?A former intelligence official disclosed, ?Sarabjit managed to accomplish the task given to him?still the agency [RAW] had executed many such missions in Pakistan in the early and mid1990s?Sarabjit had been awarded because his case was highlighted due to his sister. His family is also being compensated. But there are many cases in which the spies came back from Pakistan knocked the doors of courts to get their dues.?
On the other hand, India?s External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid stated that Sarabjit Singh?s death would cause a setback to the efforts to build relations with Pakistan and that there would be a pause in the engagement with it. In fact, by showing lethargy approach towards Sanaullah Haq, Indian government is making Sarabjit episode as another pretext to put the Pak-Indian peace process on the back-burner. In the past too, New Delhi has always used some unjustified occasions to delay the solution of various issues, especially the Kashmir dispute. Notably, on the one side, India has been emphasising to strengthen the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) with Pakistan to normalise relations, but on the other, it has been giving a greater blow to the CBMs.
While, in his lecture on terrorism, delivered at the International Centre in Panaji, Indian former special secretary of RAW Amber Sen said, ?The Indian state appeared to have over-reacted over the death of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan.?
However, Sarabjit Singh was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of Pakistan for spying and deadly bombings which killed 14 innocent people in Pakistan?s cities of Faisalabad, Multan and Lahore in 1990. But Pakistan?s President Asif Ali Zardari commuted his death sentence into life imprisonment on June 26, 2012.
It is mentionable that Pakistan?s top officials and members of the civil society strongly condemned attack on Indian prisoner, Sarabjit and expressed sorrow on his death. But, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned Sarabjit incident, calling it ?barbaric and murderous attack, but remained silence over Sanaullah. It is another display of New Delhi?s selective morality which Indian rulers employ, while dealing with Islamabad.
Last year, Pakistani government released Indian spy, Surjeet Singh who was handed over to the Indian authorities. He was given death sentence in 1991. But President Asif Ali Zardari commuted his death sentence into life imprisonment.
Surjeet openly admitted that he was in Pakistan to spy when he was arrested in 1982. In this regard, he disclosed before Indian reporters that he was sent to Pakistan by Indian secret agency RAW for espionage purposes.
Quite opposite to the admission of Surjeet, on June 29, 2012, Indian Home Secretary RK Singh told a news conference in New Delhi, saying, ?We do not accept this that Singh was Indian spy?it is completely wrong.? However, it shows Indian illogical approach as New Delhi denies facts in order to conceal the presence of other Indian spies in Pakistan.
Surjeet Singh also revealed, ?Sarabjit Singh is a terrorist and terrorists are not released.? On the other side, Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna stated on June 25, 2012 that it was now ?time for Sarabjit Singh to be freed.? Like Indian home secretary, even external affairs minister defended the Indian agent. It indicates that Indian high officials are deliberately and officially supporting RAW agents to destabilise Pakistan which is the only nuclear country in the Islamic World.
Besides, Indian spy also pointed out, ?All Indian prisoners are treated well in Pakistani jails. Sarabjit Singh is also doing well there?I was treated well by prison officials and I am thankful to them.?
Despite the fact that Sarabjit was Indian spy, but He was given a state funeral in the Indian Punjab.
It is notable that India has arrested hundreds of Pakistan?s citizens, often accusing them of being spies after they have strayed across the land or maritime border due to unconscious mistake. It also includes some tourists who went to India. Quite contrary to the well-treatment of Indian spies in Pakistani jails, RAW and other security agencies employ various techniques of torture on the so-called Pakistan?s suspected persons. Most of the Pakistani nationals have also been killed in Indian jails, while a majority of them have been killed by Indian security agencies in fake encounters.
Nonetheless, both Surjeet Singh and Sarabjit Singh were responsible for the string of blasts in various cities of Pakistan in which several innocent persons were killed. They were also behind other terror-activities in Pakistan.
On June 28, 2012, BBC reported, ?in recent years, several Indians returning from Pakistani jails have admitted to spying for Indian intelligence agency RAW? and some have criticised India?s government for abandoning them.?
It is mentionable that in April 2011, Gopal Das, one of Pakistan?s longest-serving Indian prisoners, was released after President Asif Ali Zardari intervened in his case.
Upon his release, Das also acknowledged that he was an Indian spy. Similarly, Kashmir Singh, sentenced to death in Pakistan in 1973 for spying, was released in March 2008. Afterwards, he also confessed that he was spying for RAW.
As a matter of fact, the recent statements of RAW officials and admission of the Indian spy-prisoners clearly prove that with the tactical assistance of American CIA and Israeli Mossad, RAW has set up its espionage network in Afghanistan, which is in contact with its spy-network in Pakistan.
Apart from it, India?s several secret training camps are present in Afghanistan from where highly-trained militants, equipped with sophisticated weapons are being sent to Pakistan?s various places to conduct suicide attacks, target killings, bomb blasts, assaults on civil and military installations, forced abductions and sectarian violence regularly.
Indian RAW, CIA and Mossad have also been supporting the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and another separatist group, Jundollah (God?s soldiers) including other militant groups which have been committing various subversive acts in the province of Balochistan. The main aim behind to fulfill secret strategic designs of US, India and Israel. On a number of occasions, BLA and Jundollah claimed responsibility for terror-attacks which killed a number of innocent people.
Some Indian Muslims and foreign insurgents who are particularly backed by RAW have joined the ranks and files of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Sipah-e-Sahaba, BLA and other religious sects. They have also got the membership of MQM, ANP and PPP. Besides killing the leaders and persons of the rival religious parties, and attacking the offices of the political parties so as to sabotage the elections which were held in time? these miscreants also target the Pushtuns, Urdu-speaking people and even the people, belonging to the interior Sindh in order to fuel ethnic violence so as to weaken Pakistan.
Meanwhile, some reliable sources suggest that India has planned judicial murders of almost all Pakistani prisoners who are in Indian jails. While indicating New Delhi?s designs, Pakistani Government, media and politicians must denounce Indian Government and media for celebrating death of a convicted terrorist Sarabjit Singh as their national hero.
No doubt, new revelations of RAW officials and Indian released prisoners in wake of continued acts of sabotage in Pakistan have exposed Indian killing diplomacy.
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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