Pakistan, an extraordinary country which assert its innocence and denies the presence of United Nations (UN)-designated terrorists on its soil on odd days and celebrate them as martyrs and take pride in suicide bombers on even ones. The country is infamous for its state policy to “bleed India by a thousand cuts.”
It has orchestrated numerous massacres in India from the 2008 Mumbai attacks to the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack, which claimed the lives of 26 Hindu tourists. The rate at which Pakistan breeds and perpetrates terrorism especially against India is only paralleled by its refusal to acknowledge its vile deeds.
The country has been exposed for lying on multiple occasions, however, neither embarrassment nor humiliation has dissuaded the its shameless leaders and establishment from persisting in their deceit or from obstructing their jihadi agenda. They continue to engage with the world, exhibiting the same brazen audacity and falsehoods, aware that no one is convinced by them or their statements.
Bilawal Bhutto repeats the lies
Now, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) which is part of the ruling alliance, stated in an interview with Qatar-funded Al Jazeera that Islamabad is oblivious to the location of Muhammad Masood Azhar Alvi, chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). He claimed that the country would take him into custody if India furnished credible evidence indicating that he was located on Pakistani territory.
Bhutto asserted that Pakistan suspects that he might be in Afghanistan because of his role in the Afghan jihad. “It’s not possible for Pakistan to do what NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) couldn’t do in Afghanistan. There is no reason for us to want anyone of concern to be active,” he argued and cited the Taliban’s comeback to power in the country and the exit of the United Sates and its allies.
“If and when the Indian government shares information with us that he is on Pakistani soil, we would be more than happy to arrest him,” the former foreign minister insisted while alleging that New Delhi has failed to do the same as of yet.
Ironically, it is reminiscent of how Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was “prosecuted” following the submission of several dossiers by New Delhi regarding his role in the 26/11 assault. These remarks are clearly nothing more than a ploy to avoid accountability and deflect criticism, while simultaneously endorsing terrorism and fabricating a facade to mislead the world.
Azhar, one of India’s most wanted terrorists, has been implicated in several attacks, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack. He was released in return for the IC-814 passengers during the 1999 Kandahar hijacking. Ten members of his family and four of his close associates were killed during Operation Sindoor.
Pakistani leaders themselves debunk their country’s propaganda
It is not surprising that Pakistan has always maintained that their nation has not been transformed into a breeding ground for terrorists. India has consistently exposed their fabrications, however, the world first learned of this when Osama bin Laden was discovered in a compound in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The area is heavily secured and serves as the location for the prestigious Pakistani Military Academy.
However, the Islamic Republic contended that it had no knowledge of his location and played no role in offering sanctuary to the leader of al-Qaeda. Meanwhile, the United States allocated billions of dollars to Pakistan under the pretext of combating terrorism. This was also emphasized by President Donald Trump in 2018.
He even demanded an apology from Islamabad for harboring Osama and slammed it for siphoning off 33 billion dollars from the country over a span of 15 years. “They have given us nothing but lies and deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help,” he pointed out. He fumed, “We paid Pakistan billions of dollars and they never told us he was living there.”
Nevertheless, how long can a sham be perpetuated and Pakistan was also exposed when Prime Minister Imran Khan Niazi praised Osama as a martyr (shaheed) in the national assembly of the country. He voiced, “For Pakistanis across the globe, it was an embarrassing moment when the Americans came and killed Osama bin Laden at Abottabad, martyred him.”
Truth straight from the horse’s mouth
President General Pervez Musharraf disclosed that Islamists and extremists from various parts of the world flocked to the country under the banner of jihad and regarded the terrorists as heroes. He gave an interview to Dunya News in 2015 and professed, “In the 1990s, the freedom struggle began in Kashmir. At that time, Lashkar-e-Taiba and 11 or 12 other organisations were formed. We supported them and trained them as they were fighting in Kashmir at the cost of their lives. The Kashmiri freedom fighters including Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi were our heroes at that time.”
“Kashmiris who came to Pakistan received a hero reception here,” he mentioned, recognising that the country had trained and supported Kashmiris as Mujahideen to fight the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir. Musharraf further conveyed that Pakistan venerated terrorists such as Jalaluddin Haqqani, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Osama bin Laden.
He outlied, “In 1979, we had introduced religious militancy in Afghanistan to benefit Pakistan and to push the Soviets out of the country. We brought Mujahideen from all over the world, we trained them and supplied weapons to them. We trained the Taliban, sent them in. They were our heroes. Jalaluddin Haqqani, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri were our hero. Then the global environment changed. The world started viewing things differently. Our heroes were turned into villains.”
Former Minister of Information and Broadcasting of Pakistan Fawad Chaudhry boasted about the 2019 Pulwama attack and emphasised, “Humne Hindustan ko ghus ke mara hai wahaan pe. Pulwama main jo humari kamyabi hai, woh Imran Khan ki leadership mein is Qaum ki kamyabi hai (We entered India and killed. Our success in Pulwama, under the leadership of Imran Khan, is a victory of our community),” in 2020 and declared, “Uske hissedar aap aur hum sab hai (all of us are party to it).”
The terror strike was characterised as a display of tactical genius by Pakistani Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed. He threatened, “If Pakistan’s land, skies, or waters are threatened, there will be no compromise. We tried to convey this with our tactical brilliance in Pulwama, and now we’ve shown our strategic skills too,” during a media briefing amid the recent India-Pakistan conflict.
Moreover, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif, the Pakistan Army’s Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations, pointed out that jihad is ingrained in their strategy. The Pakistan Army, which operates under the motto “Iman, Taqwa, Jihad fi Sabilillah” (faith, piety, and war in the name of Allah), is notable for its longstanding adherence to Islamic ideals.
Pakistan’s affection for terrorists only increased over time
Pakistan’s love affair with terrorism once again came to light in the wake of “Operation Sindoor,” when the country’s leaders and military personnel were observed grieving the loss of terrorists from Indian attacks. According to the defence ministry, senior Pakistan Army officials attended a burial for terrorists assassinated in Bahawalpur, the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Muridke, the base of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Speaking at a press conference on “Operation Sindoor” in New Delhi, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), Air Marshal AK Bharti, Vice Admiral AN Pramod and Major General SS Sharda disclosed the identities of high-ranking Pakistani army officials who attended the funeral ceremony of the neutralised terrorists.
DGMO displayed a picture of Lieutenant General Fayyaz Hussain Shah, who was present at the assembly. He was appointed Commander of the IV Corps of the Pakistan Army in Lahore. He received the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military), the government’s second-highest civilian honour given to both civilians and military officers.
Corps of Artillery member Major General Rao Imran Sartaj, who commanded 11 Infantry Divisions (GOC 11 Inf Div) in Lahore, was spotted mourning the terrorists. The commander of the Pakistan Army’s 15th Hybrid Mechanised Brigade in Lahore, Brigadier Muhammad Furqan Shabbir, was also there. Dr Usman Anwar, who was appointed Inspector-General of Police for Punjab in 2023, was also in attendance.
He served as District Police Officer (DPO) Okara and DPO Sargodha before he was sent to Punjab as an Additional Inspector General Special Branch. Malik Sohaib Ahmed Bherth, a member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly who holds the dual roles of Minister of Law and Minister of Works and Communication, was also spotted among the crowd.
While certain Pakistani officials and leaders were occupied with attending the final rites of the slain terrorists, others were engaged in confessing their associations with them.
Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Muhammadย Asif, who often makes a mockery of himself,ย stated that the country has a history of aiding, educatingย and funding terrorist groups, calling it “dirty work” for Western objectives while talking to Sky News. He stressed, “We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades, you know, and the West, including Britain.”
Furthermore, in an interview with the same media outlet, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also confirmed the country’s long record of aiding radical groups. He expressed, “I don’t think that it’s a secret that Pakistan has a past as far as extremist groups are concerned. We’ve gone through wave after wave of extremism. We went through the Islamisation and militarisation of our society.”
Although Pakistan tries to portray itself as a victim of terrorism, it has spoken out in public its lengthy legacy of providing shelter to terrorists. The facts, however, paint a different picture.
Pakistan’s circle of falsehoods
Every notorious terrorist and wanted individual has sought refuge in Pakistan. The owner of the infamous D-company, underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, who was responsible for the 1993 Mumbai bombings, is widely known to have been residing in Karachi.
“Even a common man knows about Dawood Ibrahim’s whereabouts in Karachi. Our driver once told us that one can first find (former Pakistan Prime Minister) Benazir Bhutto’s house and if you go further down, there is Dawood Ibrahim’s house,” former Indian diplomat Ruchi Ghanashyam underscored while talking to NDTV.
Dawood is facing numerous counts of extortion and money laundering in addition to being charged with planning other terror acts. He has also been charged by the United States and India with funding terrorist organisations including Lashkar-e-Taiba and al Qaeda. She added, “But Dawood does not have just one house in Karachi, he has several. I was a bit surprised but not anymore. It’s in Pakistan’s nature to hide the truth. Everyone knows this but no one will make an official comment.”
“When Pakistan wanted to come out of the FATF (Financial Action Task Force)’s grey list, then this matter (Dawood’s whereabouts) came to light. His addresses were mentioned in the list. Whenever talks are held between India and Pakistan, Pakistan never officially acknowledges anything,” Ghanashyam informed.
India has maintained that there is evidence that Dawood has been living in the biggest metropolis and financial centre of Pakistan and the United Nations has also affirmed the same. However, the accusation has been dismissed by Pakistan, akin to how they repeatedly rejected the existence of Osama and other terrorists in the country.
However, the Pakistani authorities unintentionally brought up Dawood’s presence in Karachi in 2020. It issued sanctions on prominent members of terror groups in August of that year, including Dawood, Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed.
It stated that Dawood Ibrahim resides in “White House, Near Saudi Mosque, Clifton” in Karachi and mentioned his other properties as “Palatial bungalow in the hilly area of Noorabad in Karachi” and “House Nu 37 – 30th Street – defence, Housing Authority, Karachi,” among others. Later, Islamabad disassociated itself from the addresses, claiming that the data did not originate from the country.
Conclusion
Referring to Hafiz Saeed simply as “a Pakistani national” who is “free to roam” within the nation, alongside the glorification of jihadis as national heroes, serves as a testament to Pakistan’s sordid past, present, and, by all indications, its future as well. The country’s ties to terrorism were a primary reason for its placement on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)’s grey list from 2018 through October 2022.
Islamabad recognizes that there are no purchasers, especially not India, for its deceptions. Nevertheless, it is a habitual liar that is unable to control itself. Bhutto, known for his theatrics, peculiar accent when attempting to communicate in local language and threatening India in his shrill voice while acting as a cheap knockoff of a substandard Lollywood flick, has been utilized by the country to promote its fake narrative.
Interestingly, the last time he went viral there was because of the cold reception he received from Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Goa in 2023. He is using his borrowed accent to do what he does best.
However, the reality is that his political immaturity and lack of diplomatic acumen, combined with his failure to demonstrate any semblance of seriousness, could only make him a subject of criticism, ridicule or humor. This is the degree to which he will be taken seriously in India and, to be honest, elsewhere.
