Pakistan, a nation long associated with deceit, hypocrisy, and a reputation for fostering terrorism, finds itself facing a situation eerily similar to the one it has often imposed on India. This stark reality comes after a recent terrorist attack on the Bannu Cantonment, resulting in the deaths of eight military personnel and injuries to many others. In response, Pakistan has called for “immediate, robust, and effective action” by the interim Afghan government against the perpetrators of this attack.
The deputy head of mission of the Embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to receive Pakistan’s strong demarche regarding the deadly attack. Islamabad reiterated its serious concerns over the presence of terrorist groups within Afghanistan that continue to threaten Pakistan’s security. The attack on the Bannu Cantonment was carried out by the Afghanistan-based Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group. The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has also executed numerous attacks within Pakistan.
The demarche emphasized that the Bannu Cantonment attack served as another stark reminder of the severe threat posed by terrorism to regional peace and security. It reiterated Pakistan’s serious concerns over the presence of terrorist groups within Afghanistan that continue to threaten its security. Pakistan has consistently raised these concerns with the interim Afghan government, urging them to prevent terrorists from using Afghan soil and to take effective action against such elements. However, Kabul has so far dismissed these concerns, denying the presence of terrorists on its soil.
This echoes the way Pakistan has consistently responded to India’s demarches and dossiers regarding terrorism originating from its territory. Just as Pakistan has denied or disputed allegations and evidence presented by India, Afghanistan has similarly dismissed Pakistan’s concerns about terrorism originating from its soil.
Perhaps now, after suffering significant military losses, Pakistan is forced to engage with Afghanistan, seeking an immediate halt to these terror incidents. However, it is highly unlikely that Pakistan will empathize with India’s situation and change its ways despite facing similar challenges. Instead, it continues to export hardened terrorists to the relatively peaceful region of Jammu, equipping them with advanced communication systems and weapons from China.
India has often issued demarches and dossiers to Pakistan primarily concerning terrorism and security issues. Following major attacks in India believed to be carried out by terrorists having links to Pakistan-based terrorist organizations, India has demarched Pakistan to take action against groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Similarly, along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, India has issued demarches to protest against ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces.
India has also handed over dossiers to Pakistan with evidence of terrorist activities, infiltration attempts, and support to terrorist organizations. Notable examples include the post-26/11 Mumbai attacks, where India presented multiple dossiers to Pakistan with detailed evidence of LeT’s involvement, including the role of Ajmal Kasab, a Pakistani national. Following the Pathankot Air Base attack in 2016, India shared evidence of JeM’s involvement, including call records. After the Pulwama attack in 2019, India handed over dossiers providing evidence of JeM’s role and the involvement of its leader Masood Azhar.
Similarly, after the Indian Air Force conducted airstrikes on a JeM training camp in Balakot, Pakistan, in 2019, India issued a demarche outlining the reasons for the strikes and evidence of terrorist activities at the targeted location. These demarches and dossiers are frequently shared with international partners to apply diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to act against terrorist organizations, forming part of India’s broader counter-terrorism strategy to isolate these groups and their supporters. However, Pakistan often disputes or rejects the evidence presented in these dossiers.
In this context, Afghanistan might be imparting a lesson that Pakistan needs to learn. The hypocrisy is evident, and the world is watching as Pakistan grapples with the consequences of its own actions, a situation that mirrors the plight of India for far too long.
