Pakistan Two-Timing on Terrorism

NEW DELHI - July 26, 2015 - PRLog -- According to an item published in the latest issue of Indian Military Review the US State Department’s annual report on terrorism for 2014, has once again, called out Pakistan's two-timing on terrorism. It details the country's patronage of terror groups, but stops short of citing the government or the army’s use of terrorism as state policy, or calling for punitive action.

Giving details, the new issue of Indian Military Review, published from New Delhi significant parts of Pakistan along its border with Afghanistan (northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province) including Waziristan, southwestern Balochistan province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), continue to be a safe haven for terrorists seeking to conduct domestic, regional, and global attacks, the State Department report said.

In 2014, Pakistan launched military operations in North Waziristan Agency and Khyber Agency to eliminate terrorist safe havens, destroy terrorist infrastructure, and disrupt terrorist communication networks, it said.

“The military operations had a significant impact on TTP safe havens, but some terrorist organisations in the region continued to operate, primarily along the border with Afghanistan,” the State Department said.

The 2014 country report bluntly stated that Pakistan "did not take action against other groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, which continued to operate, train, rally, propagandize, and fundraise in Pakistan."

"Lashkar e-Taiba (LeT) and its alias organizations continued to operate freely in Pakistan, and there were no indications that Pakistan took significant enforcement actions against the group," the report said, continuing a practice of gently indicting Pakistan for terrorism without forcing compliance or punishing it.

Particularly since the start of comprehensive military operations in North Waziristan displaced militants into Afghanistan, Pakistan has sought improved coordination to address cross-border threats from TTP emanating from safe havens in Afghanistan, the report said.

Instead, the John Kerry-led state department has funneled billions of dollars in aid to what its own report in effect calls a terrorism-supporting state. Most recently, the Pentagon has given nearly $1 billion arms package to a country, which many of its analysts say directs killing of American soldiers in Afghanistan.

In fact, the report went so far as to say UN-designated terrorist organizations continued to skirt sanctions in Pakistan "by reconstituting themselves under different names, often with little effort to hide their connections to previously banned groups, and the government does not prosecute 'countering the financing of terrorism' (CFT) cases."

Although Pakistan added some named groups to its proscribed organizations list, implementation of UNSCRs 1267 and 1988 on terrorism and its financing remained weak, it added, in a series of strictures against a country that many analysts have said is a practitioner of terrorism but which claims to be a frontline state against terrorism and its foremost victim.

The US report said counter-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan during 2014 was mixed, and Pakistan continued to deny visas for trainers focused on law enforcement and civilian counter-terrorism assistance. Pakistan's cooperation with the US on information sharing and law enforcement continues, but needs improvement with respect to kidnapped US citizens, it added.

The report said India has deepened counter-terrorism cooperation with the United States, highlighted by a September 30 summit between President Obama and Prime Minister Modi where both sides pledged greater cooperation in countering terrorist networks and in information sharing.

The US and Pakistan regularly discussed counter-terrorism and border-control efforts to interdict terrorists, it said. The 2013 trilateral border standard operating procedures between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) expired at the end of 2014. Pakistan and Afghanistan continued to negotiate a replacement bilateral agreement, it added.

According to the report, the potential for WMD trafficking, proliferation, and terrorism remained a concern in Pakistan. “Pakistan is a constructive and active participant in the Nuclear Security Summit process and the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism and has worked to strengthen its strategic trade controls,” it said.

“The Export Control and Related Border Security Program increased the government of Pakistan’s enforcement capacity by training Pakistani customs officials on international border interdiction techniques,” the report said.

The report also said Indian officials have emphasized the government takes threats posed by ISIS seriously, even though only a small number of Indians are believed to have been recruited into the organization. "Given India's large Muslim population, potential socio-religious marginalization, and active ISIL (ISIS) online propaganda efforts, there remains a risk of increased ISIL recruitment of Indian nationals," the report warned.

Critiquing India's efforts to counter terrorism, it said plans were hampered by "poor interagency coordination and information sharing." In addition, local police forces, led at the state level, have limited command and control capacity and suffer from poor training and equipment.

Follow @IMR (https://twitter.com/IMRTweets) handle for comprehensive coverage on other buzzing Defence & Security stories.

Follow 'Indian Military Review' blog at http://stratkor.blogspot.in for latest, comprehensive and thought provoking Defence & Security stories.