Khurram Khan
A news item in this paper reported killing of an educationist in Muzaffarabad on May 22. The slain teacher Arjumand Gulzar Dar was Principal of a private school. He originally hailed from IIOJ&K (Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu &Kashmir). He was attacked by a gunman on May 21 outside his school. He was taken to hospital in a critical condition where he succumbed to his injuries on Friday morning.
The killed teacher was also known as Hamzah Burhan. His suspected attacker was arrested by police in a nearby ravine. The report indicating the sensitive nature of the incident stated that investigations were handed over to the Counterterrorism Department thereby acknowledging that the incident was a terrorist attack. FIR was registered against the suspect at Saddar Police Station under Sections 324, 337 and 109 of the Azad Penal Code, Section 6 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, and Section 15(2) of the Arms Act. The FIR termed the incident as a targeted killing without assigning any motive.
Isolated killings and assassinations are reported every now and then. What distinguishes the killing of a teacher from other isolated events? The situation becomes more intriguing when one scans the Indian media that has alleged Hamzah Burhan to be the mastermind behind Pulwama attack in 2019. He has been described as the commander of Al Badr militant group. Indian media gave his other alias Doctor as well and reported that he was killed by gunmen and one of those was apprehended by locals when he was trying to flee on a motorcycle and handed over to police. According to The Hindu, Ariumand Gulzar Dar was born in 1999 in Ratnipora in Pulwama. It alleged that he went to AJ&K on valid documents where he had joined Al Badr group.
Indian media has reported a number of similar sinister murders on Pakistani soil of persons allegedly involved in militancy in Indian Occupied Kashmir. In 2024, The Guardian reported that the Indian government has embarked on a nefarious design to eliminate alleged militants inside Pakistan. Until 2024, the Indian external intelligence agency RAW had carried out twenty such operations in Pakistan. RAW, infamous for alleged assassinations of dissident Sikhs, was officially accused by Canada and USA of masterminding such operations.
The article further elaborated that India after Pulwama attack used assassinations as a policy to silence dissidents and alleged militants. India has not tried to hide this fact, which is demonstrated by feeding the information about the killing of Arjumand Gulzar Dar to Indian media. Analysts believe that publicising such state sponsored terrorism the Indian government wants to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among its dissidents.
What Pakistan needs to ponder is its inability to prevent such assassinations in its territory. Many press reports and official pronouncements by Pakistani officials have substantiated the number of such assassinations to have taken place inside Pakistan. It becomes imperative to dissect the inability of Pakistani authorities to thwart such dastardly attacks since Pakistani knows fully well involvement of Indian spy agency. Indian secret services never had such penetration and access inside Pakistan, particularly in Lahore, Islamabad/Rawalpindi AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan. Indian sponsored saboteurs and terrorist elements though remained active in Karachi since 1980s and in Balochistan, KP and Sind since 2006.
The unabated assassinations carried out by Indian RAW are an apparent failure of Pakistani authorities notwithstanding here and there busting of Indian sponsored networks. There is a need to analyse the situation. Abilities of Pakistani law enforcement and security; and intelligence agencies have never been in question. It seems that lack of coordination amongst relevant authorities could be one of the reasons for this state of affairs.
Arrogation of functions of other authorities perhaps is one of the prime reasons for not being able to counter the Indian designs. Establishing a coordination mechanism has always meant primacy of one over the others. Maintaining independence builds upon core competencies of organisations. Making them subservient retards their natural growth that results in demotivation and stagnation.
Over the years disillusionment amongst regions and provinces has been on the rise. Disgruntled elements are easy prey for hostile elements that take advantage of their frustrations and use them to do their bidding. Locals have been found involved in assassinations at the behest of the Indian agency. Frictions arising from socio-economic issues and failure of politics to resolve them contribute to alienating people. Not every issue can be brushed under the rug by denying its existence. Use of force cannot solve problems faced by people in leading a normal life. Dialogue has to replace monologue. Cliché ridden speeches are not enough to meet basic necessities.
It is time that coordination amongst stakeholders should be established without compromising freedom of any organisation in its own domain. A sincere effort is required to initiate discussion with agitated groups in an atmosphere free of intimidation and coercion and signalling accommodation and empathy.
The author is former Joint Director General, Intelligence Bureau.
