INDIA has recently amplified voices hostile to Pakistan, notably Ehsan Ullah Ehsan, a former TTP spokesperson, who made serious claims in The Sunday Guardian.
He alleged that Pakistan’s intelligence agencies are orchestrating attacks in Kashmir and Afghanistan to incite regional conflict.
Such assertions are reckless and unfounded.
While terrorism must always be condemned, attributing broad regional instability solely to Pakistan oversimplifies complex dynamics and risks escalating tensions.
It’s essential to examine the role of any state that enables extremism, including Pakistan, but portraying every act of violence as a calculated military strategy by Islamabad is diplomatically irresponsible.
This approach fuels unnecessary alarm, diverts attention from internal issues in other countries and risks igniting another crisis in South Asia.
Responsible analysis, not sensationalism, is required to foster peace and stability in the region.
According to the article, not only was the attack in Pahalgam carried out by a Pakistan-based terror group, but it is also seen as the first action in a planned campaign by Pakistan to disturb India and encourage conflict.
Such claims could convince people, but they stand on unchecked facts, risky reasoning and suggestions instead of definite facts.
Sadly, these groups let a painful attack on the innocent become a policy choice used to justify sending more soldiers into harms way and promote nationalism.
Terrorism in South Asia has often been associated with more than one group.
Groups have caused terror attacks in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan and often, these groups change sides and affect host governments.
The issues of murky links and various motives have affected Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, ISIS, the Haqqani Network and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
To believe that the Pakistani military is planning and contributing to Afghanistan-India attacks, influencing China and organizing assaults within Indian cities does not consider how independent their different groups are.
Those who support terrorism do so for reasons.
Each one follows certain ideas, reasons and decisions of their own.
Describing all the violence as the military’s own responsibility gives the military too big a role.
By doing so, it also allows other nations, especially India, to ignore the problems in their own society that contribute to violent incidents.
Another matter of concern is if Pakistan attempts to draw China’s attention by acting aggressively near the India-China border, only to blame India for it.
This approach often becomes part of geopolitical fiction.
Though the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) demonstrates a strong alliance, China is not limited to its interests in Pakistan, but works as a superpower and watches over regional situations around the globe.
Questioning if China so easily was influenced by Pakistan’s accusation of India is unrealistic.
It is not likely that China will be lured into conflict through something that happens in another location.
The problems Beijing would face if its borders were to become the scene of fighting are so serious that it wouldn’t start a war just for the sake of these drills.
They seem to doubt China’s ability to judge its own interests and may unnecessarily bring another nuclear country into an unsafe situation.
Those spreading rumours about plans to action Afghanistan and confront China may end up supporting the very propaganda they hope to oppose.
It is also troublesome that Pakistan would use fraudulent Afghan passports to attack India.
Despite tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan and increased India-Afghanistan connections, rousing Afghanistan’s own people as if they had no choice is not fair.
Afghanistan is made up of various different communities.
It possesses an intelligence system, numerous political parties and significant ties with major powers around the globe.
It is difficult to argue that a forged Afghan document in a person’s hand means this is an underlying Afghan state conspiracy.
For a very long time, terrorist networks have created false identities, which does not mean the government is involved.
The South Asian region, heavily armed with military forces and nuclear weapons, cannot afford narratives driven by unverified fears and speculative claims that pit the public against one another.
Such stories distract from resolving core issues and instead push the region toward further conflict.
Achieving peace and stability requires a focus on research, cross-border intelligence sharing and addressing root causes like poverty, marginalization and state repression.
While blaming Pakistan may offer short-term political satisfaction—often supported by anonymous sources and questionable accounts—it does nothing to prevent future terror attacks or wars.
In an age marked by nuclear threats, cyber warfare and misinformation, clinging to outdated notions of fixed enemies is not only unwise but dangerous.
Lasting peace in South Asia demands proof-based discourse, diplomatic patience and collective efforts to confront extremism through cooperation rather than accusation.
—The writer is regular contributor. (asadmalik2008@gmail.com)
