It seems the recent Pulwama terror attack which resulted in the martyrdom of more than 40 CRPF soldiers was carried out by Pakistan with an intention of disrupting and influencing the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in India. This is not merely a hunch but there is a past precedent which strongly suggests that Pakistan has carried out this terror attack keeping in mind the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The Economic Times has reported that as per a leaked, top secret US cable, Pak had attempted to disrupt the 2009 Lok Sabha polls as well. As per the leaked cable, Pak had attempted to influence the elections in India through heavy infiltration of Jaish e Mohammed and Lashkar terrorists into India.
The secret US cable was leaked in August 2011 and it stated, “Narayanan (then National Security Advisor) and Menon (then foreign secretary) speculated that the upcoming (April 16-May 15) Indian national elections may be the proximate cause of the expanded cross-border efforts. A substantial terrorist event would both impact on the conduct of the elections (and possibly their outcome) and put enormous new pressure on the Indian government to respond in some major way.” The cable also stated, “Given the numbers of infiltrators, it is “inconceivable” to the Indians that this escalation is not orchestrated by elements of the Government of Pakistan….Indian expectations of a major terrorist event have increased and they are concerned that groups may have been successful in crossing into India undetected.”
An Indian paper shared with the US officials revealed a marked rise in the total infiltration. It stated that the total infiltration in 2008 stood at 57. However, in the first four months of 2009 itself, 94 terrorists had infiltrated into the valley. The paper also noted that large groups of infiltrators from “Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkare-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammad” were being pushed into the valley. It has also come to light from this report by The Economic Times that there was a concern of use of GPS, compass and maps which indicated that the terrorists were highly trained.
It is clear that Pakistan had attempted heavy infiltration into India in the run up to the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, attempting to disrupt them and make a serious impact on the conduct and possibly even the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls.
It is quite possible that Pulwama terror attack carried out by Jaish e Mohammed, a Pak based and sponsored terror outfit, was an attempt to derail the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. It is pertinent to mention here that in his speech about the dastardly terror attack, Pakistan PM Imran Khan went on to remark, “I know it’s a poll season in India. If India will attack us we will surely retaliate. It is easy to start a war but difficult to end. The issue should be solved through dialogue.” While he was referring to the fake narrative of holding a dialogue, Imran Khan did remark on the upcoming polls in India. The very fact that the Pak PM brought up the polls, which is an internal Indian matter, not concerning the terrorist state at all suggests that Pakistan is taking a keen interest in India’s Parliamentary polls. Given that Pak does not have much respect for democratic traditions, this suspicion is a matter of concern. Moreover, The Economic Times has also reported that diplomatic sources fear that Pak may be having a plan to disrupt the Parliamentary polls this year in a manner similar to the one attempted in 2009.
This apprehension becomes all the more genuine given the existence of a 2016 Pakistan Senate document which reveals its policy of supporting anti-Modi forces within India. The document titled, “Policy Guidelines In View Of The Latest Situation-developing between India and Pakistan,” reveals guidelines in Pakistan to make use of anti-Modi elements in India in order to destabilise and weaken India from within.
Pak therefore has much to gain from India’s political landscape and electoral outcomes. What is particularly disturbing is the fact that some elements within India are still indulging in political blame game. It seems they are unable to comprehend the sinister conspiracy hatched by Pakistan. The Pulwama terror attack was an attempt to create divisive sentiments and political instability in India. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, for instance, berated the Modi government on the day following the Pulwama attack. However, this is exactly what Pak wants. The terrorist country wants to divide us in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls and one hopes that India’s political spectrum does not fall prey to Pakistan’s nefarious designs.
