Editorial: Terror threat looms large

Contrary to the calculated propaganda designed to present to the world a sanitised and reformed version of the Taliban, the signals emanating from Afghanistan suggest a grave humanitarian crisis amidst utter chaos. The developments are particularly ominous for India because a network of terror outfits running through Afghanistan and Pakistan will virtually have a field day. The Taliban takeover of the war-ravaged country has emboldened a plethora of terrorist groups targeting India. Going by the statements coming from senior Pakistani leaders, Kashmir is bound to be high on the agenda for the militant groups and their mentors in the military establishment. The Haqqani Network, which forms the core of the Taliban’s fighting force, was earlier directly involved in targeting Indian infrastructure and construction projects in Afghanistan and was responsible for the attacks against the Indian embassy in Kabul in 2008 and 2009. The Haqqani group, a UN-designated terror group, remains firmly anti-Indian and has been doing the bidding for Pakistani ISI with active support from outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). With the members of the Haqqani Network taking charge of Kabul’s security and playing a key role in the formation of the next government, there are growing concerns among the global community, especially India, that the country might take an ultra-radical direction under its new rulers. The world has been watching with utter disgust how Pakistan has been sheltering terror outfits on its soil despite assurances to the contrary. The ISI is a patron of the Haqqani Network, using it as leverage with the Taliban.

The Pakistani Army has consistently refused to launch a military operation in North Waziristan despite the presence of al-Qaeda senior leadership and the influential elements within the Pakistani security establishment continue to view the Haqqani Network as a useful ally and proxy force to represent their interests in Afghanistan. Ever since capturing the capital, the Taliban has been releasing thousands of terrorists who were imprisoned during the previous regime. This is an alarming development because the Pakistan-based terror groups that focus on creating instability in Kashmir have active operations in Afghanistan and are looking to attack Indian interests. With the backing of the Taliban, the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen terrorists were able to secure the release of three terrorists imprisoned by the Indian government in exchange for the release of hostages of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC 814 in 1999. A report published by the French think-tank Centre for Analysis of Terrorism last week suggested that there was likely to be a more operational coordination between Pakistan-supported groups like the LeT and JeM and the Taliban. A Pakistan-China grip, with the help of the Taliban, is bound to pose a new set of challenges for India in the region.