India's Most Wanted Killed in Pakistan: The truth behind the killings

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Till now around 16 most wanted terrorists have been killed within Pakistan by unknown gunmen. The question that is being asked is a simple one: Is India behind the string of killings. This controversy has gained added salience due to the insinuation  of the US Deparment of Justice official that India, or some individual named Nikhil was behind an attempt on the life of the Kaliastani terrorist, Pannu. Let us take one issue first. India certainly has the intent to punish terrorists who roam the world scot free. But does India have the capability to launch kinetic strikes against terrorists. 

In the world today only 2 States have the capability of launching kinetic strikes against enemies, Israel and USA. MOSSAD is well known and the CIA has organized subversive strikes all over the world, the Nord Stream Pipeline being the most recent. India's  R&AW which was founded in 1968 has acquired information and itel gathering capacity. Its Electronic surveillance, particularly along the borders and the Coast is impressive and over the years has built its Humit network in certain countries, particularly Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. However, it does not have the capacity nor the capability to launch assassinations and targeted interventions in any part of the world. Perhaps Nepal is the only country in which the R&AW operates with a fair degree of latitude. R&AW has cooperated with Bangladesh in identifying and transporting Mujib's killers who had sought refuge in India and successive Governments chose to ignore their presence. Of late the organization has increased its footprint in the Myanmar border region and the purpose is only to protect India. The collapse of the Myanmar Army would be a serious blow to India's aggressive counter insurgency strategy. I do not want to reveal more.

Returning to Pakistan, the death of the known terrorists is hardly a cause of concern. But India is being blamed for the death. While India does have the intent, capability is another matter. Further, the Government of India security apparatus reports directly to the Prime Minister through Ajit Doval and given the complex situation in diplomatic arena and the rapid rise in India's international stature, it is very unlikely that the Government would resort to illegal kinetic measures. R &AW has collected a great deal of information about terrorists and their network and it will not share this with either USA or Canada. India is only a beginner in the game of Big Power politics and will not jeopardise its goals early in the game. So obviously India is not directly involved. Deniability is very important and it takes time to build layers of deniability.

From 1999 onwards, when Benazir Bhutto came to power, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has been encouraging terrorism in Kashmir and has built up support among identity groups in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala and Tamil Nadu. I K Gujral in 1997 as the appointed unelected Prime Minister,  to his eternal shame, had compromised Indian intelligence and so India was not able to either respond  and take adequate measures. The Kashmir Genocide was the result of I K Gujral's policy of appeasing Pakistan by disarming Indian intelligence and in Iran too Hamid Ansari as shown in Mission R &AW the same tragedy unfolded. 

The spate of targeted killings began in 2021 when an attempt was made on Hafiz Saeed. This terrorist escaped death and has been in hiding ever since. He is a UN designated terrorist and almost all terrorists killed during the course of the past year have been associated with (1) Laskhkar-e-Taiba, (2)  Hizbul Mujahideen, and (3) Jaish-e- Mohammed. Masood Azhar who was freed in exchange for the passengers of the hijacked AI 814 to Kandhaar in December 1999 is presumed to have died in the Balakot strike, though the R&AW has not stopped tracking him. Raheem Ullah Tariq associated with J-e-M was killed on November 13th in Karachi. Akram Gazi L-e-T killer was eliminated on November 9th near a town in Pakistan occupied Pashtunistan. Kwaja Shahid was kidnapped and executed in PoK. This man was involved in the attack on an Indian Army Camp at Sunjerwan in Kashmir. Shaid Latif who belonged to J-e-M and was the plotter behind the Pathankot attack was killed by unknown gunmen in Sialkot. In September Riaz Ahmed the mastermind of terror attacks in Kahsmir was killed in PoK. In Karachi Mufti Kasim Farooqi who had shifted to a new location was traced and killed. A month earlier, Hafiz Saeed's right hand man, Hussein Arain was killed in Sindh. IN Rawalpindi, in March 2023 Bashir Ahmed Pir of the Hizbul Mujahideen was eliminated. In Karachi again, Khalid Raza of the ul-Badr- Mujahideen was killed. Nepal too has witnessed the killing of India wanted terrorists like Lal Mohammed. 

India clearly and categorically denies involvement in these killings. And I have no reason not to believe what the Government of India says. As I have said, there may be intent but capability is a totally different order of magnitude. It is likely that a groups of Army Officers in Pakistan who are not favorably disposed towards the regime in power there are behind the killings and they may get assistance from patriots.

Emmauel Le Roy Ladurie (1929 - 2023) An Assessment and a Tribute

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Dr Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie died in Paris at the age  of 94 a long life filled with admirable contribution to medieval history and a stalwart of the "Annales" School of French Historiography. Of course the fact that his father served as a Minister of Agriculture under the Vichy regime in no way stands in the way of international recognition for his work. In fact as I have argued elsewhere it is about time to reassess the ideology of "collective guilt" imposed by Charles de Gaulle after his "Victory: march with the Allies in 1945. But this fact serves to underscore the complex relationship between the French Historical Establishment and the post "Liberation" French State. 

Dr Le Roy Ladurie

  Ladurie is a rock star among             Historians and his stellar reputation   rests on his Montaillou: The Promised Land of Error a study in which he used  the Inquisitorial Records to uncover the   pattern of culture and popular belief ina small mountainous village of just 250 peasants who came under the gaze of the Roman Catholic Church due to their apparent interest in the Cathars, a Christian movement that was declared heretical by the Catholic Church. Marriage patterns, familial ties, land control and ownership and relationship with the Clergy and its "errors" then as now are scandalous, Though published in 1978 this book still remains a classic study in what the French call mentalite`. 

This particular book has had a very wide impact and it has reshaped the field of agrarian and medieval history in significant ways. This was the first major work that used Inquisitorial Records to probe deeper questions of faith and religion in a medieval peasant society. As many scholars since have pointed out, the French peasants were usually unlettered and the records may at best reflect the scribes' perception. Here were have what Ranajit Guha in his classic paper, "The prose of Counter Insurgency" called History against the grain. Le Roy Ladurie followed this book with one of the classic statements on Historiography, The Territory of the Historian. Unfortunately this book remains almost undiscovered by students of medieval History. Another early book that must be mentioned is Times of Feast, Times of Famine a book in which he used the records of grape harvest to make a study of climate chamge and variation in medieval Europe. 

In 1580 a Carnival in Romans turned into a violent riot in which the leading citizens of the city of Romans attacked and killed craftsmen who were generally adherents of the Protestant faith. This event took place eight years after the 1572 Hugenots Massacre on St Bartholomew Day. The ferocity and the intense scale of the violence unleashed was unprecedented and the Historian puts in in the context of economic, cultural and social changes that were sweeping through France. 

This book is a study of the Platter Family which transitioned from sheep rearing to High social status profession within a single generation. Based on Family Records preserved in the Archives at Montpellier this work is an important contribution to the social history of early modern France. And the Peasants of Languedoc is a classic work of medieval agrarian history. 

One question that needs to be asked as Historians grapple with the methodological sophistication and grandiose sweep of Annales is the, apparent uniqueness of the French Method of History. Most of the world and certainly most of the non white societies lack historical documentation of depth and range that we see in France and other white states. The lack of resources itself should alert Historians to the fact that it is is not possible to replicate the Annales in other countries, certainly not in India. Second why do the Annales School of Historians stay away from Modern History. Is it because in the medieval period France was undefeated and was the proud centre of the European civilization.

The death of this great Historian is a loss and we mourn his death.