Key Points
- India is funding both the BLA and TTP terrorist groups financially.
- Israel is supplying technology and intelligence to these terrorist groups.
- Taliban regime is providing shelter and territorial base to TTP and BLA in Afghanistan.
- Retired Indian Army officer says all three countries’ interests converge against Pakistan.
NEW DELHI: Retired Indian Army Colonel Rajesh Pawar has revealed that India is providing financial support to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorist groups, while the Afghan Taliban regime is sheltering the terrorist groups and Israel is providing them with technology and intelligence.
The retired Indian Army officer made the remarks during an appearance on the YouTube podcast News Book, hosted by Indian journalist Shubhankar Mishra, where he said that the interests of India, Israel and the Afghan Taliban regime were converging against Pakistan.
Taliban providing shelter and territorial base to TTP and BLA
Colonel (retd) Pawar said that the Afghan Taliban regime is providing shelter and a territorial base to the TTP and BLA terrorists in Afghanistan.
He said the Afghan Taliban regime was allowing the two terrorist groups to operate from Afghan territory and providing them with administrative support.
“The one providing shelter and refuge to both the BLA and TTP terrorists and giving them a territorial base is the Afghan Taliban. The Afghan Taliban regime is giving them land, allowing them to operate from Afghan territory and providing them with administrative support,” Colonel (retd) Pawar said.
He then explicitly named each actor’s contribution: India is providing the money, and Israel is providing the technology and intelligence to TTP and BLA terrorists.
‘India is providing the money’
The retired Indian Army Officer further revealed that India was providing financial support to the banned terrorist groups for terrorist activities inside Pakistan, while Israel was supplying technology and intelligence. He said Israel’s involvement and interests in the matter were continuing to expand.
“India is providing the money, while Israel is currently providing the technology and intelligence. This is the situation there, and Israel’s interference and interests in this regard are continuously expanding,” the retired Indian Army officer said.
Convergence of India, Israel and Taliban interests
Colonel (retd) Pawar said that the interests of India, Israel and the Afghan Taliban were converging against Pakistan.
“So, the interests of all three countries — India, Israel and the Afghan Taliban regime — are converging here, and to a large extent, their target is Pakistan,” Colonel (retd) Pawar said.
The remarks have exposed India’s proxy strategy against Pakistan, contradicting New Delhi’s assertions about cross-border terrorism.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terror activities, particularly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, since 2021, when the Afghan Taliban came into power.
Also Read: Taliban Regime’s Patronage of Terrorist Groups Draws Educated Afghan Youth into Terrorist Ranks
Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban regime to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned TTP and BLA terrorist groups. However, the Taliban regime has failed to take any action against the terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil.
Due to the surge in terrorist attacks, Pakistan has intensified counterterrorism operations to eliminate the menace.
Taliban regime’s support for TTP
Last month, a United Nations Security Council-mandated monitoring group said Afghan Taliban’s support for the banned TTP terrorist group fueled deadlier attacks in Pakistan, adding that the terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan remained “largely unchanged.”
The TTP, which has carried out some of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan since 2007, has stepped up its attacks in the South Asian country in recent years.
In its report to the UNSC president, the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team stated that the ability of various terrorist groups to operate in Afghanistan has constituted an “enduring threat to neighbouring countries” and the Central Asian region.
“Regional tensions in South Asia remained high as cross-border attacks between Pakistan and Afghanistan continued,” read the report released on August 10.
It is pertinent to mention that Abdul Haq Wasiq, the head of the Taliban regime’s intelligence, secretly visited India in August on an unannounced and unofficial trip and held meetings with Indian security officials and political leaders, security sources said.
Details of this trip and the consultations and potential agreements between the Taliban regime’s intelligence officials and India were not disclosed.
According to security sources, Wasiq’s trip was “entirely confidential” and, unlike recent public trips by Taliban regime members, no official announcement was made.
