The very existence of Pakistan is in danger because many internal and external forces are endeavouring their level best to destabilise the country. These dark and anti-Pakistani forces are using various methods like terrorism; ethnic and religious hatred; extremism; the media, including print, electronic and social; corrupt and unpatriotic political and religious leaders, economic hitman, etc., to achieve their nefarious design.

On 23 November, around 36 innocent people, including two police men, were killed in two different terror attacks in Orakzai and Karachi. In the first attack, a powerful explosive device went off in the weekly Kalaya Bazaar in Orakzai, killing at least 32 people and injuring 31 more. In the second attack, three terrorists attacked China’s diplomatic mission in Karachi. The terror attack was foiled by the security forces. In this operation, two policemen and two civilians were martyred while all three attackers were killed by the security forces. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the terror attacks in the following words: “Strongly condemn the terrorist attacks against Chinese Consulate in Karachi and in Orakzai tribal area. The failed attack against the Chinese Consulate was clearly a reaction to the unprecedented trade agreements that resulted from our trip to China. The attack was intended to scare Chinese investors and undermine CPEC. These terrorists will not succeed”.

With these two terror attacks, a relatively long lull in terrorist attacks has been broken in the country. It shows that the war against terror is not yet over.  During a visit to the Multan Garrison on 23 November, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa said, “Some elements are wittingly or unwittingly trying to pull the country back into confrontation. [The] state shall not let them do it whether on the name of religion, ethnicity or any other pretext. An army deters war through professional competence and readiness.” “After kinetic operations, we are now into the phase of stability operations,” General Qamar said and added, “The war against terrorism and militancy is not over yet. Besides kinetic efforts we have to take on measures to address the root causes while staying cognisant of inimical forces and foreign hostile agendas.” “Within the folds of the national action plan we shall support national focus on socioeconomic development so that people of Pakistan reap dividends of improving security,” said the army chief.

Before this address, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has also categorically stated, “We are facing now Hybrid conflict, the warfare has been changed now, and enemies are attacking through disturbing the religious harmony, dividing us into sect wars and social issues. We need a comprehensive response as a nation to nail down these issues”. The COAS said this during a national security workshop.

There is not an iota of doubt that the army, with its matchless bravery, valour and professionalism has, so far, aborted and crushed the efforts and malign designs of the anti-Pakistani forces. The security forces have achieved notable success in bringing back peace to the Tribal Areas, Balochistan, Karachi and other parts of the country by crushing the militants belonging to the TTP and other militant organisations. But, the enemies of Pakistan have not yet been fully defeated and wiped off the soil of Pakistan. They have started a hybrid warfare against the state.  Hybrid warfare can be defined as “a non-linear or non-traditional war, in which the enemy tries to destabilise the country by employing a blend of kinetic operations and subversive efforts”. Keeping in view the geopolitical location and conflicts in the region, there should not be any doubt that a hybrid war has been imposed on Pakistan.

From the east side of the border, India is posing a grave threat to Pakistan. India has not yet accepted the very existence of Pakistan. It is a proven fact that India’s intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), is active in carrying out many covert operations inside the country, especially in Balochistan and Karachi. Even, Aslam alias Achu, a commander of the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and mastermind of the Chinese consulate terrorist attack, is currently receiving medical treatment at the Max Hospital in New Delhi. It is now an open secret that the RAW is supporting and using the BLA for spreading terrorism in the country.

Even, Indian former Army Chief General Vijay Kumar Singh has openly said that “following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Indian army raised a Tactical Support Division (TSD), which carried out bomb blasts in Pakistan, and doled out money to the separatist elements in Balochistan”. The former RAW chief, Ajit Doval, who is now the National Security Advisor to the PM, is actively pursuing his anti-Pakistan doctrine, known as the “Doval Doctrine”. Ajit Doval has already threatened Pakistan in these words: “You may do one Mumbai; you may lose Balochistan”. In 2016, the army arrested Kulbushan Jadhav, an Indian Navy commissioned officer, who was running the RAW network in Pakistan. The Indian spy has already confessed of his terror activities in Balochistan and Karachi.

Indian Prime Minister Modi has also warned Pakistan, “blood and water cannot flow together at the same time”, hinting at suspending the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) brokered by the World Bank (WB) and stopping the water for Pakistan. Then, India has also wrongly claimed that it has destroyed the alleged ‘launching pads’ of infiltration across the Line of Control (LOC) by carrying out “surgical strikes”. The Pakistan army categorically denied these false claims of India and took the world’s journalists to the area for investigation and digging out truth. The entire world knows that it is a lie just to get popularity for the Modi’s government which is losing political support.

Other countries’ spy agencies like Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) and America’s CIA, along with India’s RAW, are also involved in their clandestine activities to halt the CPEC.  Even, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)’s statement says that the intended attack was to send the message that “we will not tolerate any Chinese military expansionist endeavours on Baloch soil”.

Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries are also involved in the big game which is being played in Balochistan.  Because, Riyadh is ready to build an oil refinery at Gwadar, which Iran and other middle East Muslim countries do not like. They see this step as a threat to their economic interests in the region. Iran is also allegedly playing its game in Balochistan.

Moreover, America, with the help of India, is targeting China. America does not like to see China emerge as a superpower in the world, so it is trying its best to halt CPEC by creating disorder in Pakistan.  Donald Trump’s rants against Pakistan, in which the US president accused Pakistan of not doing “a damn thing for us” and defended his administration’s decision to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Islamabad, should also be seen in this game’s perspective. Although, later, Pentagon defended Pakistan’s “critical” role. But, after considering the above-mentioned events and facts , there should not be any doubt that Pakistan is facing a hybrid war imposed by these external forces.

It is also a fact that Pakistan has some internal problems like poverty, religious extremism, corruption, illiteracy, unemployment, a class-riddled society, delay in justice, a sense of deprivation, exploitation and hopelessness among the people of Balochistan and the Tribal Areas, which allow external forces to fish in the troubled waters of the country. Our corrupt ruling elite, including politicians, feudal lords, religious leaders, businessmen and the establishment, has created these problems. These problems have not been engineered from outside. So, the government must set its house in order by taking drastic steps. It should also implement NAP fully and address the genuine grievances of the people, if it wants to defeat the external forces and save Pakistan.