Did Western Intelligence Play a Role in the Latest Terrorist Attack in Kashmir?
India and Pakistan are teetering on the precipice of war following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which sits in the Indian-controlled region of Kashmir, that left 22 tourists dead. The timing of this attack — coming on the heels of Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit to India — raises some uncomfortable questions that merit an answer… Were Western intelligence agencies involved? For what purpose? Let me propose a couple of plausible motives… spark tensions with China and create turmoil within BRICS.
While many uninformed Westerners might scoff at the idea, Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, accused India of staging a false flag. But Asif didn’t stop there. During an interview with Sky News, Asif admitted that Pakistan has been supporting and funding terrorist groups for about three decades, describing this as “doing the dirty work for the United States and the West, including Britain.” He acknowledged that this was a “mistake” and said Pakistan has suffered greatly as a result, especially by aligning with the West during the Soviet-Afghan war and the post-9/11 U.S.-led war on terror. Asif stated that if Pakistan had not joined these efforts, its international record would have been “unimpeachable.”
Asif emphasized three key points:
Collaboration with Western Powers: Asif stated, “We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades, you know, the West, including Britain.” This comment was made in the context of discussing Pakistan’s historical role in supporting Western-led initiatives, which he suggests have contributed to the current challenges with terrorism.
Training of Mujahideen: Reflecting on Pakistan’s past decisions, Asif acknowledged that the country had trained Mujahideen fighters during the Afghan-Soviet war, stating, “We prepared them and now they have become terrorists.” He emphasized that Pakistan should not have engaged in such activities at the behest of other nations.
Critique of U.S. Military Actions: Asif has criticized the United States for its military interventions, noting that Pakistan has suffered due to its alliance with the U.S. He pointed out that the U.S. left behind high-tech weapons in Afghanistan, which have contributed to the rise in terrorism within Pakistan.
The attack in Pahalgam, at a minimum, was designed to disrupt further development of the area as a tourist destination. Still, in light of Asif’s remarkable confession, I cannot rule out something more nefarious by my former outfit or by Britain’s MI-6.
The conflict between Pakistan and India heated up quickly on Tuesday, with India hitting alleged terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan retaliating with artillery and missile strikes. Following this spike in violence, things appear to have calmed down. Iran’s Foreign Minister Aragchi is in the region, trying to mediate. I suspect he is doing this with the full backing and support of both Russia and China.
Russia is particularly sensitive to the likelihood that Western intelligence agencies are working behind the scenes to stoke the fires. More than 30 years ago, in December 1994 to be precise, the First Chechen War, kicked off when Russian forces launched a major offensive to suppress Chechnya’s attempt to break away from the Russian Federation. While the initial conflict allegedly was rooted in Chechen nationalism and separatism, I have no doubts that Western intelligence agencies were involved in providing covert aid to the Chechens. The Soviet Union may have disappeared, but the Cold War lived on.
1999 was a pivotal year in terms of a Western assault on Russia. I don’t believe in coincidence. On March 12, 1999, Bill Clinton welcomed Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic into NATO… an act strenuously protested by Moscow. Twelve days later, after NATO moved east towards Russia, NATO launched an aerial bombing campaign known as Operation Allied Force, against Russia’s ally, Serbia. Coincidence?
Then came the Second Chechen War, which officially began on August 7, 1999, following an invasion of the Russian province of Dagestan by Chechen fighters led by Shamil Basayev and Ibn al-Khattab. This event, along with a series of apartment bombings in Russian cities blamed on Chechen militants, triggered a full-scale Russian military campaign against Chechnya. I suppose it was just a coincidence that on August 9, 1999, President Boris Yeltsin appointed Vladimir Putin as Prime Minister. Four months later, on December 31, 1999, Yeltsin resigned and handed over power to Putin, who became Acting President. Coincidence?
With the benefit of hindsight, I think it is now clear that the US and NATO were engaged in a coordinated campaign to destroy Russia. This campaign came to a head in 1999. Russian leaders awakened to the threat and realized they needed someone other than Yeltsin to confront the Western subversion. It took Russia 10 years, under Putin’s leadership, to defeat the Chechen terrorist campaign… a campaign which I believe was aided by Western intelligence.
Now that you understand this history, I think you can appreciate why Putin and his colleagues look with a jaundice eye at an unprovoked terrorist attack in Kashmir as something more than a small band of Islamic radicals stirring up trouble. The West is continuing its efforts to subvert and destroy Russia. But, in contrast to 1999, Russia is winning and the West is panicked.