Senate panel's resolution: government urged to expose India-sponsored terrorism in Balochistan

The Senate Standing Committee on Interior Friday urged the federal government to expose India-sponsored terrorism in Balochistan, which is aimed at damaging the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The committee adopted a resolution against the recent wave of terrorism in Balochistan and also condemned the death of Deputy Inspector General Hamid Shakeel in one of the terrorist attacks.
The resolution was tabled by Senator Abdul Rehman Malik, chairman of the committee, which urged the federal government to raise this issue in the United Nation and expose Indian interference in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan. According to the resolution, India has allocated $500 million for creating unrest in Balochistan in order to disrupt the progress on the CPEC.
Malik also included the recent statement of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, who alleged that India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) had established a cell in 2015 dedicated to sabotaging China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project in Pakistan.
While addressing a seminar in Islamabad, General Hayat said, "RAW established a new cell with a special allocation of over $500 million in 2015 to sabotage CPEC projects. India's indirect interference in Pakistan is manifested in sponsoring Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan, Baloch and other sub-nationalist outfits and many other terrorist groups."
"India has set up a Balochistan operational cell under RAW to devise a radical force for subversion and terrorist activities in the province," General Hayat further said, adding that the arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav from Balochistan had been the "proverbial smoking gun" in the matter. Senator Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hassani said that India is an arch-rival of Pakistan and is sponsoring the unrest and terrorism in the country.
Senator (retired) Colonel Tahir Hussain Mashhadi stressed the need for exposing the Indian conspiracy and planning against the vital interests of Pakistan. Senator Sirajul Haq, however, urged the lawmakers to address the root cause of Balochistan unrest which compelled hundred of Baloch to take refuge outside Pakistan.
He also demanded increase in the punishment for uploading of pornographic contents and including it in the cyber crime's related legislation. The committee also discussed ongoing sit-in at the junction of Rawalpindi and Islamabad which has virtually paralyzed the twin cities.
The chairman committee passed the ruling that in future the law enforcement agencies must not allow sit-in on the roads and the protestors should be confined to the designated place. According to him, the protest should be confined within the Democracy Park and Speech Corner at Parade Ground.
The committee termed it negligence on part of the Islamabad administration due to which the protestors not only occupied the Faizabad interchange but also paralyzed the routine life in twin cities. State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry informed the committee that the leadership of the protestors before starting their rally from Lahore had promised with the government that they would not enter into Islamabad but they did not honor their promise and blocked the main arteries. The government wanted peaceful disbursement of the protestors, he said.
Chief Commissioner Islamabad Zulfiqar Haider said that there are 3,000 to 6,000 protestors at Faizabad and some of the protestors are armed with weapons. He said that the administration is in contact with the custodian of different shrines in Rawalpindi and Islamabad and expressed hope that with the help of all the stakeholders, the interchange would be cleared peacefully.
The inspector general of Islamabad police told the committee that police have registered 15 cases against the leadership of the protesters and about 400 persons have been arrested throughout Punjab. According to him, the participants of sit-in included the people from Karachi, Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, besides Punjab.
The IG briefed the committee that the police thoroughly investigated all the aspects about attack on journalist Ahmed Noorani. Regarding proposed ban on weapons, State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said that the government wants to ban the automatic weapons only. Senator Hassani said that people obtain license for self-defense.