ہفتہ، 21 جون، 2025
اسرائیل کے دوست
اردن اور اسرائیل — دوستی اور نفرت ساتھ ساتھ
اسرائیل اور مصر — امن کا معاہدہ یا مجبوری کا سودا؟
جمعہ، 20 جون، 2025
بھارت کی پراکسی جنگ
پاکستان میں چینی شہریوں پر بڑھتے حملے
پاکستان اور چین کی دوستی کو دنیا بھر میں "آہنی برادری" کے طور پر جانا جاتا ہے۔ چین-پاکستان اقتصادی راہداری (CPEC) جیسے منصوبے اس تعلق کو مزید مضبوط بنا رہے ہیں۔ تاہم، حالیہ برسوں میں پاکستان میں چینی شہریوں پر ہونے والے دہشت گردانہ حملوں میں اضافہ دیکھنے میں آیا ہے، جس کے پیچھے بھارت کی مبینہ پراکسی سرگرمیوں کا ہاتھ ہونے کے شواہد سامنے آ رہے ہیں۔
حالیہ حملے اور ان کے پس منظر
اکتوبر 2024 میں کراچی کے جناح انٹرنیشنل ایئرپورٹ کے قریب ایک خودکش حملے میں دو چینی انجینئرز ہلاک اور متعدد زخمی ہوئے۔ اس حملے کی ذمہ داری بلوچ لبریشن آرمی (BLA) نے قبول کی، جو ایک علیحدگی پسند تنظیم ہے اور پاکستان میں چینی منصوبوں کو نشانہ بناتی رہی ہے۔
اسی طرح، مارچ 2025 میں خیبر پختونخوا کے بشام علاقے میں داسو ہائیڈرو پاور پروجیکٹ پر کام کرنے والے چینی انجینئرز کے قافلے پر حملہ ہوا، جس میں پانچ چینی شہری اور ایک پاکستانی ہلاک ہوئے۔ اگرچہ اس حملے کی ذمہ داری کسی گروپ نے قبول نہیں کی، تاہم تحقیقات میں تحریک طالبان پاکستان (TTP) کے ملوث ہونے کے شواہد ملے۔
بھارت کی مبینہ پراکسی سرگرمیاں
پاکستانی حکام کا کہنا ہے کہ بھارت کی خفیہ ایجنسی "را" (RAW) BLA اور TTP جیسے گروپوں کو مالی اور عسکری مدد فراہم کر رہی ہے تاکہ پاکستان میں چینی مفادات کو نقصان پہنچایا جا سکے۔ 2018 میں کراچی میں چینی قونصل خانے پر حملے کی تحقیقات میں بھی بھارت کے ملوث ہونے کے شواہد سامنے آئے تھے، تاہم عدالت میں ان شواہد کو ثابت نہیں کیا جا سکا۔
علاوہ ازیں، اپریل 2025 میں پاکستانی سیکیورٹی فورسز نے شمالی وزیرستان میں افغانستان سے دراندازی کرنے والے 54 دہشت گردوں کو ہلاک کیا، جن کے بارے میں کہا گیا کہ وہ
TTP
کے ارکان تھے اور انہیں بیرونی طاقتوں کی حمایت حاصل تھی۔
چینی ردعمل اور پاکستان کی ذمہ داری
چین نے پاکستان میں اپنے شہریوں پر ہونے والے حملوں پر شدید تشویش کا اظہار کیا ہے اور پاکستان سے مطالبہ کیا ہے کہ وہ چینی شہریوں اور منصوبوں کی حفاظت کو یقینی بنائے۔ چینی وزارت خارجہ نے کہا ہے کہ دہشت گردوں کی جانب سے چین-پاکستان تعلقات کو نقصان پہنچانے کی کوششیں کامیاب نہیں ہوں گی۔
پاکستانی حکومت نے بھی ان حملوں کی مذمت کی ہے اور چینی شہریوں کی حفاظت کے لیے اقدامات کرنے کا وعدہ کیا ہے۔ تاہم، ان حملوں کا تسلسل اس بات کی نشاندہی کرتا ہے کہ مزید مؤثر اقدامات کی ضرورت ہے۔
پاکستان میں چینی شہریوں پر ہونے والے حملے نہ صرف دونوں ممالک کے درمیان اعتماد کو متاثر کر رہے ہیں بلکہ CPEC جیسے اہم منصوبوں کو بھی خطرے میں ڈال رہے ہیں۔ بھارت کی مبینہ پراکسی سرگرمیوں کے ذریعے ان حملوں کی پشت پناہی خطے میں عدم استحکام کا باعث بن رہی ہے۔ پاکستان کو چاہیے کہ وہ ان دہشت گرد گروپوں کے خلاف سخت کارروائی کرے اور بین الاقوامی سطح پر بھارت کی ان سرگرمیوں کو بے نقاب کرے تاکہ خطے میں امن و استحکام کو یقینی بنایا جا سکے۔
A Spy Game Gone Wrong in Middle East
The arrest of alleged Indian spies in Iran has triggered quiet ripples across West Asia’s diplomatic landscape. While governments are yet to respond formally, the implications of these events could be significant — not just for New Delhi’s relations with Tehran, but for the millions of Indian workers spread across the Middle East.
At the heart of the matter is a sensitive accusation: India, potentially in coordination with Israeli intelligence services, is using its presence in the region to gather intelligence against Iranian assets. Iran, locked in a silent war of attrition with Israel, views such activity as a threat to its sovereignty — and when such activity is traced to Indian nationals, alarm bells ring.
Kulbhushan Jadhav Revisited?
This isn’t the first time India’s intelligence activities have drawn controversy in the region. In 2016, Pakistan arrested Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, claiming he was a RAW operative using Iranian soil to infiltrate Balochistan. Though India denied these claims, Iran privately confirmed to Pakistan that Jadhav had entered from its territory — an admission that damaged bilateral trust.
In the years since, Iran has arrested multiple foreign-linked operatives, often tied to Mossad. Regional security sources claim that some of these networks had indirect or logistical links to Indian nationals, particularly in cyber, telecom, or port-based operations.
A Vulnerable Labor Force
What does this mean for Indian workers in the Gulf?
With over 8 million Indian expatriates working across the Middle East — including in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, and even Iran — any diplomatic crisis has real-world consequences. If espionage allegations gain traction, Indian nationals working in sensitive sectors like energy, ports, infrastructure, or IT could be subject to new scrutiny.
Iran itself hosts Indian engineers, port staff (notably at Chabahar), and oil sector workers. If Tehran sees New Delhi as compromising its national security, visa restrictions, project delays, or even deportations are possible — especially if domestic pressures mount.
Gulf States May Watch Closely
While Iran may be directly impacted, the wider Gulf region won’t remain unaffected. Many Gulf countries host large Shia populations, maintain careful balances with Tehran, and increasingly question India's alignment with Israel.
In a region where sectarian politics shape foreign policy, any indication that India is working against Shia interests or collaborating with Israel against Iran could spark religious and political backlash. While governments may not act overtly, pressure from clerics, activists, or the public could lead to increased vetting of Indian workers, especially in high-trust sectors.
We've seen parallels before. After Saudi Arabia labeled Hezbollah a terrorist group in 2016, Shia workers from Lebanon and Iraq faced quiet blacklisting across the Gulf. In Turkey, post-2016 coup crackdowns led to Turkish nationals being detained or expelled in several Arab states on suspicion of Gulenist ties.
Could Indian workers face similar pressures in a worst-case scenario?
Strategic Overreach?
India’s increasing intimacy with Israel, particularly in the intelligence domain, is well-documented. Cyber cooperation, facial recognition systems, drone technologies, and even counter-terror training are being exchanged — and operational reach is expanding.
But every expansion brings exposure. In a region as volatile and politically fragmented as West Asia, perceived overreach can backfire. India has long enjoyed goodwill in the Muslim world, seen as a balanced, secular democracy with strong historical and cultural ties. That image is slowly shifting.
If New Delhi is seen as a silent partner in covert operations targeting Iran or its allies, the impact could go beyond diplomacy — it could affect trade, investments, pilgrimages, and most critically, the security of Indian nationals abroad.
Final Thought
Intelligence operations are built on stealth. But when they go public, consequences are swift and far-reaching. If India is indeed stretching its strategic ambitions into Iran through covert means, it must prepare for the blowback — and not just at the diplomatic level.
For the millions of Indians living and working in the Gulf, the cost of a spy scandal could be more than embarrassment — it could be existential.
لبنان — مذہب، مزاحمت اور مشرقِ وسطیٰ کا آئینہ
India and Israel's Silent Game in the Gulf
Without Borders — India and Israel's Silent Game in the Gulf
By: Dilpazir Ahmad Janjua
The Persian Gulf — long seen as the world’s energy artery — is no longer just about oil tankers, trade routes, and naval chokepoints. In the digital age, it has quietly become the theatre of a new kind of warfare: one fought not with fighter jets or boots on the ground, but with spyware, cyberattacks, and intelligence operatives in suits.
And behind this invisible front line are two increasingly intertwined players: India and Israel.
Iran: Target Number One
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has been viewed by many regional and global powers as a destabilizing force. Its Revolutionary Guards, influence over proxy groups like Hezbollah and the Houthis, and resistance to Western-backed order have made it the focal point of espionage activity.
Iranian scientists have been assassinated. Nuclear facilities have been hacked. Its intelligence services have reported repeated infiltration. For Tehran, this isn’t random sabotage — it’s a well-orchestrated campaign of containment.
And leading that campaign is Israel’s feared intelligence agency, Mossad.
Israel’s Deep Penetration
Over the last two decades, Mossad has pulled off some of the boldest operations on Iranian soil. In 2020, top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated near Tehran — reportedly by a remote-controlled weapon. Before that, the infamous Stuxnet cyberattack — jointly attributed to Israel and the U.S. — disrupted centrifuges at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility.
Dozens of Iranian officials have since been arrested, accused of feeding sensitive information to Israeli handlers. Iran's sovereignty, it seems, is under high-tech siege.
India in the Gulf: A Quiet Operator
India, often seen as a neutral power juggling ties with both Tehran and the Gulf monarchies, is quietly emerging as a major player in this regional intelligence matrix — not least due to its close and growing security partnership with Israel.
Since 2017, India and Israel have signed a series of cybersecurity and defense cooperation agreements. India’s RAW operatives receive Israeli training and technology, and reports suggest that India has leveraged Israeli spyware — most infamously Pegasus — not only for domestic surveillance but also in collaboration with Gulf regimes.
And there's a demographic dimension to this too. With over 8.5 million Indian nationals living across Gulf countries, India has access to a massive, embedded diaspora — some of whom are allegedly involved in passive data gathering or surveillance operations, often unknowingly.
Gulf States: Allies or Enablers?
The Abraham Accords (2020) opened the door for formal Israeli integration into Gulf security systems. Today, Israeli advisors, tech firms, and surveillance infrastructure are quietly becoming part of defense architecture in countries like the UAE and Bahrain.
India, already a major economic and defense partner of these same states, appears to be synchronizing its efforts with Israel — forming what analysts are beginning to call a "shadow alliance" against Iranian influence.
Tehran’s Alarm Bells
Iran has been vocally critical of this growing India-Israel-Gulf nexus. Officials in Tehran accuse Israel of engineering cyberattacks and targeted killings, criticize Gulf monarchies for "hosting the enemy," and have even detained Indian nationals under suspicion of espionage linked to Israeli interests.
For Iran, this isn't just a security threat — it's an ideological and geopolitical challenge to its regional identity and ambitions.
The Real Question
So what are we witnessing? A pragmatic security coalition? Or a slow erosion of sovereignty in exchange for political stability?
Have Gulf rulers, in trying to counter Iran, handed their digital borders over to foreign powers?
Or has Iran's own posturing left its neighbors with little choice but to lean on external intelligence partners?
Whatever the answer, one thing is certain: the Gulf is no longer just an oil zone — it’s an active front in a silent war.
And in this war, the wounds may take years to show, but the damage is already underway.