“Bahawalpur.”
I still have chills in my heart from when I first heard that town’s name in late January 2002. For the 23 years since, I have reported on how Pakistani intelligence and military leaders have used that city — Bahawalpur — in the southern province of Punjab as a base for its homegrown domestic terrorists.
When I heard India bombed training camps in Pakistan this week in Operation Sindoor, in response to a Pakistani terrorist rampage in India’s Kashmir state, I had one city’s name on my lips: Bahawalpur.
Did India bomb Bahawalpur?
It did. I knew then India was striking actual hubs for Pakistan’s homegrown domestic terrorism.
Why do I know?
My friend, WSJ reporter Danny Pearl, went to Bahawalpur in December 2001 with a notebook and a pen. Gen. Pervez Musharraf had just promised he was shutting down Pakistan’s militant groups after a strike by Pakistan’s terrorists against the Parliament in India, and Danny reported on the militant offices in Bahawalpur.
He literally knocked on their doors. Dear Dr. @yudapearl, this story is a window into Danny’s reporting enterprise. And because people will wonder: Danny was no cowboy. This was a calculated low-risk reporting trip because no journalist had been targeted for kidnapping in Pakistan. Around that time, Danny sent me an email: “I’m anxious to go to Afghanistan, but I’m not anxious to die.”
What did Danny learn?
The militant training camps were open for business in Bahawalpur.
On Jan. 23, 2002, Danny left a home I had rented in Karachi, Pakistan, for an interview.
I learned Danny’s fixer, Asif Farooqi, had arranged an interview for Danny through a man named “Arif.” Danny didn’t know it but Arif was the PR man for a militant group, Harkutul Mujahadeen. What was Arif’s hometown? Bahawalpur.
The police launched a manhunt to find Arif in Bahawalpur. We learned Arif’s family faked a funeral for Arif. Police found him trying to board a bus in Muzaffarabad, across the country by Pakistan’s border with Kashmir.
It is another town India said it bombed terrorist training facilities.
Arif had handed Danny off to Omar Sheikh,a British-Pakistani dropout from the London School of Economics, radicalized in the 1990s in London mosques. He went to Pakistan to train in these militant training camps. Then he kidnapped tourists in India. He was caught and jailed but on Dec. 31, 1999, he was traded for hostages in the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814.
Omar Sheikh was freed with Pakistani terrorist leader Masood Azhar, whose family was allegedly killed this week by India’s air strike in Bahawalpur.
Did Pakistan jail Omar Sheikh and Masood Azhar when they returned to Pakistan with a third terrorist, freed from India’s jails?
No. Pakistan’s military and intelligence gave them safe passage. They used them as weapons against India. But in fact these domestic terrorists have waged war against innocents in Pakistan, like civil society activists, Benazir Bhutto, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, schoolchildren and countless others.
Their extremism has ruined Pakistan, and Pakistanis can’t blame America for creating the mujahideen to fight the Soviets in the 1980s.
Pakistan has had a duty to dismantle those terrorist bases — for even the safety of its own people. What India is doing is a strategic attack on terrorist bases Pakistani military and intelligence should have eliminated but never did in their obsession to take over Kashmir.
You will see parallels in the propaganda messages against India and Israel. Like Hamas, Pakistani terrorists crossed a border to kill. Now, Pakistani propagandists call themselves victims of their “fascist” “colonizer” neighbor.
It’s the Reverse Uno strategy of moral inversion, just like @stoolpresidente got from the Temple student who won’t take responsibility for promoting the “HATE THE JEWS” sign. Don’t fall for it. Nations, communities and people must own up to their extremism, from Bahawalpur to beyond.
❌ This claim is #FAKE that Pakistan destroyed the Indian Brigade Headquarters.
#PIBFactCheck: ✅Avoid sharing unverified information and rely only on official sources from the Government of India for accurate information.
Excited to announce the launch of "Eco Echoes", the 1st edition of our Amrita School for Sustainable Futures newsletter! 📷 Dive into inspiring stories, faculty & student spotlights, and upcoming events.
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@IndiGo6E Hi, one of our International students stranded in Istanbul airport, we want to send an official letter from the University. Kindly help. Thanks
Instead of trying to hold someone accountable, focus on what you can control: your own healing. You can heal from situations without any acknowledgement from the person who caused you pain. They're not the gatekeeper of your ability to move on.
Indian para archer Sheetal Devi added another feather to her illustrious career by becoming the world no. 1 in women's compound para archery🇮🇳
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Amrita has been re-recognised as a World Center of Excellence on Landslide Risk Reduction. Dr. @ManeeshaSudheer at the #WLF6 with the certificate of recognition alongside others at Florence, Italy.
"On the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India clearly told to Canada that show us all the evidence, show us proofs, share it with us....I never heard of something called credible allegations" ~ Hardeep Singh Puri.
#BREAKING: Canadian Foreign Minister @melaniejoly left red faced in a media interaction as she is unable to answer question on why Canada failed to share any evidence with India on killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canada confirms withdrawing 41 diplomats from India on India’s demand against Canada’s unilateral actions and provocations which go against International Rules Based Order.
India gave refuge to the Persian Parsis over a thousand years ago, fleeing intolerance and oppression, and helped them sustain their ancient civilization. India has been a country of refuge for many oppressed peoples, and remains a sacred land for spiritual seekers worldwide. If other countries followed India's model of seeking the truth through introspection and meditation, rather than trying to impose it on others by force, we would have much less conflict in the world.
Inspired by Amma's vision to serve and empower rural communities to be sustainable and resilient, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and Amrita Hospitals launch 10-day Amrita Village Health Champions Training Program #AmritaVishwaVidyapeetham#DST#UNESCO#AmritaHospitals 1/4