Thread by @_AhmedQuraishi

Amid rising anti-#US+#EU rhetoric in #Pakistan post-#Ukraine invasion & PM's #Russia visit, it is important to refocus on rising terror incidents in the country and the linkages to #Afghanistan #Iran and #India and the easily exploitable local actors. /1

https://twitter.com/AyazGul64/status/1500461077993242624?s=20&t=Q2SEDa3p-JeF1NQQXyqh1A

The waves of organized terrorism in Pakistan since 1980s and through 2000s have been linked to elements in #Afghanistan. It accelerated with the #India-#Iran nexus in that country. Made easier by local extremism, easy & gullible Pakistani recruits, and regional sponsors. /2

#Peshawar mosque carnage targeting Pakistani Shia Muslims is particularly worth a closer look. It indirectly targeted the #Australia cricket team visit after 23 yrs and tried to revive sectarian conflict. Both objectives have wider linkages to #India #Iran #Afghanistan /3

The Islamic State sent suicide attacker(s) from #Afghanistan. The #Taliban condemned, [& took actions since Aug meant to protect Afghan Shia citizens]. And #Pakistan law enforcement eliminated several top local anti-Shia extremists in recent years. /4
dawn.com/news/1197098

The #Peshawar attack, hours before #Australia cricket team played for first time in #Pakistan in 23 years, is seen by Pakistani investigators to synchronize with a campaign in #India's social media to discourage the Aussies from playing in Pak. See: /5

https://twitter.com/_AhmedQuraishi/status/1499795336784920576?s=20&t=Q2SEDa3p-JeF1NQQXyqh1A

Some accounts in #Pakistan published screen grabs purportedly showing a link between #India and a campaign to discourage #Australia from playing in Pakistan. I posted blurred versions of those grabs here for lack of independent authentication: /6

https://twitter.com/_AhmedQuraishi/status/1499795355747115011?s=20&t=Q2SEDa3p-JeF1NQQXyqh1A

Targeting Shia Muslims in #Pakistan has roots in extremist fringe Sunni groups, some linked to #AlQaeda & a violent strain of Salafism. And links to #Iran's efforts to rally non-Iranian Shia communities in the region to submit through fear to Tehran's ruling Khomeinist brand /7

The #Chabahar-based Kulbhushan Jhadav network was an #India-#Iran operation that targeted #Pakistan Shia Muslims among other more sophisticated operations. Captured Commander Jhadav explained it in a video confession [see full script here: thewire.in/diplomacy/kulb…] /8

Hundreds of saboteurs were arrested across #Pakistan post March 2016 and many were assigned sectarian attacks [dailytimes.com.pk/92474/13-more-…]. Sectarian attacks were a key component for the #Chabahar terror network. /9

#Pakistan Shia Muslims have also been the target of political and criminal groups. Some underground #Karachi militants were involved in sectarian attacks late 2000s & early 2010s. After #Chabahar network was busted, some linkages surfaced to #India- & #Iran-backed cells. /10

Syed Adnan Kazmi explained this nexus between crime syndicates, political militant groups, and sectarianism in #Karachi, #Pakistan's largest city, in this article published in 2019/2020. /11

easterntimes.pk/?p=2428

On the religious aspect of the terror attack in #Peshawar, noteworthy how an anti-#Pakistan rally immediately sprung up in multiple places [4th picture] but no protest on the 3 other pictures that show targeted Indian anti-Shia action in the past two years. /12

62 Pakistanis killed in #Peshawar attack is the highest casualty figure since 2018 suicide attack on a #Quetta rally [killing 149]. This resurgent trend includes the biggest 🇵🇰military casualty (10) in 2022 since the 2019 attack that killed 14 soldiers /13

https://twitter.com/_AhmedQuraishi/status/1487057178372497411?s=20&t=Q2SEDa3p-JeF1NQQXyqh1A

Whipping up emotions in #Pakistan against the European Union is pointless. Better to focus on a terror nexus dedicated for years to destabilizing 🇵🇰’s two leading cities for the nation’s economy: #Karachi and #Gwadar. 🇪🇺 is not involved in destabilizing them. /14

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