By Rafiq Tasal
A few days ago, the well-known religious scholar Sheikh Idris was martyred in Pakistan. This is not the first time that religious scholars have been martyred in a brutal and mysterious manner. Before this, Shaheed Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani, Shaheed Sheikh Naseeb Khan (RH), and Maulana Sami-ul-Haq (RH) were among the prominent and great scholars from whom thousands of scholars benefited from their knowledge.
The question is: who is targeting these great pillars and guiding lights of the Muslim Ummah?
The killing of Sheikh Idris (RH) was openly claimed by ISKP Khawarij, who publicly declared that they had carried out the assassination. In that very declaration, however, there were several points indicating that the incident was not actually carried out by ISKP itself, but rather was a carefully calculated intelligence project.
In these circumstances, the Pakistani military regime found another opportunity to repeat its longstanding pattern and malice: to eliminate such a major figure and then present the blame to the public and the world under the name of ISKP, thereby continuing its hostility toward Islam, its targeting of religious scholars, and its policy of oppression and brutality against Muslims in general.
It is noteworthy that this military circle consistently makes use of the same international intelligence label and stamp “terrorist” or “ISIS” which shields every intelligence operation and conspiracy from scrutiny and investigation. The military circle uses these labels in order to protect itself from both public and international backlash and suspicion.
The Pakistan-backed group stated that Sheikh Idris (RH) was assassinated in an area near the Durand Line, close to Afghanistan. Why do they continue repeating such claims and accusations? The broader military objectives of Pakistan are clear: to suppress Muslims and to preserve and reinforce the so-called artificial borders drawn among Muslims by Crusaders and Jewish powers.
Their present claim that the assassination took place near the so-called Durand Line clearly shows an attempt to justify their brutality against the tribes and the Afghans living near the disputed line, and to portray their actions and oppression in a defensive and legitimate manner similar to that of Israel. The purpose is to provide justification before the world for their bombings and acts of violence.
What is striking, however, is that Sheikh Sahib (RH) was not assassinated in the area they mention, but hundreds of kilometers away, in the midst of Pakistan’s military, intelligence, and civilian installations.
In summary, the Pakistani military circle considers the sacrifice of people for its objectives, whether ordinary civilians, national interests, religious scholars, or other political and external values, as part of its duty and military priorities. Therefore, in light of the circumstances and the consistent conduct and actions of the military circle, this act was carried out in coordination between ISKP and the military establishment.
If ISKP carried out the attack, then it would not have been possible for the group to target such a high-profile figure so directly, swiftly, and effectively within a short time without internal support and backing. Thus, if ISKP was involved, such an operation would have been impossible without military support and guidance.
Therefore, at times destructive intelligence and military groups operating within a country become instruments for the objectives and interests of that state itself. ISKP today functions in the same manner, as a project of Pakistan’s military circle, used to advance its objectives and conspiracies in Asia by targeting countries that obstruct its interests and individuals who stand in the way of its policies, while avoiding responsibility for the consequences.
In several repeated incidents carried out inside Afghanistan and Pakistan, some perpetrators were arrested, and through evidence and confessions it became clear that ISKP was financed, fully supported, and utilized by Pakistan’s military regime for its own objectives whenever needed.
For this reason, ISKP and the military regime are “two sides of the same coin.” There is one military regime, one objective, and one path; under two different names, it is ultimately the same military and intelligence circle carrying forward its agenda.