I have been closely tracking the shifting sands of foreign-sponsored terrorism in our region for a long time but I must say that the recent propaganda emerging from these factions feels different to me. I watched the video that has been making the rounds on social media featuring the terrorist commander Bashir Zaib riding casually on a Honda CD 125. The intent of the video is obvious because it aims to project confidence. It wants to tell me and the rest of the world that these commanders can roam freely through the valleys of Balochistan. But as I dissected that footage I did not see authority. I saw the desperate antics of a man trying to prove he is still relevant while his world crumbles around him.
The first question that hit me was simple. Is this really being filmed inside Pakistan? To me the logistics just do not add up. I find it impossible to believe that a high value target like Bashir Zaib would risk an open motorcycle ride in a zone that I know is swarming with Pakistan’s surveillance drones and intelligence networks. My instinct tells me this production was stamped Made in Afghanistan. It looks like a product exported across the border to play a psychological trick on our minds because the reality on the ground offers them no such freedom.
This brings me face to face with the two heads of the monster we are fighting. On one side I see Fitna ul Khawarij perverting faith for violence. On the other I see Fitna ul Hindustan acting as the foreign funded proxy to bleed our state.
So I have to ask myself why they released this video now. I believe the answer lies in the panic caused by the Pakistan Army.
I look at the recent numbers and they paint a picture of total collapse for the enemy. In just the last 48 hours reports suggest our forces have neutralized over 100 terrorists. I believe the backbone of Fitna ul Hindustan has been shattered by precision operations. Their caves and mountains are no longer safe havens because our technology has stripped them naked. I suspect Bashir Zaib has not returned to the fight because he feels strong. I suspect he was pushed out of his safe house by foreign handlers holding bags of money who are terrified that their investment is being wiped out.
I view the utter failure of “Operation Herof” as the final nail in their credibility. It exposes these terrorists for what they truly are which is delusional cannon fodder. To me this attempt by the wretched alliance of Fitna ul Hindustan and Fitna ul Khawarij to attack the state was a suicide mission. They marched blindly into the iron fist of the Pakistan Army and were obliterated. These cowards branded with the curse of Fitna sought headlines but found only swift justice. I see no strategic gain for them in Operation Herof. I see only a harvest of carcasses and the exposure of their tactical incompetence. While their leaders sit safely abroad making videos our soldiers are hunting down their minions with a fury that has clearly terrified them.
What strikes me most is the new composition of their fighters. Reports indicate a joint adventure where Afghan nationals and members of Fitna ul Khawarij are fighting alongside Fitna ul Hindustan. This forces me to realize a critical truth. The so called indigenous movement is a myth. If they had local support why would they need to import mercenaries? I believe the people of Balochistan have rejected them completely. The masses want development and peace and they have seen the ugly face of this foreign-sponsored terrorism.
I also wonder about the situation next door in Afghanistan. Has the political wind shifted? It is quite possible that the Afghan administration facing economic hardship has told Bashir Zaib that his time is up. Or perhaps the ordinary Afghan citizens have made it clear they do not want to harbor the source of their border troubles. He looks to me like an exile running out of friends and running out of time.
From my perspective the momentum of terrorism has been broken. It is impossible to sustain a war when the locals hate you and the drones are watching your every move. The handlers can sit in safety but the foot soldiers are walking into death traps.
Bashir Zaib is learning the hard lesson that you cannot defeat a professional army with TikTok style videos. I believe he is facing the full wrath of a state that has decided to clear every inch of its territory. To me that video of the man on the motorcycle is not a threat. It is a sign that the theatre is closed. Pakistan will keep responding until the last terrorist is gone and for the architects of Fitna ul Hindustan I believe the writing is already on the wall.
