Many commentators over many years have had suspicious about the Pakistan military when it comes to fighting jihadists. The Pakistan military is generally not exactly considered as a solid ally in the battle against radical Islam and Islamic terrorism. Of course military leaders and the Pakistani government will say the right things for international consumption about how they are cracking down on the numerous Islamic terror groups that operate in Pakistan, but little seems really to be done. As time has gone on it has become increasingly obvious to many of us that there are elements in the Pakistan military that are providing at best passive and at worst active support for various Islamic terror groups operating out of Pakistan.

Now there are reports from an Indian news source, although not a source that I can wholly verify as accurate, that claim that a member of the Pakistan military was seen praising ‘mujahidin’ and ‘Islamic martyrs’ at a military base in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The base was where the bodies of 200 Islamic militants had been taken following an Indian Air Force raid on an area called Balakot.

The claim was made by a person who appears to be an activist for minority rights in Pakistan called Senge Hasnan Sering whom the Indian news source Times Now News (h/t ROP) said is an American citizen.

Times Now News said:

A US-based activist from Gilgit has claimed that after the IAF air strikes bodies of more than 200 militants were shifted to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Balakot. There have been reports in the Urdu media about some bodies being transported from Balakot to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas of Pakistan after India’s anti-terror strike, claimed Senge Hasnan Sering. The activist also shared a video on his Twitter handle where a Pakistan military officer admits to “martyrdom” of more than 200 terrorists during Indian strike on Balakot and vows to support their families. The officer can also be heard saying that “Mujahids receive special favours and sustenance from Allah as they fight to support the Pakistani government against enemies.”

Talking to ANI, Sering says that he is not sure about the authenticity of this video but adds that Pakistan is “definitely hiding something very important that has happened in Balakot.”

There are, as Mr Sering himself said, doubts about the authenticity of the video and I tend to share those doubts. Without a trail to the source, and maybe, if safe the disclosure of the source, of the video there will continue to be doubts as to whether this is genuine or even Indian government propaganda.

However, if true it represents a bit more evidence to the world that the Pakistani military or at least some elements of it, are not completely on board with the fight against Islamic terrorism. I thought that the reference to the support that the terrorists give to the Pakistani government and its fight against ‘Pakistan’s enemies’, if correct, gives some credence to claims made by India that the Pakistani government and the Islamic terrorists work hand in hand against India. These revelations if proven to be true, may well ramp up tensions between India and Pakistan, tensions that I believe have been worsened by the behaviour of successive Pakistani governments. These governments have often dragged their feet when it comes to dealing with Pakistani Islamic terrorists who have targeted India from Pakistani territory and these latest claims would fit well with the past behaviour of Pakistan and its governments.

If the claims made by Mr Sering have any solid basis to them then it would show Pakistan to be a nation that is a net exporter of Islamic violence to India. If this is the case then we need to ask ourselves an important question: If Pakistan is exporting terror to India, with the connivance of the Pakistani government, are they doing the same in other nations that have a Pakistani diaspora living within them? It could be that Pakistani incitement and support for terrorism may not only be a problem for the citizens of India but for the citizens of places like the United Kingdom as well.