Pakistan's open support for Hamas endangers global security: Report

Islamabad, Oct 3 (IANS) Having once harboured Osama bin Laden while receiving billions in US aid, Pakistan continues to play a dangerous game that is threatening global security as it now shelters and empowers Hamas while posing as a counterterrorism partner, a report detailed on Friday.

"Pakistan has long perfected the art of duplicity – presenting itself as a partner in the fight against terrorism while covertly nurturing jihadist groups to advance its geopolitical ambitions. This dangerous double game, tolerated for decades by Washington, is now entering a new and even deadlier phase: Islamabad’s intelligence service, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), is secretly training Hamas operatives," a report in leading Bangladeshi outlet ‘Blitz’ has detailed.

According to the report, while the West seeks to isolate Hamas following its October 7, 2023, atrocities, Pakistan is covertly offering the Gaza-based terror organisation sanctuary, resources, and military expertise. It added that the nexus between ISI, Hamas, and Pakistan’s political and military elites threatens not only Israel and India but also erodes US counterterrorism efforts and global security as a whole.

"While US President Donald Trump recently hosted Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir at the White House, Islamabad is continuing its older tactics of playing double standards – if not outright betrayal," the report stressed.

Citing credible intelligence sources, the report said, Hamas representatives are not only operating freely on Pakistani soil, attending public events, and forging alliances with local jihadist outfits, but they are also being trained by the ISI and a special unit of the Pakistan Army in at least two secret camps, one of which is located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

These moves, it said, compromise Western attempts to isolate Hamas and raise serious questions about whether the US should continue considering Pakistan a “major non-NATO ally”.

“Hamas’s influence is also shaping Pakistan’s own military tactics. Inspired by Hamas’s October 7 massacre model, Pakistan has attempted to launch Hamas-styled rocket attacks on India – fortunately intercepted by Indian forces,” the report highlighted

It further said that senior Hamas operatives visited PoK just two months before the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, allegedly meeting Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists. Israel’s Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, directly linked the timing of the attack to these visits, highlighting the deadly consequences of Hamas–ISI cooperation.

“The Hamas–Pakistan nexus is not a passing alignment; it has deep roots. Over the years, Hamas leaders have been warmly received by Pakistani envoys in Lebanon, Qatar, and elsewhere. Pakistani officials, including retired Generals-turned-ambassadors, have facilitated these ties,” the report noted.

--IANS

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