Pakistan’s Blame Game: The Old Pattern of Denial and Deflection

When tragedy strikes within Pakistan’s borders, the script from Islamabad is all too predictable. The recent suicide car bombing in North Waziristan, which killed at least 13 Pakistani soldiers, is only the latest example. Even as the Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction of the Pakistan Taliban (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, the Pakistani military was quick to accuse India of orchestrating the carnage—a claim India has categorically rejected as “deserving of contempt”.

This knee-jerk blame game is not new. It is a well-worn pattern that exposes a deeper malaise: Pakistan’s decades-long policy of nurturing terror infrastructure for strategic leverage, only to cry victim and point fingers at external enemies when the inevitable blowback occurs.

Building the Terror Infrastructure
Pakistan’s “terror ecosystem” did not emerge overnight. It was meticulously constructed during the Afghan jihad of the 1980s, when the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), with support from the CIA and Saudi Arabia, funneled arms, money, and training to Islamist fighters battling the Soviets. When the Soviets withdrew, these militant assets were redirected toward India, especially in Kashmir, and Afghanistan. Groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) evolved into sophisticated, state-supported networks, enjoying safe havens, military-level training, and logistical assistance.

Despite international pressure, including from the UN and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Pakistan’s efforts to dismantle these networks have been half-hearted at best. Crackdowns are cosmetic, often involving token arrests or rebranding of organizations, while the underlying infrastructure remains intact.

The “Snakes in the Backyard” Metaphor
No discussion of Pakistan’s double game is complete without recalling Hillary Clinton’s famous warning in Islamabad in 2011:

“You can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours. Eventually those snakes are going to turn on whoever has them in the backyard.”

This metaphor has been repeatedly invoked by Indian officials and international observers to highlight the self-defeating nature of Pakistan’s policy. The very groups once cultivated as “strategic assets” have turned inward, unleashing violence on Pakistani soil. Yet, instead of introspection, the state apparatus finds it easier to blame India, Afghanistan, or other external actors.

• The Cycle of Denial and Deflection
  Whenever Pakistan suffers a terror attack, the pattern is clear:
• Immediate Denial: Pakistani authorities deny any domestic responsibility, even when evidence points to homegrown groups.
• Victimhood Narrative: Islamabad presents itself as the “biggest victim of terrorism,” ignoring its own role in nurturing the perpetrators.
• Blame India: The default response is to accuse India of “sponsoring” or “backing” the attackers, regardless of claims of responsibility from local groups.
• International Distraction: Pakistan seeks to muddy the waters internationally, hoping to deflect scrutiny from its own culpability.

The latest Waziristan attack fits this template perfectly. Despite the TTP faction’s admission, Pakistan’s military blamed “Indian sponsored kharijis,” and the government sought to internationalize the incident. India’s response was unequivocal: the allegations were “rejected with the contempt they deserve”.

The Cost of Playing with Fire
Pakistan’s own leaders have, in rare moments of candor, admitted to this dangerous game. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif recently acknowledged that Pakistan has funded and supported terrorist groups for decades, often at the behest of Western interests during the Cold War. Former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has similarly conceded Pakistan’s “past” in global terrorism.

Yet, these admissions are quickly forgotten when the next crisis erupts. The refusal to confront the consequences of its policies means Pakistan remains trapped in a cycle of violence and denial, with ordinary Pakistanis paying the price.

The tragedy in Waziristan is not just a security failure—it is a damning indictment of a policy that has long outlived its strategic utility. The world is not blind to the pattern: Pakistan builds the terror infrastructure, suffers the inevitable blowback, and then seeks an easy scapegoat in India. As Hillary Clinton warned, the snakes in the backyard do not discriminate. Until Pakistan confronts this reality, the cycle of violence and blame will continue—shamefully and needlessly.