Rehman Malik asks PM to move matter of US, India’s BECA to UN

ISLAMABAD: Chairman of Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator Abdul Rehman Malik on Tuesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, advising him for moving the matter of US-India Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) in the United Nations, being a threat to regional peace and stability.

In his letter, Rehman Malik urged the prime minister to take up the matter of the US-India Defence Pact - BECA in United Nations and other international forums in the best national interest and to alert the international community about India’s violent designs not only towards Pakistan but towards other countries in the region.

He has suggested to create national consensus on vital national security issue of US-India Defence Pact and Parliament may kindly be taken into confidence in-camera as to what measures should be taken by Pakistan to safeguard our military and strategic assets. He advised PM to raise concerns and apprehensions on this pact in UNSC and other international forums. He has urged that Pakistan must call a meeting of all SAARC countries on this one point agenda to discuss and pass a resolution on this pact that is highly detrimental to the region. “Request China to call a meeting of regional countries, either in China or Pakistan and discuss a counter-strategy to this pact and raise it in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)”, he added. He said that it is important to educate the masses on the rising risk, so that nation is prepared and united.

Referring to his earlier apprehensions, Rehman Malik writes to Prime Minister Imran Khan that unfortunately his earlier warning, to the then government, on 12th July, 2016, went unheeded, wherein he had raised alarm when USA had announced joint satellite venture to use Indian satellite for weather data under the cover of cooperation on weather coordinates.

He writes, “Clearly, it was thinly veiled covert spying operation, for zooming in Pakistan and China through the powerful devices. “I had expressed that through this joint technical development both India and USA had started setting up the required gadgets and tuning in the Sino-Pak military bases/assets. Unfortunately, my warning went un-heeded.” “I would like to draw your kind attention towards Indo-American pact "Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Cooperation" or BECA, inked on 27-Oct-20, for sharing satellite map data, tactical real-time intelligence, that can exponentially enhance the accuracy of drone, missile and aerospace target acquisition technologies, controllable from across the globe or even space, poses a perpetual existential threat to Pakistan and several other countries of the region” reads Senator Rehman Malik’s letter to Prime Minister. He elaborated that after being declared the major defence partner, and inking of The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Association of Aug-2016, later, the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement of 2018, and compounding these with the "Industrial Security Annex" in Dec-2019, and now BECA, India has succeeded in laying down a complete formidable matrix of Indo-American hybrid-warfare mechanism.

He stated that according to available information, the USA had already completed this “cooperation” by July 2019 and signing of BECA was merely a formality, at a time to demonstrate total support to India against China and Pakistan, to mitigate the humility India is suffering at Doklam and Galwan. He stated that when seen in light of the recent sequenced developments, such as the French Islamophobic stance, in step with Indian Islamophobic hysteria, wooing and pampering Hindu chauvinistic diaspora in USA in electioneering campaigns, recent forecasts of war with Pakistan and China by Indian BJP politicians, all add up towards sinister Indian designs against Pakistan and China. The falling in place of the final piece of this strategic puzzle, clearly indicates that India would be in a position to undertake adventure against Pakistan, in very near future, lest Pakistan develops counter-capability, he added. The former interior minister apprehended that without mincing any words, our national strategic assets lie exposed to Indian evil designs, and we have to, at all costs, protect them.

“Considering the steep-rise in war mongering, and sabre clattering by Indian military and as well as ruling elite, there remains little doubt that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is preparing stage for triggering WW-III theatre in the region,” he stated in a letter.