It is no surprise at all that India turned out to be behind the cyber attack on the FBR (Federal Board of Revenue) website a few weeks ago. Pakistani authorities expected their investigation to divulge just such information; just like everybody here was convinced that India would go the extra mile, including spewing lies through its savage, aggressive media outlets, to discredit Pakistan with regard to the evolving situation in Afghanistan. What is more, the investigation has also revealed that Indian hackers were behind a similar attempt in 2019, which speaks volumes about the kinds of digital controls we have on some of our most sensitive data; especially when we are well aware of the kind of threat emanating form just across the border. We’re told that while the hackers were successful in breaching the FBR’s firewalls, they weren’t for some reason able to reach its data. And that, going forward, the government is engaging international experts to make sure that such a thing never happens again. All that is fine and the people will have to take the government for its word as far as the depth of the hackers’ penetration is concerned, but surely this incident shows that there is a need to reorient security for all important organisations; not the least because the country wants to turn completely digital in the minimum possible time. It’s a shame that the Indians, nudged by their extremist, hardline prime minister, have firmly decided to see regional developments only through the prism of enmity and hatred. This way they are responsible for wasting a truly great opportunity to turn things around and work for the welfare of the people on both sides of the divide. The PTI government made unprecedented gestures of peace once it came to power, only to be snubbed in the most undiplomatic manner. The sad fact about Delhi is that almost all of PM Modi’s initiatives have been defeated; none of its neighbours want to have anything to do with India, foreign investors have had it with Delhi’s false promises and mirages, and it has no security role left to play anywhere at all. The only trick Modi and his team have left is to rally the extremist, pro-Hindutva belt by turning the whole country into a far-right Hindu rashtra and whipping up feverish hatred against Pakistan. And that is exactly what they are doing. We must, then, make sure that all our borders are secure – land, sea, air and digital. *