ISLAMABAD: Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry says the government is not oblivious to the threat posed by the Middle Eastern terrorist group Islamic State (IS) even though it still is not a serious security challenge for the country.

In a testimony on Monday to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on IS, which is also known by its Arabic acronym Daesh, Mr Chaudhry said that there was no evidence yet of IS presence in the country, but that disarray in terrorist groups like Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan after the military’s Zarb-i-Azb operation in North Waziristan had made their foot soldiers to look towards IS for the leadership and resources for regrouping.

IS had announced last month its organisational structure for “Khorasan” (Pakistan and Afghanistan) led by a former Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan leader from Orakzai Hafez Saeed Khan.

“With the Khorasan ‘governorship’ going to a Pakistani and former TTP men getting a lion’s share in the 12 ‘cabinet positions’, it is amply clear that IS plans to focus on Pakistan as part of its ‘expansion into Khorasan’ strategy,” the secretary said.

Mr Chaudhry was, however, concerned that Daesh was trying to establish itself in Afghanistan and said that it could pose a bigger threat to international security than Al Qaeda.

He said the government would do its best to prevent IS from entering Pakistan.

He said the government was in touch with other countries on the matter though it had not joined the international coalition against the terror group because of domestic security compulsions.

“The government has a policy of zero tolerance towards IS and there should be no doubt that action will be taken against anyone affiliated with it,” he told the committee.

Members of the committee drew his attention towards Daesh’s sympathisers in society and named Lal Masjid, whose students had invited the group to Pakistan.

He said that taking action against sympathisers was not in Foreign Office’s purview.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2015

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