Pakistan moving at a greater pace against terrorism: Kerry

Published August 31, 2016
US Secretary of State John F. Kerry gestures as he addresses a gathering at The Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi on August 31.— AFP
US Secretary of State John F. Kerry gestures as he addresses a gathering at The Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi on August 31.— AFP

NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State John Kerry said Pakistan had made progress in the fight against extremism in recent months, but urged Islamabad to push harder against militants hiding within its borders as tensions with neighbouring India rise amid more violence in the disputed region of Kashmir.

“It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in extremist activities,” Kerry said on Wednesday, the second day of a visit to India.

Kerry said the United States had made it clear to Islamabad that it needs to act against groups such as the Taliban-linked Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba that are suspected of operating from Pakistan to launch attacks against its neighbours India and Afghanistan.

“In fairness, the Pakistanis have suffered greatly from terrorism in their own country,” Kerry said. “All of us need to be supportive and also understanding of how difficult it is to take it on step by step.”

Without elaborating, he added: “I believe that in the last months progress is being made and the Pakistanis are moving at a greater pace.”

The United States accuses Pakistan of not doing enough against the Haqqani militants. Pakistan denies this.

The Pakistan Army launched military operations in 2014 in the troubled North Waziristan region, which is said to be the base of the Haqqani group.

Kerry said on Tuesday that Islamabad should not feel isolated by fresh talks that are planned between the United States, India and Afghanistan next month in New York. The last time such trilateral talks were held was in 2013.

“My hope is that Pakistan as a country is not isolated by this but is encouraged by this,” Kerry said. He said had spoken to Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif about the need for his country to deprive any group of “sanctuary”.

Opinion

Editorial

Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...
Provincial share
Updated 17 Mar, 2024

Provincial share

PPP has aptly advised Centre to worry about improving its tax collection rather than eying provinces’ share of tax revenues.
X-communication
17 Mar, 2024

X-communication

IT has now been a month since Pakistani authorities decided that the country must be cut off from one of the...
Stateless humanity
17 Mar, 2024

Stateless humanity

THE endless hostility between India and Pakistan has reduced prisoners to mere statistics. Although the two ...