ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday rejected the US State Department’s Terrorism Report for doubting Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts.
“We are disappointed with the US State Department’s Annual Country Report on Terrorism for 2019, which is self-contradictory and selective in its characterisation of Pakistan’s efforts for countering terrorism and terrorist financing,” FO Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said at the weekly media briefing.
The State Department report launched a few days back had said that “Pakistan remained a safe harbour for other regionally focused terrorist groups. It allowed groups targeting Afghanistan, including the Afghan Taliban and affiliated HQN, as well as groups targeting India, including LeT and its affiliated front organisations, and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), to operate from its territory”.
The report had alleged that Pakistani authorities did not take action “against known terrorists, such as JeM founder and UN-designated terrorist Masood Azhar and 2008 Mumbai attack project manager Sajid Mir, both of whom are believed to remain free in Pakistan”.
It noted that Pakistan, however, contributed to the Afghan peace process by encouraging Taliban to reduce violence and made progress towards meeting the Action Plan requirements for the Financial Action Task Force, though certain aspects remained unimplemented.
Spokesperson Farooqui said the report ignored Pakistan’s ‘crucial role’ in decimating Al Qaeda and did not acknowledge that downgrading of the Al Qaeda threat happened because Pakistani counterterrorism operations targeted proscribed groups and outfits without discrimination.
“We reject any insinuation about any safe haven. Pakistan will not allow any group or entity to use its territory against any country,” she asserted.
Ms Farooqui recalled the threats Pakistan faced from “externally-based and foreign-sponsored groups” like Pakistani Taliban and Daesh. “The report is again either silent or vague on the origins and locations of these terrorist groups,” she regretted.
Pakistan alleges that these groups have been targeting Pakistan from their bases in Afghanistan.
Commenting on the apparent slowdown in progress towards intra-Afghan dialogue, she said: “We hope that the release of prisoners will be completed as agreed in the US-Taliban Peace Agreement at the earliest to pave the way for the start of Intra-Afghan Negotiations”.
She said Pakistan reopened borders with Afghanistan for trade on Kabul’s request and on humanitarian considerations.
Responding to a question about the possibility of complete suspension of ties with India, the spokesperson said Pakistan did not want to escalate the situation. “We have always reacted with restraint,” she maintained.
Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2020
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