ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has finally admitted that internationally denounced terrorist outfits, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammed, have been operating from within its territory. Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif called for tougher action against these groups. Speaking to national media, he said, “We should impose restrictions on activities of elements like LeT and JeM so that we can show the global community that we've put our house in order.”
He said Pakistan could no longer afford to “test” its friends on the issue, keeping in light the dynamic changes around the world in dealing with the menace. He said, “Friends like China should not be tested every time, particularly in the changed (global) scenario.” The statements followed a BRICS declaration that named several terrorist groups, including the two, as threats to regional security. Pak Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir was quick to reject the declaration, saying there were no safe havens for terrorists inside the country.
However, Asif said, “I am not making any political statement. We cannot afford to shut our eyes on activities of these organisations in our country. If we continue to do that we will always face such embarrassments.” He admitted that Pak had made mistakes in the past saying there was no need for the country to participate in the proxy war in Afghanistan during Zia-ul Haq's regime, and later in the war on terror.
“There's an urgent need for a clean break from our past. In 1979, Pakistan had made a wrong decision and acted like a proxy for the next decade. After 9/11, we again made a wrong decision and adopted a war, which was never ours. We have suffered uncountable losses of lives and properties in this war.”
Asif also said Pakistan needs to question whether it had fully implemented its National Action Plan on terrorism that was framed after a Taliban attack on an army-run in Peshawar in 2014 killed nearly 150 people.
Though the interior ministry had published an advertisement that directed people not to donate the hides of animals sacrificed during Eid-ul-Azha to banned organisations such as LeT, this directive was violated at a few places, Asif said. The civilian and military leadership were on the same page on the need to act against terror groups, he said.
