ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday warned against a “malicious campaign” being used to trivialise Pakistan’s achievements in the war against terrorism.
The announcement comes just days after the United States (US) President Donald Trump announced the new National Security Strategy (NSS) which is particularly hard on Pakistan.
During a weekly briefing of the foreign office, the FO Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal dismissed the “unfounded accusations” levelled against Islamabad by Trump in his announcement.
The US president had reminded Pakistan of its obligation to help America because it receives “massive payments” from Washington every year.
“We have made it clear to Pakistan that while we desire continued partnership, we must see decisive action against terrorist groups operating in their territory. And we make massive payments every year to Pakistan. They have to help,” said the US president.
The 56-page NSS document says that “the United States continues to face threats from transnational terrorists and militants operating from within Pakistan”.
“We will press Pakistan to intensify its counterterrorism efforts since no partnership can survive a country’s support for militants and terrorists who target a partner’s own service members and officials,” the document reads, adding: “We seek a Pakistan that is not engaged in destabilising behaviour.”
Dr Faisal asserted that the accusations in the US NSS “belie facts on the ground and trivialise Pakistan’s efforts for fighting terrorism and our unmatched sacrifices to promote peace and stability in the region”.
“It is because of Pakistan’s cooperation with the international community, acknowledged and appreciated by the US leadership, that the Al Qaeda core was decimated from the region,” the FO spokesperson said.
Despite its best efforts, the FO said that the country continues to suffer due to “state-sponsored terrorism funded and abetted by our neighbours through proxies” that are working against Pakistan.
“These proxies, consisting of individuals, organisations and intelligence agencies, are working against Pakistan at the behest of regional adversaries. The self-proclaimed guarantors of peace and phoney regional powers are pursuing this nefarious game of expansionism to the detriment of regional and global peace. Destabilising policies and actions by some countries to maintain their hegemony in pursuit of absolute power are responsible for instability in several parts of the world, including ours,” the FO statement said.
Dr Faisal insisted that the Afghan soil is “constantly being used by elements hostile to Pakistan’s stability”, and urged Afghanistan to counter the growing threat posed to the region by the militant Islamic State (IS) group by destroying the outfit’s “increasing safe havens” in the neighbouring country.
“Pakistan’s efforts and sincere proposals for effective border management to prevent cross-border movement of militants and return of Afghan refugees are yet to make any headway,” he added.
Dr Faisal also emphasised Pakistan’s efforts towards reconstruction in Afghanistan, claiming that the Pakistani government had established three tertiary care hospitals in Jalalabad, Kabul and Nangarhar. In addition, he said, Pakistan had trained 69 Afghan health professionals, including doctors, nurses and paramedic staff in the past year. At least 59 health professionals have already completed their training and left for Afghanistan, he said.
Deport all Afghan refugees, Bomb Terrorists in Afghanistan and take the war to Southern Afghanistan & Chahbahar !
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