ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday expressed "disappointment" at the "self-contradictory and selective" characterization of the country's efforts for countering terrorism and terror financing in the United States' annual report.
"We are disappointed with the US State Department's Annual Country Report on Terrorism for 2019, which is self-contradictory and selective in its characterization of Pakistan's efforts for countering terrorism and terrorist financing," said Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui, while reacting to the US State Department's 2019 Country Report on Terrorism, which was released on Wednesday.
In its report, the State Department, once again accused Pakistan of offering terrorists "safe haven" for certain regionally-focused terrorist groups, including the Afghan Taliban, and affiliated Haqqani Network, as well as groups targeting India such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and its affiliated organization Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), to operate from its territory," the report maintained.
"Pakistan is fully aware of its responsibilities as a sovereign state. We reject any insinuation about any 'safe haven'. Pakistan will not allow any group or entity to use its territory against any country," Farooqui said.
On the contrary, it is Pakistan that faces the threat of terrorism from externally-based and foreign-sponsored groups, such as the Tehreeke-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan (ISIS-K), and others. "The report is again either silent or vague on the origins and locations of these terrorist groups," she added.
While the report recognizes that Al-Qaeda has been seriously degraded in the region, Farooqui added that it neglects to mention Pakistan's crucial role in decimating Al-Qaeda, thereby diminishing the threat that the terrorist group once posed to the world.
Similarly, she added that the report acknowledged the sharp decrease in the incidence of terrorist attacks in Pakistan. However, it neglects to explain that this was only possible because Pakistan's resolute counter-terrorism operations have targeted proscribed groups, and outfits without discrimination, she added.
"Pakistan remains committed to fulfilling its obligations under the UNSC 1267 sanctions regime for the freezing of assets and denial of funds and economic resources to all designated entities and individuals," the Foreign Office spokesperson asserted.
In recent months, she pointed out that Pakistan had prosecuted and convicted the leadership of several proscribed groups, which had been acknowledged by the United States elsewhere but only merited a passing mention in the report.
Pakistan also continues to implement the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) action plan, and has undertaken wide-ranging and systemic reforms to that end, she said, adding that while it notes the progress made by Pakistan under the action plan, the report did not capture the political commitment, revamping of Pakistan's AML/CFT regime, and our consistent and sustainable actions, which have also been recognised by the FATF.
"The report fails to acknowledge the full extent of Pakistan's support for the Afghan peace process, which has created a historic opportunity for lasting peace in the region," she said, adding that Pakistan's positive contribution and facilitation of US-Taliban direct talks culminating in the peace agreement of 29 February 2020 were widely acknowledged, including by the US, and its leadership.
"Pakistan hopes that future US reports will fully acknowledge the entire spectrum of Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts and present a fair and correct perspective of this global threat," she expressed the hope.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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