US Ambivalent on Pakistan’s Support of Terrorism

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US Ambivalent on Pakistan’s Support of Terrorism

The latest report on terrorism by the US State Department, for the year 2020, is important only for the finer points and not a broad sweep of its contents. Indian observers are unhappy with the report.

 

‘Pakistan made positive contributions to the Afghanistan peace process’

Not for the first time, writes The Tribune “the Pakistan government and military have been put in a corner on several counts, be it acting inconsistently with respect to safe havens throughout the country, or not taking sufficient action to dismantle terrorist groups. Several UN and US-designated terrorist groups that focus on attacks outside the country continue to operate from Pakistani soil, it says, pointing to the Haqqani Network, LeT and JeM. The presence of terror havens may have been presented as a justification for the US government continuing to suspend most of its security assistance to Pakistan, but what would not go unnoticed in New Delhi is the acknowledgement that ‘Pakistan made positive contributions to the Afghanistan peace process’, and its ‘additional progress toward completing the FATF action plan’.

“The report begins with an admission of the terrorism threat becoming more geographically dispersed, requiring a marshalling of counterterrorism responses. It’s an appeal that India has overstated time and again at every global forum, but the support for any forceful-determined pushback to deal with a rogue neighbour may have fallen short of expectation….”

 

Pakistan continues to support terrorism in Kashmir

India is in any case, more worried about Pakistan’s continued support to militancy in Kashmir. According to latest records, 24 Pakistani terrorists have been killed in the last eight months in the state, clearly showing that Pakistan's support to terrorism in the Union territory continues unabated. Eight of them have been killed in the Jammu zone and 16 have been killed in the Kashmir Zone. Details of these slain terrorists reveal that they are all from Pakistan, writes Shishir Gupta (Executive Editor, Hindustan Times).

“The details of these terrorists primarily prove three things: One, Pakistan's support to terrorism despite Pakistan PM Imran Khan's tall claims on international platforms continues; second, there is continued infiltration all across the Line of Control in both Kashmir and Jammu; third, the main groups operating are Lashkar and Jaish. These Pakistan-based groups have sought cover by posing as indigenous Kashmiri groups, continuing the targeting of Kashmir."


All Neighbours Article