Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar has urged the international community especially the United Nations and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to hold India accountable for perpetrating terrorist activities inside Pakistan.
Addressing a news conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, she said we have shared a dossier regarding Indian involvement in Johar Town, Lahore terrorist attack with members of UN Security Council. She said it will also be shared with the UN Secretary General, hoping they will look into this undeniable and undisputable evidence and fulfill their responsibility.
The Minister of State said the Lahore incident is a test case for the credibility and integrity of international counter terrorism and counter financing of terrorism regimes.
She said the world must show that efforts to counter terrorism are nondiscriminatory. The international conscience cannot be held hostage to political and economic exigencies of the time.
Hina Rabbani Khar said terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is condemnable as this poses a serious threat to peace and security.
She expressed her surprise that the perpetrators of terrorism are today projecting themselves to be the biggest victims of terrorism.
The Minister of State said Lahore incident is a clear evidence of a terrorist attack which was planned and supported by India to target innocent civilians. She said it reflects India’s persistent hostility towards Pakistan and it uses terrorist proxies to achieve nefarious objectives.
Hina Rabbani Khar said our professional law enforcement agencies and judicial authorities have brought the perpetrators of this attack to justice who have received punishment but these are the front men.
She said the mastermind and facilitators remain at large and under Indian state patronage and protection. She assured Pakistan will pursue this case relentlessly at every level.
She said India remains the recruiter, financer and the facilitator of terrorist outfits and foreign terrorist fighters within the region. She said India has a constant role in destabilizing neighboring countries and weaken their economies to pursue their hegemonic designs in the region.
Responding to a question about Pakistan’s dossiers, the Minister of State said Pakistan’s case is strong as it has provided undeniable and concrete evidence of India’s involvement in terrorism.
She said India has made no contribution to international counter terrorism efforts, rather has always parroted being the victim of terrorism itself to divert international attention from its state sponsored terrorism and human rights violations in Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Hina Rabbani Khar said India has always created hurdles in judicial proceedings of terrorism cases; paralyse the UN security Council’s sanctions regime by blocking the listing of Indian terrorists actively aided by it. She named four terrorist whose listing was blocked by India recently.
She said India must be reminded that when you harm the region, you harm yourself.
She said while India has mastered the art of using international organizations for its political gains, Pakistan has always been at the forefront of ensuring peace and stability in the region.
