Pakistan rejects allegations of providing safe havens for terrorists in FATA
January 14, 2017
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has rejected allegations by the United States and Afghanistan that it has safe havens for terrorists in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and has reiterated that it will not allow its land to be used against any other country.
The allegations came after bombings outside the Kabul parliament this week which killed over 30 people and injured several others.
In a statement the foreign office spokesperson said that Pakistan's contribution to the international community's fight against terrorism and the sacrifices that it rendered have been acknowledged by the world, including the US at various levels of their leadership, EU and others.
Pakistan has lost thousands of its citizens and has suffered economic losses of over US$ 100 billion due to the menace of terrorism, the statement added.
Appreciating the role of military Operation Zarb-e-Azb the statement said that security situation in Pakistan, particularly near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has improved. “The results of our military action are there for everyone to see through peace and stability at our borders with Afghanistan. The US Parliamentarians and US Commanders have visited the FATA Areas and publicly acknowledged the successes of Pakistan's counter terrorism drive.”
“Afghanistan is infested with many terrorist organizations due to the instability there, which has created space for the terrorist elements such as Haqqani Network's leadership, TTA, TTP, Daesh, Al-Qaeda, Jamaat-ul-Ahraar, etc. It is, therefore, not appropriate to blame others for the adversities due to the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. The oft repeated claims regarding safe havens are, therefore, more of a rhetoric than anything else,” the statement said.
The Foreign Office blamed foreign elements including a nexus of Indian RAW and NDS of exploiting the situation and using Afghan soil against Pakistan and the region at large.
Pakistan remain committed to peace efforts in Afghanistan and it is unfortunate that its sincere efforts are being maligned, it added.
