Pakistan Blames India For 'Distracting' it From Counter-terrorism Efforts

Islamabad: Pakistan on Wednesday claimed that India was "distracting" it from counter-terrorism efforts as it briefed foreign diplomats on the country's credentials amid criticism by the US for providing safe havens to militants.

Ambassadors and Heads of Mission of resident Missions in Islamabad were briefed by the Foreign Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chief of General Staff (CGS), Director General Military Operations (DGMO) and Director General Military Intelligence (DGMI) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Foreign Office said that the diplomats were told about Pakistan's "achievements and challenges" in counter-terrorism efforts and combating violent extremism. "Details were also provided on how Indian belligerence and unhelpful posturing is distracting Pakistan's counter terrorism efforts and how an active RAW/NDS nexus is verifiably working to undermine Pakistan's internal stability," the FO said.

The envoys were provided details about the success of military operations which had eliminated terrorist presence in Pakistan. They were also briefed about the terrorist threat emanating from the safe havens and sanctuaries in Afghanistan, which is resulting in loss of human lives and damage to infrastructure in Pakistan.

Foreign Minister Khwaja Asif stated that the briefing had been arranged to inform the diplomatic corps about the massive counter-terrorism efforts that Pakistan had undertaken in the last 16 years and the developments in the last four years.

The briefing comes as the US in recent days stepped up efforts to put pressure on Pakistan to do more to combat terrorism. The Trump administration last week suspended nearly USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan for its failure to take decisive action against terror groups like the Taliban and the Haqqani Network.

The members of the diplomatic corps condoled the loss of human lives in the terrorist attack in Quetta yesterday. A suicide bomber yesterday blew himself up near Pakistan's Balochistan Assembly, killing six persons including four policemen and injuring 18 others.