‘Blame game is counter-productive, Pak fighting war against terrorism’

ISLAMABAD (sity News) – Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said Thursday Pakistan is fighting war against terrorism with operations Radd-ul-Fasaad, Zarb-e-Azb and Khyber IV, and stressed that accusing the country of is similar to weakening the counter-terrorism efforts.

Islamabad warned the United States and Afghanistan to stop accusing Pakistan of carrying out limited efforts against terrorist groups in the region. FO spokesperson reaffirmed that India is involved in supporting the terrorist activities in the country.

“Pakistan has been fighting its war against terrorism and carried out Operations Zarb-e-Azb, Raddul Fasaad and Operation Khyber IV under a comprehensive Counter-Terrorism (CT) strategy and the National Action Plan. Pakistan and its people have suffered immensely due to terrorism, both in terms of human and financial losses,” he said while adding, “Besides these costs, we incur huge expenditure on Counter-Terrorism operations. Various countries of the world, including the US, have acknowledged our efforts and sacrifices in fighting the menace of terrorism. The mere rhetoric of blame game is counter-productive, and serves no one.”

He requested the international community to take notice of discrimination with minorities in India. “It was a very disturbing and gruesome episode in which an unprotected Muslim has been dragged in the street in India and brutally murdered with swords by Hindu extremists. Daily lynching of Muslims, Christians, Dalits, etc. in public by cow vigilantes and Hindutva proponents are manifestations of rising extremism, religious intolerance and bigotry in India, which are a cause of international concern. International human rights organizations including Amnesty and Human Rights Watch have amply reported on this. Regrettably, situation for the religious minorities and vulnerable segments of their society is worsening with each passing day,” he stated.

FO spokesperson raised the issue of occupied Kashmir and Indian forces brutality in the valley. He told, “Since 8 July 2016, hundreds of Kashmiris have been mercilessly killed, over 8,000 are victims of pellet guns with many hundred youth blinded either completely or partially, 19,000 have been wounded many with life threatening injuries, over 18,000 arrested with their fate remaining unknown, and around a thousand cases of molestation of Kashmiri women have been reported.”