Pak PM slammed for UN speech which omitted terror groups in his country

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Former Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar has slammed Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after he raised concern about the terror threat from Afghanistan in his address at the United Nations General Assembly, but failed to mention the terrorist groups operating in his home country.

In a series of tweets, Haneef Atmar ripped apart Mr Sharif for failing to name Pakistan-based terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) in his speech that was full of criticism of Afghanistan.

Haneef Atmar rebuked the Pakistan PM for distinguishing between good and bad terrorists while deliberately omitting the name of LeT, which is the largest of all foreign groups operating in the region.

“PM Shehbaz at UNGA warning about the threat posed by major terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan should be of vital concern to Afghanistan, the region and the international community,” he tweeted.

“First, he makes distinction between good and bad terrorists by omitting the name of LeT and JeM from his list. In terms of fighters’ strength, LeT is only second to the Taliban and the largest of all foreign groups operating in the region,” he added.

Considering the LeT’s growing presence in the region, Mr Atmar said this is a serious warning to the international community given the group’s history and current objectives.

The former Afghan minister said Mr Sharif is already directing the international community’s anger and response to Afghanistan in case of another 9/11. “And yet, he does not take any responsibility for this situation,” he said.

Mr Atmar said Pakistan Prime Minister’s emphasis on dealing with these groups lacks strategy.

He further stressed that Afghanistan, along with the international community, should be clear that enduring counter-terrorism and lasting peace depend on the representativeness, inclusivity, and legitimacy of the Afghan government.

Now, the question is whether Pakistan is willing to be genuinely part of an international and regional effort to support intra-Afghan negotiation and a political settlement for such an outcome based on the binding obligations of the parties of the Doha Agreement,” he said.

Earlier on Friday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister raised concern over the threat of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.

During his remarks at the 77th session of UNGA, Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan shares the key concern of the international community regarding the threat posed by the terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan.

He named several groups including Islamic State- Khorasan (ISIS-K) and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qaeda, East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

Mr Sharif’s remarks drew strong reactions from Afghanistan, including one from the Taliban, TOLOnews reported.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that Afghanistan has been the victim of terrorism and that terrorist sanctuaries have been active under the Pakistani government and have been used against Afghanistan for decades. (ANI)