KERRY TALKS PAK TERROR, DELAYS HIS DEPARTURE
NEW DELHI: US secretary of state John Kerry said on Wednesday Pakistan has to do more to eliminate sanctuaries of terrorism on its soil and push harder against indigenous groups engaged in terrorist activities.
Islamabad is not going after terrorist outfits such as the Laskhare-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed sincerely, he said during an interaction with students at IIT-Delhi on the third day of his visit to India.
Also, he made a point that big democracies like India should respect rights of all citizens, “irrespective of creed and allow them to protest in peace without fear that they will be jailed for speaking”.
His remarks came in the backdrop of the US speaking out in support of freedom of expression after Amnesty International was charged with sedition in Bengaluru recently. There is also a growing debate over unrest in the country, especially in Kashmir which has been on the edge since the killing of a militant leader, Burhan Wani, on July 8.
Kerry postponed his departure from India by at least two days.
His official engagements ended after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the afternoon, but he may now leave either on Friday or Saturday for China for the G-20 summit, reports PTI.
“Due to his travel to China for the G20 summit this weekend, secretary Kerry will extend his stay in India,” said Mark Toner, the visiting deputy spokesman in the US state department.
Kerry told the IIT students that society which does not give equal opportunities to its citizens makes them a potential extremist or terrorist. “So it also means that we have to build bridges of tolerance and acceptance, compassion, mutual understanding among every religion and sect.”
Over the past two days, Kerry had asked Pakistan to do more towards clearing the terrorist havens from its territory, saying groups such as the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, LeT and JeM cannot be fought by a nation alone.
“We are working on it. I have had many engagements with (Pakistani prime minister) Nawaz Sharif. We have been talking on the sanctuaries in the western parts of the country, how to deal more effectively with the Haqqani network and the LeT,” he said at the IIT.
Pakistan has to push harder against its indigenous groups engaged in terrorist activities, he said. “They must work with us to help clear sanctuary of bad actors who are affecting not only India-Pakistan relationship but also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan.”
The Pakistani establishment, which is often accused of harbouring outfits to do its bidding against India, especially in Kashmir, has called Wani a martyr. Islamabad allegedly supports Laskhar, which is responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks of 2008 in which 164 people were killed, and the Jaish, which is behind the Pathankot airbase strike in January this year.
Pakistan itself has been a victim of terrorism and lost over 50,000 people, Kerry said, but whenever Islamabad took action there is usually “pretty intense pushback and blowback which makes it harder”.