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Pakistan admits LeT, JeM operate from its soil

by IBNS 06 Sep 2017, 09:45 pm

Islamabad, Sep 7 (IBNS): Putting decades of denial aside, Islamabad on Wednesday finally admitted that international terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Toiba operate from within Pakistan, reports said.

While calling for tougher sanctions against these groups, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told local Geo News, "We should impose restrictions on activities of elements like LeT and JeM so that we can show the global community that we've put our house in order."

The minister was responding to a question about the latest BRICS declaration where China too condemned the Pakistan-based terror groups.

Asif also said that Pakistan should not test China's friendship especially in a changing geopolitical situation.

"Friends like China should not be tested every time, particularly in the changed global scenario," the minister said.

Meanwhile, Asif's confession comes only a day after foreign office in Islamabad, as well as the Pakistani Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir rejected the BRICS statement.

Contrary to the foreign office's claim that Pakistan itself was a victim of terror, Asif said that the country cannot afford to shut its eyes any more on such ongoing activities.

"I am not making any political statement.. we cannot afford to shut our eyes on activities of these organisations in our country. If we continue to do that we will always face such embarrassments," the lawmaker added.

He also urged the government to cut loose the baggage of the past.

"There's an urgent need for a clean break from our past. In 1979, Pakistan had made a wrong decision and acted like a proxy for the next decade. After 9/11, we again made a wrong decision and adopted a war, which was never ours. We have suffered uncountable losses of lives and properties in this war," the minister said, adding, "We've no stakes involved but are only carrying the baggage of our past follies. We cannot correct ourselves as long as we do not accept historical facts."