Terrorism in contemporary Pakistan is the blowback of past mistakes, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif reportedly told the National Assembly. Islamabad should not have got involved in two Afghan wars, which was "a mistake," the minister reportedly said.
Claiming the decisions to let Washington use them since 1999 were flawed, Asif said that the damage done is irreversible and there is no compensation that can make things right.
Pakistan's two military dictators—Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf—decided to join the USA's war in Afghanistan to appease the superpower. It had nothing to do with the sake of Islam, he reportedly said while addressing his fellow parliamentarians. The term “jihad” was used to justify the involvement of Pakistani forces in the offensive against Kabul which, according to the minister, is only damaging and misleading.
While the USA conveniently exited from Afghanistan without terminating the Taliban threat, Pakistan is left to deal with the consequences to this day, he added.
"Pakistan was treated worse than a piece of toilet paper; it was used for a purpose and then thrown away," NDTV quoted Khawaja Asif as saying while talking about the USA. "We deny our history and do not accept our mistakes. Terrorism is a blowback of the mistakes committed by dictators in the past," NDTV quoted the minister as saying further.
The speech comes only a few days after Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi alleged that India was providing funds to militant outfits inside his country. He, however, provided no evidence to support his claims.
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Naqvi made the claims a day after India categorically rejected Pakistan's allegations of an Indian link to a suicide blast at a mosque in Islamabad on Friday that killed at least 36 people and injured more than 160 others.
"It is unfortunate that, instead of seriously addressing the problems plaguing its social fabric, Pakistan should choose to delude itself by blaming others for its home-grown ills," the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday, describing the attack as "condemnable".
"India rejects any and every such allegation, which is as baseless as it is pointless," it added.
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, without providing any evidence, also alleged on Friday that India and Afghanistan were linked to the attack.