Making inroads?: IS posing serious threat, admits foreign secretary

Tells Senate panel that govt is not oblivious of activities of banned outfits

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan has admitted that Islamic State (IS) or Daish is posing a ‘serious threat’ to the country, fearing that local militant groups splintered due to military operation could attract the Middle Eastern terrorist outfit.  

“Yes, there is a serious threat from the IS and Pakistan is not oblivious to their activities,” Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry told the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on Monday.

The bipartisan panel headed by Senator Haji Adeel held its meeting at the parliament house to discuss the potential threat faced by the country from the IS.

Briefing the committee members, the foreign secretary insisted that although, there was no substantial evidence to suggest presence of the IS in Pakistan, activities of the militant outfits could not be ignored.

He said security agencies were looking into claims made by certain banned outfits, pledging allegiance to the IS.



His statement came days after Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan claimed that there was no existence of the IS in Pakistan.

“As of now, I can say with confidence that the IS only exists in the Middle East,” he said. “It absolutely has no presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Nisar said while speaking at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington on Thursday.

But his statement was contradicted by the foreign secretary, who said IS was believed to have made inroads in Afghanistan.

“Yes, in Afghanistan there are significant ranks purportedly of Islamic State,” he said.

Committee members including Senator Haji Adeel and Senator Farhatullah Babar criticised the government for its state of denial regarding the IS threat.

Haji Adeel particularly referred to the letter written by women of Jamia Hafsa seeking help from the IS to establish caliphate in Pakistan.

Babar said the IS had already appointed its representatives in Afghanistan and Pakistan. “Yet, the government remains in the state of denial,” he maintained.

The foreign secretary made it clear that Pakistan’s policy on the IS is very clear.  “We condemn terrorism and extremism by the IS. People of Pakistan have no links with the IS ideologically and otherwise,” he claimed.

However, at the same time he conceded that certain groups were creating space for the IS in the country. “All such groups must be dealt with iron hand,” he added.

Responding to a question by Senator Mushahid Hussain as to whether the US asked Pakistan to become part of the international coalition, Aziz replied: “Pakistan was not contacted nor even desired to become part of international coalition against the IS.”

He said Pakistan on its own was taking measures to preempt efforts by the IS to set its foot in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2015.