Pakistan offers to assist US in mass shooting probe
While Tashfeen studied in Pakistan, her husband never visited the country, says Nisar
PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Sunday condemned the ‘abhorrent and tragic’ mass shooting in California and offered all kinds of assistance to US investigators probing the gruesome killings.
“The people of Pakistan, being the worst victims of terrorism, share the grief of the people of the United States and stand by them in their pain and suffering,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
“We offer sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims of this act of terrorism… [and] hope that investigations will lead US authorities to bring the perpetrators and abettors of this act to justice.”
At the same time, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Islamabad would share any information it had on the married couple who killed 14 people in San Bernardino if Washington asked for assistance.
The origin of both, Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik, who carried out the attack on a holiday party for civil servants, has been traced to Pakistan. Tashfeen, in particular, was in the United States on a K-1 visa with a Pakistani passport and was said to hail from DG Khan district. Farooq, meanwhile, was a US citizen whose parents were of Pakistani origin.
Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad, Nisar termed the reaction of the Obama administration to the San Bernardino shooting ‘very responsible’. Even though Tashfeen acted as an individual, certain ‘extremist’ lobbies in the US were trying to pressure the Obama administration into implicating Pakistan and Islam in the grisly massacre.
“Islamophobia is being spread through a campaign to link such terrorist incidents with Muslims and Islam,” Nisar regretted. “Pakistanis and Muslims the world over condemn such terrorist incidents, as elements who misuse religion in this manner create more problems for them.”
Nisar admitted that investigations have revealed that Tashfeen had visited Pakistan for her studies. However, he pointed out that her family had been living in Saudi Arabia for the last 25 years and that she had relatives in the UK as well. “The last time Tashfeen visited Pakistan was in 2013. Her husband never visited the country,” he added.
Replying to a question, the minister said there was no evidence linking Tashfeen to any terrorist organisation. However, he added that Pakistan was ready to cooperate with the US in investigations and would share any intelligence it has pertaining to the incident.
Nisar also said that a purported picture of Tashfeen with Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz which has been making the rounds on social media was fake. Aziz himself has already denied any links with the shooter while condemning the San Bernardino attack. The Prime Minister House too had said that the US has shared no evidence linking Tashfeen to the Lal Masjid cleric.
Imran Farooq murder case
About the registration of a case against Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain and some workers of his party over their alleged involvement in the assassination of Imran Farooq, Nisar reiterated that the government had no grudge against anyone and that the FIR was lodged in light of the joint investigation team’s (JIT) findings.
He said the government would form a larger JIT to investigate the case and added that doors for cooperation with UK authorities in the matter were also open.
“We took UK authorities into confidence before registering the FIR,” the minister said. He added that UK authorities could better explain why they did not send a request for extradition of three accused in Pakistani authorities’ custody.
Nisar also rejected independent legal experts’ opinion that this case cannot be registered in Pakistan. He said that Supreme Court of Pakistan in the Mumbai terrorist attacks had made it clear that Pakistan could register and pursue the case.
Pakistan-EU row on deportation
Regarding the recent row over the deportation of Pakistani migrants, Nisar said Islamabad was following the Readmission Agreement and termed the European Union statement on the matter incorrect.
Pakistan allowed the plane carrying Pakistani deportees to land with the condition that only verified deportees would be accepted. “They [the EU] did not honour the deal and brought unverified deportees on the plane. We declined to accept them.”
He added that Islamabad would not accept any deportee without verification.
The minister said a meeting with all EU ambassadors in Pakistan would be convened in Islamabad in the first week of January and a joint review committee would revise the Readmission Agreement during last week of January in Brussels.
Nisar said his meeting with the EU commissioner on immigration was very fruitful and added that he was optimistic that Pakistan’s concerns on the agreement would be addressed in the negotiation table.
On the other hand, he denied media reports that some American delegations met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2015.
Pakistan on Sunday condemned the ‘abhorrent and tragic’ mass shooting in California and offered all kinds of assistance to US investigators probing the gruesome killings.
“The people of Pakistan, being the worst victims of terrorism, share the grief of the people of the United States and stand by them in their pain and suffering,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
“We offer sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims of this act of terrorism… [and] hope that investigations will lead US authorities to bring the perpetrators and abettors of this act to justice.”
At the same time, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Islamabad would share any information it had on the married couple who killed 14 people in San Bernardino if Washington asked for assistance.
The origin of both, Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik, who carried out the attack on a holiday party for civil servants, has been traced to Pakistan. Tashfeen, in particular, was in the United States on a K-1 visa with a Pakistani passport and was said to hail from DG Khan district. Farooq, meanwhile, was a US citizen whose parents were of Pakistani origin.
Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad, Nisar termed the reaction of the Obama administration to the San Bernardino shooting ‘very responsible’. Even though Tashfeen acted as an individual, certain ‘extremist’ lobbies in the US were trying to pressure the Obama administration into implicating Pakistan and Islam in the grisly massacre.
“Islamophobia is being spread through a campaign to link such terrorist incidents with Muslims and Islam,” Nisar regretted. “Pakistanis and Muslims the world over condemn such terrorist incidents, as elements who misuse religion in this manner create more problems for them.”
Nisar admitted that investigations have revealed that Tashfeen had visited Pakistan for her studies. However, he pointed out that her family had been living in Saudi Arabia for the last 25 years and that she had relatives in the UK as well. “The last time Tashfeen visited Pakistan was in 2013. Her husband never visited the country,” he added.
Replying to a question, the minister said there was no evidence linking Tashfeen to any terrorist organisation. However, he added that Pakistan was ready to cooperate with the US in investigations and would share any intelligence it has pertaining to the incident.
Nisar also said that a purported picture of Tashfeen with Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz which has been making the rounds on social media was fake. Aziz himself has already denied any links with the shooter while condemning the San Bernardino attack. The Prime Minister House too had said that the US has shared no evidence linking Tashfeen to the Lal Masjid cleric.
Imran Farooq murder case
About the registration of a case against Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain and some workers of his party over their alleged involvement in the assassination of Imran Farooq, Nisar reiterated that the government had no grudge against anyone and that the FIR was lodged in light of the joint investigation team’s (JIT) findings.
He said the government would form a larger JIT to investigate the case and added that doors for cooperation with UK authorities in the matter were also open.
“We took UK authorities into confidence before registering the FIR,” the minister said. He added that UK authorities could better explain why they did not send a request for extradition of three accused in Pakistani authorities’ custody.
Nisar also rejected independent legal experts’ opinion that this case cannot be registered in Pakistan. He said that Supreme Court of Pakistan in the Mumbai terrorist attacks had made it clear that Pakistan could register and pursue the case.
Pakistan-EU row on deportation
Regarding the recent row over the deportation of Pakistani migrants, Nisar said Islamabad was following the Readmission Agreement and termed the European Union statement on the matter incorrect.
Pakistan allowed the plane carrying Pakistani deportees to land with the condition that only verified deportees would be accepted. “They [the EU] did not honour the deal and brought unverified deportees on the plane. We declined to accept them.”
He added that Islamabad would not accept any deportee without verification.
The minister said a meeting with all EU ambassadors in Pakistan would be convened in Islamabad in the first week of January and a joint review committee would revise the Readmission Agreement during last week of January in Brussels.
Nisar said his meeting with the EU commissioner on immigration was very fruitful and added that he was optimistic that Pakistan’s concerns on the agreement would be addressed in the negotiation table.
On the other hand, he denied media reports that some American delegations met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2015.