Terror threat in S Asia: Pakistan ‘shares BRICS nations concerns’

Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan denies safe haven allegation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan in its first official response to the joint declaration by five emerging BRICS powers on Tuesday said it was also concerned about the threat posed by terrorism and extremism in the South Asian region.

The reaction follows a statement on Monday by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa that also called for ‘patrons’ of the militant groups to be held to account.

The leaders from the emerging world economies expressed concerns on the security situation in the region and violence caused by the Taliban, Islamic State, Al Qaeda and its affiliates including Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Haqqani Network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, TTP and Hizbut Tahrir.



India, which is seeking to isolate Pakistan, termed the BRICS move a major diplomatic victory.

However, Pakistan played down the hype and said it shared similar concerns.

In response to a question regarding the BRICS leaders’ summit document, the Foreign Office said: “Pakistan is also seriously concerned about the threat posed by terrorism and extremism in the South Asian region.”

“Many terrorist groups based in the region, including in Afghanistan, such as the TTP and its associates like JuA have been responsible for extreme acts of violence against Pakistani people,” the statement added.



The statement condemned the presence of Islamic State and the Pakistani Taliban in ‘ungoverned spaces’ inside neighbouring Afghanistan.

“We are deeply concerned at the presence of groups like Da’esh, ETIM and IMU in the ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan, as they pose a threat to peace and security in the region.”

It further pointed out that Pakistan is also concerned at the rise of extremist ideologies and intolerance in the region, encouraging social stratification and systematic targeting of minorities.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan, while talking to a private news channel, said no group was operating freely from inside Pakistan.

“These organisations, they have some of their remnants in Pakistan, which we’re cleaning,” the minister insisted.

“But Pakistan, we reject this thing categorically, no terrorist organisation has any complete safe havens.”