Pakistan to raise issue of Indian terror financing at int’l level: FM Qureshi

The country's top diplomat maintained that Pakistan had enacted legislation to keep tabs on terror financing

 

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Monday that Pakistan would raise the issue of India financing terror activities in the country at the international level.

"We expect the international community to take notice of solid evidence provided by Pakistan about Indian involvement in Johar Town, Lahore terror incident," the foreign minister said in a statement.

On June 23, at least three people died and 21 others, including women and children, sustained injuries when an explosives-laden vehicle exploded near the house of Hafiz Saeed, leader of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), in Lahore’s Johar Town neighbourhood.

The country's investigation into the blast aiming at a "high-value target" concluded on July 4 that the attack was orchestrated by the Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
In the statement, Qureshi further said that Pakistan was taking every possible step against terrorism and for the protection of its borders.

"We have carried out border fencing and cleared our tribal areas of terrorists," he said. "Development work has also been commenced in the tribal districts."

The country's top diplomat maintained that Pakistan had enacted legislation to check terror financing and has taken steps against money laundering.

"Pakistan desires the honourable return of Afghan refugees to their homeland. For this purpose, we will require the support of the international community."

A comprehensive, time-bound and well-resourced plan be carved out for the return of Afghan refugees, the foreign minister stressed.

Earlier, National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yousaf, in a joint news conference with Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Punjab Police IG Inam Ghani, said that "I want to make sure that our message is heard very clearly that this particular incident on June 23 in Lahore, we have concrete evidence and intelligence including financial and telephone records that point to direct Indian sponsorship of these terrorists."