David Cameron talks tough on Pakistan
British Prime Minister David Cameron said Pakistan must not “look two ways” in Afghanistan.
BANGALORE:
British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday that Pakistan must not “look two ways” in Afghanistan by publicly working to stabilise the country while secretly funding insurgents.
US documents leaked to Internet whistleblower site WikiLeaks this week accuse Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of secretly helping the Afghan insurgency.
“It’s unacceptable for anything to happen within Pakistan that’s about supporting terrorism elsewhere,” Cameron told BBC radio during a trip to India.
“And it’s well documented that that has been the case in the past and it’s an issue that we have to make sure that the Pakistan authorities are not looking two ways,” he added.
He said there had been “big progress” by Pakistan in fighting militant groups, which had improved relations with Afghanistan, “but we need to see that progress continue.”
India has also long been concerned that billions of dollars of military aid given to Pakistan to help fight militants on its territory is misdirected to insurgents, or funds defence programmes designed to counter India.
“I am going to discuss with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the leakage of funds given to Pakistan by the US and UK,” Cameron told reporters in Bangalore.
New Delhi slammed the new evidence of official Pakistan involvement in funding militancy.
India has long accused Pakistan of failing to take credible steps to crack down on Islamic groups operating on its soil such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, blamed for the 2008 attacks in Mumbai which left 166 people dead.“The utilisation of territory under Pakistan’s control to provide sanctuaries for recruiting and sustaining terrorist groups, and to direct terrorist activity against neighbours, must stop,” the spokesman said.
Pakistan must not allow its territory to be used as a base for militancy “if our region is to attain its full potential for peaceful development”, he added.
The US has long suspected the ISI of playing a double game. Pakistan was a close ally of the 1996-2001 Taliban regime and is believed to have kept relations alive to prepare for when US troops eventually withdraw.
Analysts also believe India and Pakistan, implacable South Asian rivals, are locked in a new struggle for influence in Afghanistan, which has fuelled attacks on Indian interests there.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 29th, 2010.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday that Pakistan must not “look two ways” in Afghanistan by publicly working to stabilise the country while secretly funding insurgents.
US documents leaked to Internet whistleblower site WikiLeaks this week accuse Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of secretly helping the Afghan insurgency.
“It’s unacceptable for anything to happen within Pakistan that’s about supporting terrorism elsewhere,” Cameron told BBC radio during a trip to India.
“And it’s well documented that that has been the case in the past and it’s an issue that we have to make sure that the Pakistan authorities are not looking two ways,” he added.
He said there had been “big progress” by Pakistan in fighting militant groups, which had improved relations with Afghanistan, “but we need to see that progress continue.”
India has also long been concerned that billions of dollars of military aid given to Pakistan to help fight militants on its territory is misdirected to insurgents, or funds defence programmes designed to counter India.
“I am going to discuss with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the leakage of funds given to Pakistan by the US and UK,” Cameron told reporters in Bangalore.
New Delhi slammed the new evidence of official Pakistan involvement in funding militancy.
India has long accused Pakistan of failing to take credible steps to crack down on Islamic groups operating on its soil such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, blamed for the 2008 attacks in Mumbai which left 166 people dead.“The utilisation of territory under Pakistan’s control to provide sanctuaries for recruiting and sustaining terrorist groups, and to direct terrorist activity against neighbours, must stop,” the spokesman said.
Pakistan must not allow its territory to be used as a base for militancy “if our region is to attain its full potential for peaceful development”, he added.
The US has long suspected the ISI of playing a double game. Pakistan was a close ally of the 1996-2001 Taliban regime and is believed to have kept relations alive to prepare for when US troops eventually withdraw.
Analysts also believe India and Pakistan, implacable South Asian rivals, are locked in a new struggle for influence in Afghanistan, which has fuelled attacks on Indian interests there.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 29th, 2010.