Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar addressing a select gathering of opinion leaders at the Asis Society, New York. PHOTO: COURTESY PAKISTAN MISSION
WASHINGTON: Pakistan's foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said that any group that uses violence as a means of propagating, promoting and proving themselves and their power is immensely distasteful to the Pakistani state.
Responding to a question by moderator Joe Klein on the Haqqani Network, Khar cited the example of FTO designation of the group where the US asked Pakistan about the listing, "We said be our guests, they are Afghan nationals.”
“And please allow us to send the three million Afghan refugees, the Haqqanis being one of them, back to Afghanistan, or take responsibility, maybe to New York or Washington," the foreign minister said, before adding that Pakistan continues to house three million Afghans.
Khar said that when one of the three million people cross the border into Afghanistan where 57,000 people are crossing unchecked everyday, and attack someone, it is the Pakistani state gets blamed. She added that it was preposterous to make such allegations.
The foreign minister said Pakistan has lost $72 billion in the war against terrorism and that Pakistan was fighting the war for its own existence, and as a frontline state.
When asked by Klein on a statement by General Kayani a few years ago describing the Haqqani Network as an asset in an interview with the New York Times, FM Khar disagreed and said that was not his view now, and it was not the view of the Government of Pakistan's either.
COMMENTS (8)
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@Khan: You mean ballot stuffing and rigged elections???.
Election commission should make it must that each applicant present his / her last tax return with the application. Other wise application will not be accepted
@Citizen:
You have every right to remove them via electoral process but inviduals should never resort to removing those elected people who have received millions of votes
"The foreign minister said Pakistan has lost $72 billion in the war against terrorism and that Pakistan was fighting the war for its own existence, and as a frontline state."
The truth is that this is the cost that Pakistan has paid for fighting a war OF terror, protecting terrorists like OBL, etc. This is the reason there is no sympathy for Pakistan in the world community.
P.S. I have heard Munawar Hasan in a talk show repeatedly using the phrase "War Of Terror" instead of "War On Terror". That was his sub-conscious mind talking. I have heard even Army Chief Kayani use the phrase "War of Terror" once.
Enjoy the limelight, as your days are numbered in the office ! Never has there been such a bunch of inept and corrupt lot in charge of an Nation ! Pakistan has no options, except Army Rule, as after all the BS, the real power and decision making has always been done in Pindi, not Islamabad.
@shahid: If we have any problem with democratically elected politicians we can easily replace them in upcoming election which are to be held in next few months .. then why is this all fuss about? Why are few able to create anarchy to destabilize an elected government.. We have courts, if one thinks some one is corrupt then they should be dealt accordingly ... otherwise there is no meaning of holding elections IF any one else decides on kicking out elected governments. If someone is not paying income tax then only FBR has the power to deal with them even if that means putting them behind the bars after court proceedings.
Those seeking power through connections, wealth, and feudalism are equally distasteful.
Those expoiting and crushing people to poverty and misery in the name of so called democracy/ Lootocracy are the worst criminals. The system is created in such a way that elections have become a joke and common man has no option left except to come on streets and take matters in thier own hands. Being a member of assembly does not give you license to plunder national wealth and consider common man as thier slaves.Most of the members of national and provincial assemblies are thier generations after generations, paying no taxes, obeying no laws and rules what so ever. Down with the ruling/exploiting elite class.