London visit: Choke terror financing, army chief urges UK

Veiled reference made to Hizbut Tahrir, Baloch insurgents and MQM in meeting with British home secretary

ISLAMABAD:

Army chief General Raheel Sharif on Friday urged the British government to play its role in checking international financing and communication of terrorists.

The issue of terror financing and communication came up during a meeting between the army chief and UK’s permanent home secretary in London.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt-Gen Asim Salim Bajwa said the army chief asked the British home secretary about the UK’s role in choking terror financing and the communication network.

Although the chief military spokesperson did not provide details, the reference to terror financing and communication is believed to be aimed at Baloch insurgents, Hizbut Tahrir and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain’s ‘anti-Pakistan’ activities in London.

This was the second visit of the army chief to UK this year. In January he also sought action against banned Hizbut Tahrir and Baloch insurgents, currently operating from UK, during meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron.



Meanwhile, speaking at a Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Gen Raheel urged Afghanistan to stop what he called ‘anti-Pakistan’ propaganda while pledging support to efforts for enduring peace and stability in the war-torn country. He said better Pak-Afghan border management and greater international cooperation was vital for regional peace.

“We continue to support enduring and permanent peace in Afghanistan,” he said. However, he cautioned against the detractors and spoilers for their attempts to undermine ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan and the reconciliation process.

Despite the growing instability in Afghanistan, Gen Raheel stressed that the Afghan reconciliation process was the only way forward for long term peace and stability.

Contrary to recent statement by Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani that his country’s ties with Pakistan were not brotherly, the army chief described relationship with Afghanistan as ‘brotherly.’

Speaking on current tensions between Pakistan and India, Gen Raheel said Indian intransigence and its violation of the ceasefire at the Line of Control (LoC) was negatively affecting the region. He described longstanding Kashmir dispute as the root cause of tensions between the two nuclear armed neighbours.

“Kashmir is an unfinished agenda of partition. World must help in resolving Kashmir issue if it wants genuine peace in the region,” he stressed.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2015.