KARACHI: The chief of Britain’s main opposition party, Jeremy Corbyn, has come out in support of Pakistan and urged the world to respect the country.

In an interview to BBC Urdu, Mr Corbyn said it was not the responsibility of Pakistan alone to fight terrorism because the world as a whole needed to beat off the “collective challenge”.

Asked to comment on Donald Trump’s recent allegations that Pakistan offered safe havens to “agents of chaos”, the top leader of the Labour Party seemed to differ with the US president. “Pakistan is a country which should be treated respectfully. It should not be criticised from the outside,” he said.

In a policy statement, Mr Trump also announced his decision to increase the number of American troops to be deployed in Afghanistan.

Pakistan reacted strongly to the speech and termed it a “disappointing” statement because it conveniently ignored the sacrifices rendered by it in the fight against terrorism.

Advises Suu Kyi to respect rights of Rohingya Muslims

So, what Mr Corbyn said during the interview seemed to be in line with what Pakistan had stated in response to Mr Trump’s speech.

“Every country should play its role to bring an end to terrorism. This [theory] should be applied to every country in the world,” he said in response to a question about the efforts required on the part of Pakistan to fight terrorists.

“I don’t even support President Trump’s policy to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan. It reflects their failure. The Afghan crisis can be solved only politically.”

Mr Corbyn also expressed support for Rohingya Muslims and “advised” Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to respect their “human rights” the same way the world did hers when she was under house arrest.

“I have an advice of respect for her,” said the British parliamentarian. “When you [Suu Kyi] were under house arrest, we launched a campaign for your release, took out rallies and supported your struggle for human rights. So please be kind and take care of human rights of Rohingya Muslims.

“And make sure that they are given all due rights, including citizenship of Myanmar. They should not be thrown out of their own homes.”

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2017