ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday again called upon the world to hold India accountable for its role in sponsoring terrorism against Pakistan and prevent it from doing so in future.

“Use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy by India makes it culpable under international law, UN sanctions regime, and international counterterrorism conventions,” the FO said in a statement, adding that it was the world’s responsibility to hold India to account and take steps against Indian nationals involved in patronage of terrorist entities.

The statement came a day after Indian Ministry of External Affairs rejected the dossier containing proof of Indian intelligence agencies’ patronage of terrorism in Pakistan as a “futile anti-India propaganda exercise” that was “fabricated” and “lacking credibility”.

Meanwhile, envoys of the five permanent members of UN Security Council — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and United States — too were briefed about contents of the dossier.

“We also expect the UN counter-terrorism bodies to proceed on the basis of concrete evidence provided by Pakistan and urge India to renounce terrorism as an instrument of state policy. The UN must also play its part in dismantling of the Indian terrorist infrastructure, details of which have been provided in the dossier,” the FO said.

It recalled that other international reports in the recent past including FinCEN Leaks revealed suspicious transactions done by Indian banks and their role in terrorism financing.

FinCEN Leaks, it said, shows how India had been using its financial system for money laundering and other illegal activities such as terrorism financing — brazenly and with impunity.

The FO specifically pointed to India’s relocating of Daesh terrorists to Pak-Afghan border. “The presence of ISIL and AQIS in India as highlighted in recent UN reports indicate that India is emerging as a hotbed of UN designated international terrorist organisations and posing a great risk to the region,” it maintained.

While rejecting India’s denial of proofs contained in the dossier, the FO said it extensively documents India’s active planning, promoting, aiding, abetting, financing and executing terrorist activities against Pakistan.

“Fully exposed, India has typically resorted to sophistry, obfuscation and re-fabrication. Bland denials and regurgitation of old litany of charges, however, will not change facts,” it said.

India, it said, had mischievously masqueraded as a ‘victim’ of terrorism and sought to mislead the international community by hypocritically levelling terrorism-related allegations against Pakistan.

“It has also conducted false flag operations in IIOJK and inside India to malign Pakistan. That façade has now been removed and the world can see the real face of India – one blackened by its decades-long state terrorism in IIOJK and state-sponsored terrorism and destabilisation efforts in Pakistan,” it added.

Reminding about Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death by a military court for spying, the FO said, he was “undeniable face” of India’s state-sponsorship of terrorism as his involvement in subversion, sabotage and terrorism in Pakistan was part of the incontrovertible evidence against India.

The world is also familiar with “saffron terror” orchestrated and unleashed by the RSS-BJP zealots against Muslims in India and against Pakistan. Masterminds of Mecca Masjid, Ajmer Dargah, and Samjhota Express terrorist cases, like Swami Aseemanand, have been granted full state protection and acquitted in complete travesty of justice after having confessed to India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), the FO said.

Open threats to Pakistan by Indian civilian and military leaders, India’s sinister design to subvert China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and public statements by noted Indian politicians and senior security officials on ‘teaching Pakistan’ a lesson through use of terrorism was further incriminating evidence, it maintained.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2020