ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday called upon the international community and the United Nations to hold India accountable for perpetrating terrorism in the country with undeniable and indisputable evidence available.

Minister of State for For­eign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar at a press briefing on the dossier regarding India’s involvement in terrorism in Pak­istan said repeated terror incidents reflected India’s persistent hostility and the use of terrorist proxies against the country.

Ms Khar was referring to evidence of India’s involvement in the Johar Town blast in Lahore last year, that killed three people and injured 24 others.

Ms Khar said no other country had used terrorism better than India that played the victim card despite being the biggest perpetrator of terrorism.

Pakistan had submitted the Lahore blast-specific dossier with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and would soon be sharing it with Secretary General Antonio Guterres, she said, adding that it was a clear evidence of India’s planned and perpetrated attack against civilians.

She said Pakistan condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and regretted that the masterminds remained at large. Ms Khar said India fit the definition of a rogue state, adding that the country had blocked the listing of four individuals at the UNSC. She said may it the Samjhota train incident or blatant support to militants in Balochistan, India’s objective was to undermine the peace and security of Pakistan.

She said that 211 members of law-enforcement agencies suffered the RAW-sponsored attacks including the attack on Chinese nationals, at PC Hotel Gwadar, and Frontier Corps camp in Punjgur.

Contrary to India, she said, Pakistan always remained at the forefront of fighting terrorism.

Ms Khar pointed out that India had blatantly violated human rights laws in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and continued to follow the rogue policies.

She stressed that India had mastered the art of using international organisations for its political gains.

In reply to a question if she was denied meeting by a certain minister during her recent visit to Afghanistan, she dismissed such reports, saying that no such meeting was asked to be held from the Pakistan side.

“I was very well received in Kabul and in the meetings, and we exactly achieved what we wanted to achieve,” she said.

Ms Khar said that she believed in useful diplomacy without theatrics where the focus was to protect the interests of Pakistan instead of mere countering the social media disinformation campaign.

When asked if the Foreign Office had continued policies of the previous government, she said that good steps were being pursued acknowledging that some good work was done on Islamophobia.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2022