'Eliminate This Vile Group': US Congressman To Pakistani Delegation On Jaish-e-Mohammed
US Congressman Brad Sherman told the Pakistani delegation to ensure the elimination of the "vile" Jaish-e-Mohammed, while stressing the protection of religious minorities.
In a strong rebuke, senior US lawmaker Brad Sherman told the visiting Pakistani delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari that the country should do 'all it can" to eliminate the 'vile" terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), as well as ensure the protection of religious minorities.
The JeM has been responsible for several terrorist attacks against India and was also behind the abduction and execution of American journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.
'I emphasised to the Pakistani delegation the importance of combating terrorism, and in particular, the group Jaish-e-Mohammed, who murdered my constituent Daniel Pearl in 2002," said Sherman on X.
'Pearl's family continues to live in my district, and Pakistan should do all it can to eliminate this vile group and combat terrorism in the region. The protection of religious minorities in Pakistan remains an important issue," he added.
Sherman said Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadiyya Muslims living in Pakistan must be allowed to practice their faith and participate in a democratic system without the fear of violence, persecution and discrimination.
The Pakistani delegation, led by Bilawal Bhutto, met Sherman in Washington on Thursday, around the same time as a multi-party delegation of Indian parliamentarians led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was in the US capital.
Seven all-party delegations had travelled to various countries, briefing key interlocutors about Operation Sindoor in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and India's strong resolve to fight terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
Sherman also urged the Pakistani delegation to relay to their government the need to free Dr Shakil Afridi, who continues to languish in prison for helping the United States kill Osama bin Laden. 'Freeing Dr Afridi represents an important step in bringing closure for victims of 9/11," he said.
Afridi is a Pakistani physician who helped the Central Investigation Agency (CIA) run a polio vaccination programme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to collect DNA samples of bin Laden's family. He was arrested shortly after bin Laden's death in Abbottabad in May 2011 and sentenced to 33 years in prison.
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