Pak senator defends nation's terror ‘past', says it is a changed country

India Today

2 days ago

In a fiery interview with Sky News, Pakistan Senator and senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Sherry Rehman, staunchly defended her country's record on terrorism, asserting that "Pakistan is a changed country" and is actively "fighting terrorism," while accusing international narratives of being skewed by Indian interests.The heated exchange comes as Islamabad launches a global diplomatic offensive, sending high-level delegations to counter India's narrative following a recent military conflict. In the copycat move that came after India dispatched its own envoys to brief the world on Operation Sindoor against terrorism, Pakistan has now sent its own delegation, which includes Sherry Rehman, to the US, UK, and Brussels to present its side of the story.advertisementDuring the tense exchange with anchor Yalda Hakim, Rehman was confronted with allegations regarding Pakistan's role in sheltering terror outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Haqqani Network, and the al-Qaeda-linked Brigade 313.
When pressed on why groups like Brigade 313, a coalition of terror groups including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad for operational purposes, continue to operate from Pakistani soil, Rehman said, 'Am I going to war every time there is an attack in India?' She deflected blame, adding, 'There are 100 insurgencies running in India. Are we responsible for what goes on there? That's what it amounts to.'Hakim raised the issue of Brigade 313 acting as a unifying front for various terror factions in Pakistan, a premise Rehman flatly rejected. 'I don't know who told you this... I can produce any number of pages saying all this. Perhaps we should also produce a digital dossier,' she retorted, in a veiled reference to dossiers previously released by India on cross-border terrorism.advertisementRehman consistently challenged the basis of the questions, suggesting a coordinated information campaign against Pakistan. 'International analysts are aligned with India's narrative. They only tell India's story. And this is our deficit that we haven't been able to tell the story right,' she claimed.The interview also touched upon Pakistan's recent removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list. When Hakim pointed out Pakistan was on the list until 2022 for terror financing and money laundering concerns, Rehman defended her country's progress. "We were taken off the grey list because we provided forensic evidence. Pakistan is a changed country. We are fighting terrorism but you keep on talking about the past,' she insisted.To back her argument, she presented "facts," stating, "Pakistan has filed 2,645 terrorism financing cases. This is why we are in the white list and not the grey of FATF." She claimed that organisations like those in Muridke and Bahawalpur "are proscribed now, these are all banned now and atleast 2000 of their members have been arrested."When asked why India isn't on the grey list, Rehman described it as "our failing that we haven't bothered," before bringing up the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was captured by Pakistan alleging that he was an Indian spy.advertisementThe conversation heated up when Hakim pointed to Pakistan's alleged role in providing sanctuary to terrorists, a charge Rehman vehemently denied with an "absolutely not." Hakim also questioned the presence of the then-ISI chief in Kabul on the day of the Taliban takeover, to which Rehman reiterated, "Pakistan is a changing place and we are trying very hard. We have a revolving door with Afghanistan."Regarding a statement from Jaish-e-Mohammad about the death of its leader Masood Azhar's family members in Indian airstrikes, Rehman was dismissive. 'Children are not leaders,' she stated, denying the presence of militant infrastructure in the area and offering to take Hakim to the location. 'There are hospitals, mosques, and rubble. I'm happy to take you there.'