Asif says Hafiz Saeed and Haqqanis are liabilities for Pakistan

Asif says Hafiz Saeed and Haqqanis are liabilities for Pakistan

Hafiz Saeed, Lashkar e Taiba and the Haqqani network are liabilities for Pakistan, says Khwaja Asif the Foreign Minister for Pakistan on Wednesday has said

This was said by the foreign minister while he was speaking at a session which was hosted by the Asia Society in New York.

Asif Said, “It is very easy to say that Pakistan is supporting Haqqanis and Hafiz Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. They are liabilities, I accept that they are liabilities. But give us time to get rid of these liabilities. You are increasing our liabilities further.”

The foreign minister added that “Don’t blame us for Haqqanis, don’t blame us for Hafiz Saeeds. These were the people who were your darlings….20 or 30 years back. They were being dined and wined in the White House.”

“You cannot divorce history from the present or the future.”

In reply to a question about Hafiz Saeed the foreign minister said that Hafiz Saeed is already under house arrest.

“You have mentioned a name. It’s a proscribed organisation. The gentleman is under house arrest. But I agree with you that on that score, on that account, we have to do more,”

“There are people in Pakistan who can be a liability in times of crisis for Pakistan and for the region.”

Hafiz Saeed has been placed under house arrest by the Pakistani government, the house arrest had been extended by two months in August. Saeed was also placed on the Exit Control List along with 37 other individuals in February. All of the individuals were said to be affiliated with Jammat-Ud-Dawa (JuD) or Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

According to the interior ministry, JuD, LeT, and the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) are “on the Watch List as per UNSC 1267 Sanctions”, and in “the Second Schedule of the ATA 1997 (as amended)”.

He added that India cannot term the genuine struggle of Kashmiris as terrorism.

“India cannot wish away Kashmir, nor can it delegitimise the genuine, indigenous, unarmed struggle of Kashmiris fighting for their right of self-determination by terming it as terrorism.”