Islamabad: Lashing out at U.S President Donald Trump for his recent anti-Pakistan statement, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal Wednesday said Donald Trump led government even given entry to one Syrian in U.S while Pakistan gave shelter to 3.5 million Afghan refugees.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of Anti-Right Force here Wednesday at Islamabad Police Line, he said “Not one Syrian refugee is given entry into the US but we allowed 3.5m Afghan refugees who had come to Pakistan to fight your war against the Soviets; what did you ever do for them?.
He lashed out at the incumbent US administration, saying that no one has the right to label Pakistan a ‘liar’ given its sizable contribution to the so-called ‘War on Terror’. He said that Pakistan wants peace and stability in Afghanistan. He also reminded US President Donald Trump how the region’s terrorism-marred past is actually the US’s own doing.
Interior minister was responding to the US president’s recent criticism of Pakistan as a ‘lying’ and ‘deceiving’ nation. “No one has the right to call Pakistan a liar when it has made the biggest sacrifices in the war against terror,” he said. “The US president’s recent remarks are akin to belittling our sacrifices. We are a dignified nation and no one has the right to attack our dignity.”
He also brought up the Soviet–Afghan War of the late ’70s and ’80s to remind Trump that the radicalisation of Afghanistan, which the US now detests, actually began at its own behest. “I want to remind the US that these thorns are your inventions,” he said. “As soon as the war against the Soviets ended, you withdrew and went home without thinking what your radicalizing of Afghanistan to create an anti-Soviet narrative would lead to. The seeds of the extremist views you used to win that war weren’t going to suddenly start producing computer chips: they were going to breed terrorism and extremism.” “The Pakistani nation is still paying for those seeds that you planted,” he said.
He further said that the US did nothing for the 3.5 million Afghan refugees Pakistan allowed into its territory during the Soviet-Afghan war. “Not one Syrian refugee is given entry into the US but we allowed 3.5m Afghan refugees who had come to Pakistan to fight your war against the Soviets; what did you ever do for them?” he questioned. He also said that Pakistani forces’ anti-terrorism drive is the very reason terrorism remains in check in the region. “We are playing an integral role at both international and regional levels to maintain international peace,” he said. “We have battled forces that are headquartered in Afghanistan. We have sacrificed our troops in [Operation] Raddul Fasad to rid this region of this menace.”
Iqbal also advised the Trump administration to not let itself get manipulated by India, saying: “If President Trump and company want peace in Afghanistan, they should see it from their own perspective and not India’s.” Reiterating that Afghanistan’s stability is of utmost importance to Pakistan, he said: “Pakistan is the only country that shares such a large border with Afghanistan. Hence, I want to respectfully tell President Trump that no one has more at stake in Afghanistan’s stability than Pakistan. We not only have brotherly relations with Afghanistan but will also do all we can for its peace.”
Ahsan Iqbal said that Pakistan has embarked on the journey of economic development by defeating terrorists. He said Police of any country of the world play role of vanguard for internal security. He said steps are being taken to ensure safety of police officials. He said special training of the police officials, who are deputed check posts would be held. He said citizens friendly attitude and modern arms would be ensured at check posts.
He made it clear that internal conflict would not be allowed to halt progress of the country. He said Pakistan has been facing conspiracies at external spheres. He highlighted sacrifices of Pakistan in war against terrorism. He vowed to make Pakistan a hub of peace and in lines with the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.