India supporting TTP to destabilise Pakistan: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan warned India on Thursday to refrain from using its soil for hatching conspiracies against Pakistan while supporting the TTP. In this regard, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will update US President Barack Obama on the three dossiers handed over to the UN secretary general containing evidence of India’s involvement in Balochistan and Karachi.
“It is pertinent to mention here that majority of the terrorist incidents staged by the Indian side on its soil to implicate and malign Pakistan have proved to be fake. I wish to underscore that in the case of India, the international community is aware that state actors have been involved in destabilising and fomenting terrorism in neighbouring countries, including Pakistan,” spokesman at the Foreign Office said at the weekly media briefing.
He also pointed to an Afghan national, Balaach Pardili who, while living in India, was involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan.“As Balaach Pardili is an Afghan national, we expect the Afghan government to take up the issue with India to ensure that its nationals living in India are not used for fomenting terrorism in Pakistan,” the spokesman said.
Pardili is a worker of the Harbiar Marri-led Balochistan Movement which seeks an independent Balochistan.“Terrorism is our common enemy. A cooperative approach is required to deal with the menace,” he said, adding that in the past it was India that had accused Pakistan of supporting non-state actors.
The spokesman also recalled the recent attempts to disrupt functions organised for prominent Pakistani personalities on visit to India and reiterated Islamabad’s demand that such incidents should not be repeated.
“Recently, a cultural event in Mumbai by Pakistani maestro Mr Ghulam Ali was cancelled because of threats from a fundamentalist organisation. Attempts were also made to disrupt a function in Mumbai organised for Mr Khurshid Kasuri, a former foreign minister of Pakistan. There is a need to ensure that such incidents do not recur,” he said.
The spokesman paid tributes to Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani, saying he was one of the most respected and prominent leaders of the Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.“Currently, he is also the chairman of the APHC. Kashmiris are directly affected by the Kashmir dispute and, therefore, are a party to it. Hurriyat is the main representative of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Because of the political stature of Syed Ali Geelani, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif invited him to visit Pakistan and exchange views on the current situation in the Indian-Occupied Kashmir. We expect that his visit to Pakistan would be helpful in projecting the voice of Kashmiris in Pakistan and internationally,” the spokesman responded to a query.
He said Pakistan had always expressed serious concern over the violations of human rights of Kashmiris by India.To a query about the prime minister’s Oct 20-23 official visit to the United States, the spokesman said the composition of the delegation was still being worked upon. Besides meeting with President Barack Obama, the prime minister will also meet chairman House Foreign Affairs Committee, Senate Foreign Relations Committee members, interact with the Pakistan-US Business Council and the US Chamber of Commerce and Industry, talk at the United States Institute of Peace and interact with the Pakistani community.
“During the visit, the prime minister will brief the US leadership on Pakistan’s policies for the revival of economy, the fight against terrorism and the regional situation. Discussions will also be held on bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, education, defence, counter-terrorism, health and climate change,” added the spokesman.