Dossier on Johar Town blast: ‘Rogue’ India backs terror outfits, says Hina Rabbani Khar

ISLAMABAD: Terming India a ‘rogue state’, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said no country has used terrorism better to its benefit than India — which suffers from ‘chronic terrorism syndrome’ while remaining the recruiter, financier and facilitator of various outfits and foreign fighters in the region.

Speaking at the Foreign Office on Wednesday, Khar spelt out different attacks carried out by Delhi killing Pakistani citizens. She also presented to the media a dossier related to 2021 Johar Town blast near the home of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed in which four people were killed.

“This dossier has detailed evidence of how India has been found to be fully behind this incident that led to this loss of life. Pakistan does not unlike, India, go the next day to blame one country or the other. We waited till we had hard evidence to be making the case we are making today,” she said.

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed briefed diplomatic missions based in Islamabad on the “state-sponsored terrorism” against Pakistan planned, conducted, and financed by India and asked the international community to hold India accountable for its crimes.

This particular effort is to bring to the attention of the world and to expect them and to encourage them to see things based on evidence,” the minister said. A point had come when there was “undeniable, indisputable” evidence and it was necessary to “call a spade a spade”.

Reading from the text of the dossier, the state minister said, “I have four names here who are Indian nationals whose listing has been blocked by India. Gobinda Patnaik, Parthasarathy, Rajesh Kumar, and Dungara. All four names were blocked by India in UNSC listing. India cannot have islands of excellence in a sea of depravity. When you try and harm your region, you actually end up harming yourself,” she said.

The state minister said the law enforcement agencies and judicial authorities had brought the frontmen of the attack to justice. “The masterminds and the facilitators remain at large and under Indian state patronage and protection. I assure you that the Government of Pakistan will pursue this relentlessly,” said Khar.

The minister said that New Delhi continuously uses terrorist proxies and gives blatant support to Baloch militant She said New Delhi was consistently paralysing the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions regime by blocking the listing of Indian terrorists aided and financed by the state of India. She pointed out that Pakistan had shared the dossier with members of the UNSC and would also share it with the UN secretary general. “We hope that they would look into this evidence and fulfill their responsibilities”, she added.

Earlier, when Pakistan exited the FATF grey list, it said it had enough experience and would want to be part of FATF. Khar called on international organisations like the United Nations and Financial Action Task Force to take responsibility for holding India accountable.

As India prepared later tonight to bring up the issue of counter-terrorism at the UNSC which it is heading, Ms Khar remarked, “India is chairing UNSC meetings on terrorism and beating the drum on the issue but had now been caught “red-handed” orchestrating terrorist attacks in Pakistan. She called on India to desist from pursuing this policy and to look at the region as it was. “India’s unabated slip into the abyss of terrorism is being clouded by this growing India, emerging India narrative.”

Pointing to the dossier, Khar said there was “clear evidence” of the terrorist attack being “planned and supported” by India. “It reflects India’s persistent hostility towards my country and the use of terrorist proxies to achieve terrorist actions. Pakistan realises that for political-economic reasons, western capitals have not given weight to even previous dossiers but we are looking for accountability. The Lahore incident, for us, is a test case for the credibility and integrity of international counter-terrorism and counter-financing of terrorist regimes. The world must show that efforts to counter terrorism are non-discriminating. The international conscience cannot be held hostage to what are clearly political and economic exigencies of the time.”