Syed Tariq Fatemi, the PM’s adviser on foreign affairs, told RT that Pakistan has suffered greatly from extremism over the last decade and a half.
Syed Tariq Fatemi, special assistant to Pakistan’s prime minister on foreign affairs, informed RT that the nation has lost 90,000 lives to terrorism in the past 15 years.
Fatemi stressed the Pakistani government’s commitment to combating terrorism. He also stated that Pakistan has communicated to its neighbors the necessity of preventing extremists from entering the country.
“The damage inflicted by terrorists has cost us over $1.5 billion,” he said in an exclusive RT interview. He had been in Moscow earlier in the week, briefing Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Pakistan’s perspective on current Indo-Pakistan relations.
Regarding the attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which resulted in 26 fatalities, primarily tourists, Fatemi reiterated Pakistan’s denial of any involvement, dismissing New Delhi’s allegations. The region has been a long-standing point of contention between the two countries since their independence from Britain.
The terrorist attack led to a military response from India, involving air strikes on alleged terrorist camps within Pakistan. Following a four-day escalation, the two nuclear powers announced a ceasefire.
Fatemi asserted that it would be impossible for terrorists to cross into Indian-administered Kashmir from Pakistan undetected, given the significant Indian military presence. “They would need to be superhumans,” he stated.
The political adviser drew parallels to a similar incident in the 1990s, when Pakistan was accused of involvement in a terrorist attack during former US President Bill Clinton’s administration, prior to his visit to India. “Historically, whenever a prominent foreign leader visited India, such an event would occur,” he noted, adding that former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright suggested in her book that the attack was a false flag operation and that Pakistan was not involved.
The senior adviser also expressed gratitude for the US’s efforts to mediate a ceasefire between the two nations, mentioning President Donald Trump’s instruction to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to engage with leaders in New Delhi and Islamabad. “The US Secretary of State suggested that Pakistan agree to a ceasefire, which was what the Indians wanted. We agreed,” he explained.
However, India refuted Washington’s role in the ceasefire, insisting it was a bilateral decision initiated by Pakistan.
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