‘Ignoring terror sanctuaries, an error’

Pakistan made an “error” in ignoring terrorist sanctuaries in its tribal areas and China’s concerns about Xinjiang militants holed up in the country are valid, a senior Pakistani diplomat said on Monday.

“Pakistan made an error in ignoring the presence of numerous sanctuaries in the tribal areas, virtually losing the writ over large tracts of land,” said former foreign secretary Riaz Khokhar, when asked about criticism that Pakistan’s attitude towards fighting terror was not very steadfast until recently.

“But the situation has changed drastically,” Mr Khokhar, who was former ambassador of Pakistan to India and China, told China’s state-run Global Times, referring to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s pledge not to allow sanctuaries for militants in the country.

“Terrorism is a scourge for humanity. No country in the world has suffered more than Pakistan in fighting extremism and terrorism. It has paid heavily in blood and treasure — around 50,000 dead, thousands injured, and a loss of about $100 billion to the economy,” Mr Khokhar told the daily. The Pakistani Army had launched a massive campaign, the Zarb-e-Momin operation, to destroy all the hideouts and eliminate terrorists without any discrimination, he said. “The operation has been successful at great cost, but is still continuing,” he said.

On China’s concerns over the presence of East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) militants from Xinjiang in Pakistan’s tribal areas, he said, “China’s concerns about terrorism and security situation in Pakistan are valid and understandable.”