NEW DELHI: India on Thursday pushed back against a senior US general’s characterisation of Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner” in counter-terrorism by pointing to the Pakistani military’s long-standing support for cross-border terrorism and the presence of terrorist leaders and groups in the neighbouring country.
The US Central Command chief, General Michael Kurilla, created a flutter by saying during a hearing by the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that the US needs to have a relationship with both India and Pakistan because of the Pakistani military’s role in countering threats from the Islamic State-Khorasan Province or ISIS-Khorasan.
When external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about Kurilla’s remarks at a weekly media briefing, he responded by highlighting the track record of Pakistan in the context of supporting cross-border terrorism and its links to terrorist individuals and groups, including slain al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Referring to comments made by interlocutors in the United States, Jaiswal said: “See the record of Pakistan, of what Pakistan actually is, [it] is very clear. We all know the Pahalgam attack is only a recent example of cross-border terrorism.
“I would remind you that only recently, one of the conspirators of [the 2008 Mumbai attacks], Tahawwur Rana was extradited from the United States to India. Obviously, none of us have forgotten that Pakistan gave shelter to Osama bin Laden.”
{{/usCountry}}“I would remind you that only recently, one of the conspirators of [the 2008 Mumbai attacks], Tahawwur Rana was extradited from the United States to India. Obviously, none of us have forgotten that Pakistan gave shelter to Osama bin Laden.”
{{/usCountry}}Bin Laden was killed in a raid by US special forces in May 2011 while sheltering in a compound located close to key military facilities in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad.
Jaiswal said it was also significant that a Pakistani doctor, Shakil Afridi, who helped locate bin Laden, is “still imprisoned by the Pakistani military”.
Afridi played a key role in ascertaining bin Laden’s presence in the compound in Abbottabad, located a stone’s throw from the Pakistan Military Academy.
Kurilla’s remarks did not go down well in New Delhi because they came at a time when India has intensified its global efforts to highlight Pakistan’s role as an epicentre of terrorism, as well as its backing for cross-border terrorism in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 that killed 26 civilians.
During his testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Kurilla, who is set to retire this summer, highlighted the role of the Pakistani military and army chief Asim Munir in combating ISIS-Khorasan.
“That’s why we need…to have a relationship with Pakistan and with India. I do not believe it is a binary switch that we can’t have one with Pakistan if we have a relationship with India,” Kurilla said.