A senior US lawmaker told a visiting Pakistani delegation, led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, to take strong action against the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed and to ensure the safety of religious minorities in the country.
This comes as Congressman Brad Sherman met with the Pakistani delegation in Washington on Thursday. Their visit coincided with that of an Indian multi-party parliamentary team led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is in the US to brief American officials about Operation Sindoor and India’s response to terrorism following the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
After meeting Bilawal Bhutto, Sherman took to social media platform ‘X’ and said, “I emphasised to the Pakistani delegation the importance of combatting terrorism, and in particular, the group Jaish-e-Mohammed, who murdered my constituent Daniel Pearl in 2002.”
He was referring to a Wall Street Journal journalist, Pearl, who was kidnapped and killed by terrorists in Pakistan. Omar Saeed Sheikh was convicted for planning the crime.
{{/usCountry}}He was referring to a Wall Street Journal journalist, Pearl, who was kidnapped and killed by terrorists in Pakistan. Omar Saeed Sheikh was convicted for planning the crime.
{{/usCountry}}Sherman added that Pearl’s family still lives in his district and stressed, “Pakistan should do all it can to eliminate this vile group and combat terrorism in the region.”
‘Pakistan govt should free Shakil Afridi’
The US lawmaker also pressed the Pakistani side to push for the release of Dr Shakil Afridi, the physician who helped US intelligence locate Osama bin Laden.
“Freeing Dr Afridi represents an important step in bringing closure for victims of 9/11,” Sherman said.
Afridi was arrested in 2011 after the bin Laden raid and was later sentenced to 33 years in prison by a Pakistani court.
The US lawmaker further raised concerns about religious freedom in Pakistan, saying, “Christians, Hindus and Ahmadiyya Muslims living in Pakistan must be allowed to practice their faith and participate in the democratic system without fear of violence, persecution, discrimination, or an unequal justice system.”
Bhutto Zardari’s visit, which included meetings with UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres and UN security council ambassadors in New York, appears to be part of Pakistan’s effort to raise the Kashmir issue internationally. However, US lawmakers instead urged the delegation to address terrorism based in Pakistan.