'Pak disappointed by US view on anti-terror measures'

The Pakistan Foreign Office on Tuesday said it was "disappointed" by a report issued recently by the US Department of State, which had criticised the government for allegedly not doing enough to curb militant outfits, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).

"Pakistan is disappointed with assertions made in the US Department of State's Country Report on Terrorism 2018," Dawn news quoted the Foreign Office as saying in a statement.

"The report completely overlooks the factual situation on the ground and the tremendous contribution made and sacrifices rendered by Pakistan over the last two decades in the international struggle against terrorism.

"These efforts have not only resulted in the elimination of Al Qaeda from this region, but have also made the world a safer place."

The Foreign Office protested against the assertions made by the report, stating: "As noted in the report, Pakistan faces the threat of terrorism from a number of groups, including TTP (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakisatn), JuA (Jamaat-ul-Ahrar) and ISKP (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - Khorasan Province).

"The report, however, fails to mention that these groups continue to operate and conduct terrorist activities against Pakistan from across the (western) border."

The Foreign Office added that Islamabad was committed to take "concrete actions" under the National Action Plan, which has been drawn up with the consensus of all national stakeholders.

The State Department report, which was released on November 1 and discussed progress made against terrorism by different countries in 2018, said that while Pakistan had implemented international standards to combat money laundering and terror financing and also criminalised such acts, "implementation remains uneven", Dawn news reported.

It further said that the country had not taken enough measures against "externally focused groups such as LeT and JeM which continued to operate, train, organise, and fundraise in Pakistan".

It further alleged that while Pakistan had extended support for the Afghan peace process, it "did not restrict the Afghan Taliban and HQN (Haqqani Network) from operating" from its territory.

( With inputs from IANS )