US Lawmakers Move Bill to Designate Pakistan a Terrorist State

The move is a huge setback to Islamabad ahead of Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif’s address at the UN General Assembly.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the 71st United Nations General Assembly. (Photo: AP)

In a huge setback to Pakistan ahead of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s address at the United Nations General Assembly, a bipartisan group of two powerful American lawmakers has introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives to designate Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism.

It is time we stopped paying Pakistan for its betrayal and designate it for what it is: a state-sponsor of terrorism.

Congressman Ted Poe, Chairman of House Subcommittee on Terrorism

The ‘Pakistan State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act’ (HR 6069) has been introduced by Republican Poe along with Congressman Dana Rohrabacher of the Democratic Party, who is a ranking member of the influential Congressional Committee on terrorism.

Not only is Pakistan an untrustworthy ally, Islamabad has also aided and abetted enemies of the US for years. From harbouring Osama bin Laden to its cozy relationship with the Haqqani network, there is more than enough evidence to determine whose side Pakistan is on in the War on Terror. And it’s not America’s.

Also Read: Uri Attack: India to Isolate Pakistan at Every International Forum

Poe said the bill will require the Obama Administration to formally answer this question. The President must issue a report within 90 days of passage detailing whether or not Pakistan has provided support for international terrorism, he said.

Thirty days after that, the Secretary of State must issue a follow-up report containing either a determination that Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism or a detailed justification as to why Pakistan does not meet the legal criteria for designation.

In a separate statement, Congressman Pete Olson supported every effort to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Uri terrorist attack:

I strongly condemn this terrorist attack on an Indian Army base in Kashmir that resulted in the death of 18 Indian soldiers. India is a strong partner and ally in peace. I support every effort to find out who committed this heinous act, so that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

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Indian-Americans continued to call for designating Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism.

Pakistan has been pursuing for almost 30 years the state-sponsored terrorism as its strategic policy to further its sinister designs across its borders. In the process, Pakistan became a cradle and epicentre of global terrorism. At present, it is totally isolated in the global community and turning into a rogue state.

Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP)-USA

The last time such a move to designate Pakistan a terrorist state was in 1993 after the Mumbai serial blasts, allegedly engineered by Pakistan. The terror attack killed 259 people.

Though Sharif has not commented on the Uri attack, his Foreign Advisor Sartaj Aziz said, India was making “a blatant attempt to deflect attention from the fast deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation in Kashmir.”

(With inputs from PTI)