Baloch human rights activist urges Trump administration to place Pakistan at top of terror list

Quetta, Nov 28 (IANS) Leading Baloch human rights defender, Mir Yar Baloch, on Friday called on the United States administration and its investigative agencies to thoroughly reassess Pakistan's role in global security and consider placing the country at the top of the terror list due to its track record.

Citing numerous reports and expert analysis, the human rights activist stated that elements within Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and military establishment have served as central hubs for extremist networks, amid escalating long-standing serious concerns.

Mir urged the US President Donald Trump's administration, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the White House, to urgently re-evaluate Pakistan’s role in global security.

“Numerous analysts, officials, and former Pakistani intelligence figures have publicly asserted that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) have maintained longstanding ties with extremist organisations such as Al Qaida. It has been widely reported that key figures associated with the 9/11 attacks and transnational terrorist networks including senior leadership of Al-Qaeda operated within Pakistan for more than 10 years,” the human rights activist posted on X.

“The discovery of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, mere yards from Pakistani military and intelligence facilities, has raised profound questions that remain unresolved. For more than two decades, Pakistan has faced allegations of providing shelter or passive support to groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Statements by former President and Army Chief Pervez Musharraf, who at times praised individuals like Hafiz Saeed and Osama bin Laden, saying that 'these people are the heroes of Pakistan' and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who publicly referred to bin Laden as a 'martyr', have further intensified international concerns," he added.

Mir noted that former ISI officials have themselves made statements fueling these concerns, citing General Hamid Gul's remark during a debate on Pakistani news channel ARY News, where he said "history would credit the ISI with defeating both the Soviet Union and, indirectly, the United States in Afghanistan".

He further highlighted that similarly, former ISI Director Asad Durrani told an international media outlet that Pakistan had “fooled” the United States during its cooperation in Afghanistan, “receiving billions in aid while simultaneously maintaining contacts with the Taliban and other militant groups."

“Given the gravity of these public statements and the longstanding allegations from multiple sources, it is imperative that US national-security institutions reassess Pakistan’s role and incorporate these concerns into future counterterrorism and geopolitical strategy,” Mir stressed.

--IANS

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