How long will Pakistan argue it needs time to deal with jihadis, asks Husain Haqqani

Pakistan Foreign Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif has admitted that LeT and its leader Hafiz Saeed are liabilities to Islamabad.

Pic Courtesy: @husainhaqqani/Facebook

New Delhi: Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, slammed Khawaja Asif on Wednesday over his statement that Lakshar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its leader Hafiz Saeed are liabilities to Islamabad and that it needs time to get rid of them.

In a series of tweets directed to Pakistan's Foreign Minister, he wrote, "How long will Pakistan argue that it needs time to deal with jihadis helped by US against Soviets 1980-89?"

Haqqani added, "28 years should be enough to change. Reminder for Khawaja Asif - Siraj Haqqani was born in 1989, the year anti-Soviet Jihad ended and US walked away."

"Lashkar-e-Taiba was founded in 1990 and Jaish-e-Muhammad in 2000. No US involvement with either," he further wrote.

How long will #Pakistan argue that it needs time to deal with Jihadis helped by US against Soviets 1980-89? 28 yrs shd be enough to change! — Husain Haqqani (@husainhaqqani) September 27, 2017

Reminder for @KhawajaMAsif: Siraj Haqqani was born in 1989, the year anti-Soviet Jihad ended & US 'walked away.' #Pakistan — Husain Haqqani (@husainhaqqani) September 27, 2017

Reminder 2 for @KhawajaMAsif: Lashkar-e-Taiba was founded in 1990 & Jaish-e-Muhammad in 2000. No US involvement with either. — Husain Haqqani (@husainhaqqani) September 27, 2017

Answering questions at the Asia Society after a speech on Pakistan`s priorities under the new Prime Minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Asif had admitted, "I accept they are liabilities (LeT and Saeed). But give us time to get rid of these liabilities because we do not have the assets to manage those liabilities. You are increasing the liabilities further by harping on them."

The moderator, Columbia University Journalism School Dean Steve Coll, specifically mentioned Saeed - the mastermind of the Mumbai terror attack that killed 166 Indians and foreigners - starting a political party.

The Foreign Minister had replied. "I agree we should continue our efforts (to) defang, dismantling whatever remnants are there of extremism or terrorists in Pakistan. I don`t disagree with that. You mentioned a name. It is a proscribed organisation, the gentleman is under house arrest. But I agree with you that on that score, on that account we have to do more. There are people in Pakistan who can be a liability in times of crisis for Pakistan and for the region, I agree."

Asif had blamed the US for the rise of terrorist organisations in Pakistan, citing its support for the jihadists against the former Soviet Union during its occupation of Afghanistan. 

"Don`t blame us for Hafiz Saeeds," he had said.

Asif was forthright about the legacy of the Afghan war on Pakistan, which changed the ethos of a country that had been liberal.

"That is the tragedy. It makes my heart bleed," he had said.

"The Pakistan of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was a very liberal, pluralistic society. But what we did in 1980 to justify the jihad reversed everything. We rewrote our histories. Heroes became non-heroes, non-heroes became heroes because we wanted to justify jihad because that suited our friends, our good friends the Americans," he had further said.

"They wanted to kick out the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, that was the objective. And we supported it and in the process, our ethos was destroyed. After the defeat of the Soviet Union you shouldn`t have left the way you left that region," Asif had maintained. 

"You thought the Cold War is over, `We are the sole superpower and so we don`t have to bother about Pakistan or this region can go to hell.` And that is what happened. We went to hell. And we are still burning in that hell," he had lamented.

(With IANS inputs)