Pakistan plays victim card, tells world 'India distracting us in fighting terror', blames RAW

ISLAMABAD: Under pressure from the United States, Pakistan on Wednesday played the victim card, claiming that India is 'distracting' it from counter-terrorism efforts.

Briefing international diplomats on the country's effort to tackle terror outfits on home soil, Pakistan's top civil-military leadership harped on how Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is contributing towards internal instability.

"Details were also provided on how Indian belligerence and unhelpful posturing is distracting Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts and how an active RAW/NDS nexus is verifiably working to undermine Pakistan's internal stability," a statement from the country's foreign office said.

The session was conducted by Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif and top military generals in Islamabad. 

The briefing comes days after United States blocked $255 million military aid to Pakistan, accusing the country of resorting to “lies and deceit” and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for $33 billion aid over the last 15 years.

Following Trump administration's step of freezing military aid, reports of Islamabad suspending intelligence cooperation with US emerged.

The country's Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan reportedly told a large gathering in Islamabad on Tuesday that Pakistan has suspended military and intelligence cooperation with the United States in the wake of US President Donald Trump's allegations.

Khan reportedly added that the US was using Pakistan as a "scapegoat" for its failures in war-torn Afghanistan.

The US Embassy in Islamabad, however, denied receiving any such information.

Under pressure from the White House, Pakistan has already blacklisted terror outfit Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD), headed by 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, and 71 other groups.