Political chaos could invite influx of terrorists: Pak interior minister

Ahsan Iqbal has said that Pakistan needs to come together to tackle terrorism. He however made no mention of home-grown terror outfits.

Photo courtesy: Twitter/@MofInteriorPK

At a time when the international community is increasingly looking at Pakistan with suspicion, the country's interior minister has said that any political chaos in the country could benefit terrorists.

Ahsan Iqbal on Friday visited a Methodist Church which had recently been attacked by terrorists. Here, he warned that political stability and religious unity were the main weapons in the fight against terrorism. 

"Destabilising Pakistan would be beneficial for our enemies," Iqbal was quoted as saying by Dawn. "Our western border (already) is being used for terrorist activities in Pakistan and they (the enemies) want to weaken our country by fomenting terrorism. It is the not time for leg pulling because we have already suffered a lot. I invite all stakeholders and political forces to join hands with the government for development (of the country) and prosperity of our future’s generation."

While he also blamed India for trying to destabilise Pakistan, Iqbal however - and quite conveniently - ignored that a terrorist like Hafiz Saeed has opened an office in Lahore for his political party. He also did not speak about repeated US warnings against home-grown terrorist outfits and on how Pakistan needs to increase efforts to contain - and possibly eliminate - them.

Instead, Iqbal chose to focus on cooperation with China and termed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) a 'game-changer'. His comments come close on the heels of those made by foreign minister Khwaja Asif who had said Pakistan must focus on further developing relations with China and Russia, instead of relying on the US.